clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Fonfara vs Campillo sanctioned as IBF semifinal eliminator

U.S. Cellular Field light heavyweight bout will be part of a three-fight mini-tournament for a shot at the belt currently held by Bernard Hopkins.

The August 16 bout between Andrzej Fonfara and Gabriel Campillo, which will take place on ESPN Friday Night Fights from U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, has been officially sanctioned as an IBF light heavyweight title semifinal eliminator. The IBF title is currently held by Bernard Hopkins, who is scheduled to defend on October 19 against Karo Murat.

Fonfara (23-2, 13 KO) and Campillo (22-5-1, 9 KO) are ranked Nos. 4 and 7, respectively, by the IBF at this time. The other semifinal will reportedly pit Eduard Gutknecht against Cedric Agnew, currently the fifth- and sixth-rated contenders by the IBF. The winners would then meet, probably sometime in early 2014, to determine a mandatory challenger.

Hopkins, who turns 49 in January 2014, may or may not be around long enough to ever face the winner of this tournament. Murat is his mandatory, so that's one of those out of the way for a while, and Hopkins should carry enough sway to get exemptions as he closes his career, if indeed he keeps the title and all that.

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Bad Left Hook Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of all your global boxing news from Bad Left Hook