Froch vacates IBF title; Luke Campbell Statement

Carl Froch has vacated the IBF Super Middleweight title as he recovers from the injury that ruled him out of a clash with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

The four-time World champion will now consider his future before potentially defending his WBA Super Middleweight title this summer.

Mandatory challenger James DeGale MBE will now fight the next available contender for the vacant title, and the IBF will instruct Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Sport as to who that will be and negotiations will commence immediately.

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Five Reasons Floyd Mayweather Jr. is More Like Sugar Ray Robinson Than the Boxing Public is Willing to Admit

At the heel of one of the most interesting and controversial negotiations in boxing history, a lot of talk about the good ol’ days and other clichés emerged and are thrown around like medicine balls in sweaty boxing gyms. They’re used to describe a time when all was well – the gas station attendant filled up your car, the doctor made house calls, and the best fighters fought the best fighters. You even hear fighters repeat the phrase, “I’m old school”, in hopes of luring a no nonsense fan base that will follow them down the often lonely, dark hallways of their boxing journey

So where does Mayweather fit into all of this? You dare not compare Mayweather to the late, great Sugar Ray Robinson. I can feel the eyes of many strangers hawking at their tablets, phones and computer screens as I type this.

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Eubank Jnr. – Dmitry Chudinov Presser in London

Chris Eubank Jnr. came face-to-face with Interim WBA World Middleweight Champion Dmitry Chudinov in London today ahead of their huge clash on Saturday 28th February at London’s O2 arena.

Eubank aims to rebound from his sole career defeat to Billy Joe Saunders last November by defeating the hard Russian and a victory could see him get a rematch with the Hatfield ace.

Chudinov, in attendance with well respected Russian manager and promoter Vlad Hrunov, says he will defeat the son of the British great and return to his homeland a hero.

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Fury says Klitschko fight better than one with Wilder

Tyson Fury has come out and said that he did not watch Wilders historic match against Bermane Stiverne to capture the WBC heavyweight title, but did congratulate him on his victory. The heavyweight scene is very open now with top talents like Bryant Jennings, Tyson Fury and Alexander Povetkin ready to take over from Wladimir Klitschko as the lineal champion of the world. The interesting thing is that Tyson Fury does not seem to be caught up in the hype around the newly crowned WBC strap holder and has his sights set solely on the main man in the division, Wladimir Klitschko.

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Froch vacates today. DeGale vs Groves 2 on the cards?

The Mirror has reported that WBA/IBF super-middleweight champion Carl Froch will be forced to vacate his IBF strap today as he has failed to set up a fight with the mandatory challenger in James DeGale. This did not seem to be the case of Froch being afraid to fight DeGale, on the contrary he has been looking to find himself a farewell fight in Vegas against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, nevertheless this title will be up for grabs in the coming months and as DeGale is the first in line he will be fighting for it. The number two ranked fighter by the IBF is American Andre Dirrell, brother of WBC champ Anthony Dirrell. This is an exiting proposition as we could have brothers both as title holders in the same weight class.

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Eddie Hearn says Kell Brook targeting Marquez, Maidana, Thurman or Guerrero after Jo Jo Dan

In an interview with Fight Hype Eddie Hearn, promoter for IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook, said that once their mandatory against Jo Jo Dan is complete, they would be looking for a big name in the summer. The names that he chose to mention were Juan Manuel Marquez, Marcos Maidana and the winner of the upcoming Thurman vs Guerrero match up.

Any of these fighters would be a fantastic match up for the 28 year old Brook, and each would most likely be viewed as his toughest test to date. Juan Manuel Marquez has been looking for a title at . Marquez was the third Mexican born boxer to become a four division champion and a win over Brook would make him the first five division champion. His only other options to pick up titles in that weight division would be rematches with Mayweather and Pacquiao so Brook has to be seen as the best route for him.

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The biggest things which need to happen for the sport of boxing to thrive

In this article I am going to detail my own personal opinions on what needs to happen, what needs to change and what needs to be stopped for the sport of boxing to increase in popularity and to return to its former glory which was enjoyed in the past. Boxing as a whole has been under a lot of fire in the last few years over a number of topics and this article will look to explain some of the major ones. Some of these are never going to change and are just wishful thinking, others, could very well happen in the next few years.

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The Future of the Heavyweight Division

Now the dust has settled on Deontay Wilders impressive and dominant twelve round unanimous decision over Bermane Stiverne to capture the WBC heavyweight title last month, many questions about him have been answered. Can he work for a full twelve round fight? Yes. Can he take a punch? Yes. Can he use fundimental techniques such as a strong jab and lateral movement. Yes. What this means however is that the division has a lot more questions to answer now. Who are the best heavyweights in the world? Are there other heavyweights who will be able to stand up to Wilders punches for a full twelve rounds? And who will be the fighter to finally end the Wladimir Klitschko express and dethrone him as the dominant face of the division (if anyone can do it!)

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The Super Lightweight Picture

There are a number of interesting matchups occurring in the 140lb division in the next few months, most notably a showdown between the IBF Champion Lamont Peterson and the lineal Champion Danny Garcia. Garcia had a terrible year in 2014 despite actually winning both of his bouts. This must be seen as the best opponent he has faced since his showdown with Argentinean slugger Lucas Matthysse in 2013.

Also former three weight world Champ Adrien Broner will take on pressure fighter John Molina Jr. Whilst I personally wouldn’t rate Molina as a top 15 fighter in this division, it is interesting seeing Broner in with someone who can punch after his disastrous performance against Marcos Maidana when they fought.

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Capital Punishment – Undercard Review

Hibbert goes up a level | Ryder ends a difficult night with a bang | Martin a class apart

John Wayne Hibbert TKO8 Tyler Goodjohn

John Wayne Hibbert 15-2 (9KO’s) took another huge step towards a tilt at the British light welterweight title, producing an eye-catching display to halt Tyler Goodjohn 11-4 (4KO’s) in the 8th round.

Given the obligatory social media bad blood in the lead up to the contest, there was a feeling that war would be declared from the opening bell. Hibbert had other ideas moving freely in and out of range, stinging the marching Goodjohn with sharp combinations.

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