• Super-middleweight

Froch v Chavez Jr talks have reopened, says Hearn

Carl Froch has admitted he will probably call it a day if he can't get the fight he wants in Las Vegas © Getty Images

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Promoter Eddie Hearn is hopeful he can deliver Carl Froch a fight against Julio Chavez Junior in Las Vegas after reopening talks with the Mexican's promoter.

WBA-IBF world super-middleweight champion Froch is not interested in defending his titles against fellow Briton James DeGale next and is holding out to see if a fight with Chavez can be made.

Chavez Jr, whose father is the Mexican boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez, has been in a contractual dispute with his promoter Top Rank and has not boxed since March, but Hearn has this week resumed talks.

Julio Chavez Jr is top of Froch's most wanted list © Getty Images

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"Talks have reopened with Chavez and Top Rank," Hearn told ESPN. "I've had talks with Carl about DeGale and Kessler but he says he wants the Las Vegas fight and I have to deliver that for him.

"Talks with Top Rank will continue this week, I have a conference call with them tonight, and I'm hopeful I will deliver the fight that Carl Froch wants, which is to tick off a box of fighting in Las Vegas to crown what has been a sensational career.

"Top Rank came on and said they are talking to Chavez Jr this week. I can't go too much into it because there are contractual issues between them.

"January 31 was always the date with HBO pay per view TV, but I'm not at the stage of talking dates yet."

Froch, 37, has never boxed in Vegas, the world's fight capital, and a clash against Chavez Jr is his first choice ahead of a third meeting with Dane Mikkel Kessler or fighting Londoner DeGale in at London's O2 Arena on January 31.

"I've said before if I can't fight in Vegas I'll probably call it a day," Froch told ITV News. "It has to be big, and Chavez Jr is that man, and I have had a good chat with my promoter this morning and we are making good progress with that fight and hopefully we'll have an announcement soon."

DeGale, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist, will face Mexican Marco Antonio Periban in Liverpool on November 22 and victory would set up the chance to fight for the vacant IBF belt early next year.

DeGale is the mandatory challenger for Froch's IBF belt and the Nottingham boxer will have to relinquish it if he chooses to fight Chavez Jr instead.

But Hearn says DeGale and Froch could still potentially collide next year, back at Wembley Stadium where Froch knocked out George Groves in front of 80,000 fans in May.

"Carl has a time-frame to defend his IBF title against James but this could open the door for James to fight for the vacant title and we could do a deal saying the winner of Froch-Chavez Jr will face the winner of the vacant IBF title fight between James and probably Gilberto Ramirez, who is also a Top Rank fighter, in a big Wembley fight next summer," Hearn told ESPN.

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