Froch knows date but not opponent

Carl Froch will defend his IBF super middleweight title on November 17, at his hometown Nottingham Capital FM Arena, England, against an opponent now to be confirmed this time next week.

Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn announced Monday, via Twitter, that three-time 168-pound holder Froch (29-2, 21 knockouts) is returning to the scene of his sensational fifth-round KO of Romanian Lucian Bute in May.

However, as of yet, just who the 35-year-old British star will be fighting in the Midlands remains a mystery. Hearn is saying all will be revealed on August 28 – the day tickets for the show, which will be screened live on Sky Sports, go on sale. Finding a suitable, credible name, willing to travel to the UK, is clearly proving hard.

As long as Froch survives that first IBF defense, and previously-unbeaten Bute (30-1, 24 KOs) wins his November 3 comeback against Russian prospect Denis Grachev, an anticipated rematch between the pair is scheduled for March next year, this time in Bute’s adopted backyard of Montreal, Quebec.