IBF Chairman rules out possibility of DeGale vs Kessler…
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IBF Chairman Lindsey Tucker has reiterated that if Carl Froch vacates his super-middleweight title, James DeGale will face Andre Dirrell for the vacant belt.
Froch revealed earlier this week that he had suffered an elbow injury in training and that he would be sidelined until the summer at the earliest due to the problem.
However, there have also been suggestions that he is considering retirement, but either way, once he notifies the IBF of his inability to fight and defend his belt against mandatory challenger DeGale, he will likely be forced to vacate the belt.
Tucker revealed that they are still waiting for confirmation from Froch that he is injured, in which case he would be able to get a 60-day medical extension. However, if the title were to become vacant, Tucker has insisted that the next two highest-ranked available contenders will fight for the belt.
Froch initially had a January 31 deadline to start negotiations with DeGale, but he has made no secret of his desire to fight in Las Vegas while suggesting that he isn’t interested in another domestic showdown.
As a result, the two-month extension will likely make little difference to the situation and he will most probably opt to step aside and relinquish his belt.
However, one thing that will not happen in that circumstance is Mikkel Kessler taking on DeGale for the title as we discussed earlier this month.
“James DeGale and Andre Dirrell are the two highest-ranked contenders,” Tucker outlined. “But there is no chance that Mikkel Kessler will be allowed to fight De Gale for the vacant IBF title because he is not currently ranked in the IBF Ratings.”
Dirrell will likely fight hard to avoid the bout being held in the UK after his loss to Froch last time he was this side of the Atlantic, but it appears as though he and DeGale could be set to slug it out for the IBF title at some point in the coming months.
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