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Carl Froch’s 2015 plans in doubt after elbow injury

Fighters Network
19
Jan
Carl Froch spears domestic rival George Groves with his jab during their May 31 rematch in London. Photo by Scott Heavey-Getty Images

Carl Froch spears domestic rival George Groves with his jab during their May 31 rematch in London. Photo by Scott Heavey-Getty Images

An elbow injury has forced IBF super middleweight titleholder Carl Froch to rethink his plans for 2015, with his next fight now likely to be in early summer.

The news is a major blow to the 37-year-old from Nottingham, England, whose promoter Eddie Hearn was involved in lengthy talks with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s representatives over a possible March showdown in Las Vegas.

Those plans are on hold at best, or at worst completely off the agenda. Both Froch, THE RING’s No.1 at 168 pounds, and Matchroom chief Hearn admit nothing can be finalized until he has made a full recovery from the injury.

I’m disappointed to have to let this opportunity go but at this stage in my career I have to make every fight count,” said Froch (33-2, 24 knockouts), who has threatened to call time on his glittering career if unable to secure a lifelong ambition of performing in the world’s boxing capital. “I will get some treatment and then we will look to make this fight, or another big fight, in the early summer.”



Hearn is equally frustrated, having spent the last two months attempting to persuade Chavez to commit to a spring date against his man in Vegas. Hearn now accepts that the British star’s next bout may have to be on home soil in the summer. He is, however, adamant that Froch will fight again.

We have been deep in negotiations for some time and we were almost ready to go,” Hearn said on Monday. “Carl has gone into fights before not 100 percent fit and paid the price. He has made the right decision to hang fire. We will have a meeting early next week and plan out 2015. I’m confident we will see him back in the ring this summer.”

Also up in the air is where this leaves Froch in terms of a mandatory defense of his IBF strap against countryman James DeGale. Since defeating George Groves in May 2014 — for a second time — Froch has intimated he will vacate that title rather than be forced to face DeGale (20-1, 14 KOs), whom he does not consider to be a part of the division’s elite.

Froch is expected to clarify the situation later this week. RING No.4 DeGale, meanwhile, is reportedly being lined up to fight Froch’s longtime Danish rival, Mikkel Kessler.

Harry Pratt is on Twitter: @gharrypratt

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