Carl Froch Stripped of WBA Super Middleweight Title Due to Inactivity

Carl Froch has been stripped of his WBA Super Middleweight title and may not fight again, promoter Eddie Hearn said on Friday, per Sky Sports.  

Froch has not fought since he beat George Groves at Wembley Stadium almost 12 months ago, and he had already vacated his IBF title in February, per BBC Sport.

An elbow injury had been affecting Froch, and he subsequently saw a showdown with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in Las Vegas fall through, per The Associated Press (via The Guardian).

He had been hoping to defend his WBA title in the summer, but the belt has been taken from him after failing to secure a defence, with a meeting against Andre Ward delayed.

Hearn, per Sky Sports, had no quarrel with the WBA’s decision and stated that Froch may not step into the ring again, saying:

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The WBA ordered Andre Ward to face Froch a few months back. Ward requested a special permit to have an interim bout against Paul Smith which was accepted by the WBA and now following his bout with Smith, Ward must face Froch for the title. We have no problem with the decision from the WBA. Carl has been out of the ring for nearly a year now and there is certainly no guarantee that he will fight again.

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The 37-year-old had already confirmed he was giving "serious thought" to retirement, per Nick Rostron-Pike of talkSPORT.

It now seems increasingly likely that Froch will not get the chance to fight in his hometown of Nottingham before he retires from the ring.

Even if a rematch with Ward cannot be ruled out in the future, the longer Froch is absent from the ring, the more difficult it is going to be for him to return at his best. There would be no merit for either Froch or his fans in him turning up for a fight short of his best.