| |
|
|
Cloutier’s Canada Corner
New Developments In The
Froch-Kessler-Stevenson's File
By Daniel Cloutier
MONTRÉAL - New developments emerged Friday in this file
involving the British Carl Froch, the Danish Mikkel Kessler
and the Montrealer Adonis Stevenson. Ed Hearn, the Froch's
promoter, Wilfrid Sauerland, the Kessler's promoter, Yvon
Michel, the Stevenson's promoter, and the IBF championship
committee, made an agreement Friday morning.
The IBF will allow to Froch (30-2-0) and Kessler (46-2-0) to
fight in a super middleweight unification titles (IBF-WBA)
May 25th in London, but right after the bout, the winner
will be obliged to give up the IBF belt. With this
agreement, the IBF mandatory challenger, Adonis Stevenson
(19-1-0), will be officially involved in a vacant world
title in June. The IBF rules were requiring that Froch and
Kessler fight before April 27th (for an unification
sanction), but this date, apparently, was inappropriate in
England, because the conflict with the British football
(soccer) playoffs.
Then, Thursday, Hearn asked to the IBF a favour: a special
permission to present this unification bout May 25th. The
IBF said, “Yes, but only at the condition that an agreement
happens with Yvon Michel and Adonis Stevenson.”
All the parties involved made a deal Friday.”We have decided
to make this deal,” said Yvon Michel Friday afternoon,
“because with this situation, everybody will be happy. Froch
and Kessler will fight in a unification bout, and Adonis
will get his chance to become IBF super middleweight
champion of the world in June.” Yvon Michel and Stevenson
will meet the press Monday morning at the GYM Group head
office.
This situation is very encouraging for Lucian Bute (31-1-0),
who can hopes now to fight un the undercard of the
Froch-Kessler boxing show. Bute, who just got a surgery to
cure tissues in his left arch eyebrows, knew his chances to
fight on the same card than Froch and Kessler were very low
if the fight would be presented April 27th.
Bute will need to wait at least six weeks before start
sparring sessions. The Montrealer southpaw is planning to
face the winner of the WBC elimination bout opposing Sakio
Bika (30-5-2), from Cameroun, and Nikola Sjekloca (25-0-0),
from Montenegro, February 16th in Atlantic City. The winner
of Bika-Sjekloca should be able to fight Bute May 25th, but
the possibilities were almost dead for April 27th. The delay
was way too short. Bute believes a fight with Bika or
Sjekloca in May, would help him to better prepared for his
rematch with Froch, scheduled for next fall in Montréal.
|
|
|
