Froch still on course to face Chavez Jr

01/07/2015 Jeff Sorby

Rob McCracken, the trainer for IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KOs), says that Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (48-1-1, 32 KOs) is still a target for them for their next fight. McCracken says that they’re in talks with Chavez Jr for a fight. This is news because Chavez Jr’s promoter Bob Arum recently said that there is no Chavez Jr-Froch fight.

This means that if Froch’s promoter is having talks with Chavez Jr about a fight, then they’re doing it without Arum’s Top Rank company being part of the talks. If Arum and Top Rank aren’t going to be involved then it’s unknown if a fight between Chavez Jr and Froch can take place.

Froch ordered by IBF to start negotiations with DeGale

01/03/201501/03/2015 Bill Phanco

The International Boxing Federation (IBF) sent out a letter to IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KOs) on December 31st, ordering him to start the negotiation process with his IBF mandatory challenger James DeGale (20-1, 14 KOs). If Froch fails to do this then the IBF will strip the 37-year-old Froch of his IBF title and then order #7 IBF Andre Dirrell to face DeGale for the vacant IBF strap.

Froch has been holding out for a fight against former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, because Froch believes that he’s a fighter popular enough for him to fight on pay-per-view in the United States. Chavez Jr has promotional issues with Top Rank, and it doesn’t look as if Froch will be able to get that fight with him anytime soon.

2014/2015 Reviews and Previews: Terence Crawford, Bernard Hopkins, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Carl Froch, Lucas Matthysse, Peter Quillin, & Erislandy Lara

12/31/2014 Vivek Wallace

(Note: In the third installment of a week long breakdown, boxing scribe Vivek “Vito” Wallace analyzes where today’s top fighters stand, and whether or not 2015 could be the year many of them fall. This week long analysis will cover over 30 top fighters from around the world)

TERENCE CRAWFORD

Despite a somewhat uneventful 2014 in the sport, the one golden talent which served as a silver-lining with platinum potential was Omaha, Nebraska’s Terrance Crawford. Coming into the year few knew his name. By the time it ended, few could forget it! The emergence of Terence Crawford onto the scene has been a breath of fresh air. In what was once considered a limited selection of fans, suddenly, the African American base around the world has a talent to root for that does more fighting than flaunting (money), and more taming than talking!

Carl Froch vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr close to being finalized for 3/28

12/27/2014 Jeff Sorby

IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch is on the verge of getting his dream fight against former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on March 28th in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight is close to being finalized, according to the Express.co.uk. Froch, 37, will have his two titles on the line for the fight unless Chavez Jr has problems making weight, which is a distinct possibility given his recent track record.

Out of all the fighters that Froch could have selected for the fight, he chose Chavez Jr despite the fact that he’s not a belt holder at super middleweight and he’s never actually fought a true 168 pound fighter from the division. This will be Chavez Jr’s first fight against a real super middleweight.

The Year in Review: Six Notable Fights in 2014 – Part I — Pacquiao, Hopkins, Froch, More!

12/25/201412/24/2014 Paul Jones

By Paul “Paparazzi“ Jones – Photo © (clockwise) Paul “Paparazzi” Jones/ESB; Steve Lopez/ESB; Al Santiago/ImageSantiago; Chris Farina/Top Rank | Illustration – Paul “Paparazzi” Jones

In this two-part review, I chronicle six of the most anticipated bouts of 2014. In Part I, I cover three key fights from the first half of the year. In Part II, I describe three fights from the remainder of the year and list match-ups that deserve honorable mention.

I selected each of these contests based on their ability to produce drama, historical significance, and/or sustained action. In addition, I emphasize tilts with pound-for-pound and title implications.

Kessler: I’m sitting by the phone waiting for Froch to call; I want to fight him in a decider

10/06/2014 Bill Phanco

35-year-old Danish fighter Mikkel Kessler (46-3, 35 KOs) says he’s waiting by the phone to get a call from IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KOs) to be his next opponent on January 31st next year in a fight that would be staged in London. Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn is saying that he’s looking to match the 37-year-old Froch against either Kessler or James DeGale, Froch’s IBF mandatory challenger.

“I am sitting by the phone, hoping something is going to happen soon – I want a decider with Carl,” Kessler said to Ringside.

The problem with matching Froch against Kessler is that it’s a fight that some boxing fans would see as a rip-off considering that Kessler hasn’t fought since May of 2013 when he was beaten by Froch.

Groves asks Froch for fight, and gets turned down

09/22/201409/21/2014 Jeff Sorby

George Groves (20-2, 15 Kos) asked IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch a fight last night following Groves’ 12 round unanimous win over EBU super middleweight champion Christopher Rebrasse (22-3-3, 6 KOs) at the Wembley Arena in London, UK.

While Groves was being interviewed after the fight by Sky Sports, Groves spotted Froch outside of the ring and bluntly asked him for a fight, but Froch wasn’t having any of it as he told him that he’d already beaten him twice and there was no point in the fight.

Groves asking Froch for a fight took away from Groves’ moment because it was obvious that Froch was going to turn him down because he wasn’t thrilled at the idea of fighting Groves a second time after all the trash talking he’d done before their first fight.

Golovkin closing in on Chavez Jr on Froch’s Facebook poll

08/13/2014 Jeff Sorby

On Tuesday, IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch asked boxing fans on his Facebook account to pick out who they would like to see him fight from these three fighters: Julio Cesar Chavez, James DeGale and Gennady Golovkin. Froch initially asked fans if they wanted to see him fight DeGale or Chavez Jr. But a couple hours later, Froch added Golovkin’s name to the list.

As you would guess, Chavez Jr jumped out to a huge lead over the other contestants. However, now a day later, Golovkin has narrowed Chavez Jr’s lead considerably and is within striking distance of taking the lead.

Arum working on Chavez Jr-Froch fight for 1/24

07/29/201407/29/2014 Jeff Sorby

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is confident that he can put together a mega fight between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (48-1-1, 32 KO’s) and IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KOs) for January 24th for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arum has been in communication with Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn and his father Barry in working out a deal to get Froch and Chavez Jr into the ring in what promises to be an interesting match-up between two big sluggers.

“I’m convinced we can get it done,” Arum said to ESPN’s Dan Rafael. “I made a proposal that I don’t want to get into but I think it would be acceptable.”

The Glass Is Half Full: Best of The First Half of 2014

07/12/2014 Andrew Huntley

As the final seconds of 2013 ticked away, our attention turned from whatever kind of celebratory beverage we held in our hand toward the topic of what might occur in the year to come. For fans of boxing, the future seemed uncertain; and those of a more pessimistic inclination probably felt they had good reason for viewing it as being rather bleak.

After all, at the start of 2014, the rift between promotional organizations and networks seemed as vast and impassible as it ever had at any point since it was first created. The number of appealing match-ups to look forward was rather limited, and the match-ups that had been bandied about (e.g. Floyd Mayweather-Amir Khan) did little to whet the boxing fan’s appetite. Given that context, it becomes easy to understand why some observers felt that the year would prove to be a disappointment.

Still, six months later, these fears have proved to be unfounded.