LONDON — Carl Froch has vacated his IBF super middleweight title because of an elbow injury, and given a chance to fellow British boxer James DeGale to claim it.

The 37-year-old Froch was hurt in training, ending hopes of meeting Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in Las Vegas on March 28.

Froch (33-2, 24 KO) says, "It's been a frustrating couple of weeks with terms agreed for the Chavez fight, only for me to be unable to proceed in camp due to injury."

He won the belt in 2012 and successfully defended it four times, most recently last May by stopping George Groves at Wembley.

He retains the WBA crown, which he won in 2013 against Mikkel Kessler. Froch still hopes to line up Chavez this year.

DeGale (24-1, 14 KO) was the IBF's mandatory challenger, and in negotiations for a fight in London in April.