• Super-middleweight

Froch close to agreeing Kessler rematch

Carl Froch lost his unbeaten record to Mikkel Kessler in April 2010 © Getty Images

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Carl Froch looks set to agree a super-middleweight unification showdown with Mikkel Kessler, with the fighters' camps poised to agree terms inside the next week.

IBF champion Froch watched from the television studio as Kessler defeated Northern Irishman Brian Magee earlier this month, and was confident a fight would happen in 2013.

Now Froch's promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed negotiations are well advanced for Froch to attempt to avenge his defeat to the Dane back in April 2010, when he suffered a narrow points victory to lose his unbeaten record.

Froch has made no secret of his desperation to rematch Kessler, and a fight could be agreed by next week. Kessler has agreed to fight Froch on British soil, but has refused to fight in Froch's home town of Nottingham. The clash is instead headed for either London's O2 Arena or the Manchester Arena, with the date likely to be in May or June.

"The fight that is screaming to be made is Froch and Kessler," Froch said. "It's a fight the fans want and both boxers want it too."

He added: "Carl really believes that he can beat Kessler and it is one of only two blots on his record.

"Neither Carl nor Mikkel would box in the interim. Carl's trainer, Rob McCracken, likes him to have a good gap between fights and it means that Carl can go away on holiday in January and go straight into training when he comes back."

Hearn has also revealed a rematch with Lucien Bute, who Froch beat back in May, is on the backburner.

"Lucian wanted the rematch, as any fighter would who believes he can win," Hearn said. "But I have spoken to his promoters and they suggested that they might like another fight first.

"We don't believe that fight makes sense right now. Bute can have the rematch later on or, I believe, he might even end up facing Andre Ward."

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