Carl Froch Wants Bernard Hopkins Fight After Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Delay

Carl Froch is “very interested” in a potential blockbuster summer fight with Bernard Hopkins, wrote Jeff Powell of the Daily Mail.

Froch has been forced to scrap plans to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at the end of March due to an elbow injury, per the Nottingham Evening Post.

The 37-year-old is not ruling out trying to arrange a fresh date with Chavez Jr, but he is open to “another big fight in the early summer.”

And that big fight could be against former middleweight and light-heavyweight world champion Hopkins.

Froch said in the Daily Mail: “The elbow would have affected my training for Chavez. I am also aware of the situation regarding Hopkins and I am very interested in that fight.”

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The American turned 50 earlier in January, but he is looking for one more fight before he retires, per Boxing News Online.

Hopkins was beaten convincingly on points by Sergey Kovalev in December, but he plans to drop down from light-heavyweight for his next bout. He also wants to fight a champion.

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If this is the last time I go into the ring I will not cheat myself. It will not be a freak show. I will never short-change myself and my dignity. It will be somebody that’s a champion. It will be from a division beneath me but where they’re comfortable and I’m comfortable. It will be someone that’s dominating today.

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Those comments certainly fuel the prospect of a big fight with Froch, who has won 33 of his 35 professional fights, per BoxRec.com. It may certainly be more straightforward to arrange for Hopkins than a fight with the feared middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin.

Prior to Hopkins’ defeat by Kovalev, his promoter Oscar de la Hoya suggested Golovkin would be the target in the event of a victory, per Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports. Yet such a fight would need Hopkins to potentially drop down to middleweight or Golovkin to step up one weight division. It is possible they could meet halfway at super-middleweight.

But Golovkin must also first defend his WBA belt against Martin Murray in Monte Carlo on Feb. 21, per Gareth A Davies of the Daily Telegraph.

Froch, meanwhile, also has to decide if he wants to fight again after telling BBC Radio 5 Live he is “wavering.” Froch has not fought since beating George Groves for the second time at Wembley Stadium in May last year.

There is also the issue of James DeGale being the mandatory challenger for Froch’s IBF title. Froch can apply for an exemption from that defence of his title, per Jeff Powell. However, Powell also suggests no governing body would want to miss out on a Froch-Hopkins fight, which could take place at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground or the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Powell wrote:

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Not that any governing body would want to miss out on a fight for which global fascination would be further excited by the possibility of it providing the grand finale of not one but two phenomenal careers. Be it in Forest’s penalty area or along that desert strip, a crock of gold is awaiting these two gentlemen of the prize-ring.

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A fight between Froch and Hopkins would certainly be one to savour. It is highly likely that it would also allow Froch the chance to fulfil his dream of fighting in Las Vegas before he retires, as reported by the BBC, via ESPN.

Boxing thrives on these types of megafights and it makes no real difference that Froch and Hopkins may no longer be at their peak. But just the chance to see two warriors of the ring face each other would be a memorable and unforgettable occasion in itself.