Froch fighting to finish on a high

The left hand crashed square into Lucien Bute’s face, snapping his head back at the neck, but it was the preceding right, thrown from Carl Froch’s hip, which sent the most disturbing shudder through the young Canadian’s body.

It was the final, violent blow of five whirlwind rounds from the Nottingham super-middleweight and it sent a resounding message through the world of boxing: This man is not finished yet.

That emphatic victory two years ago this week was Froch’s unequivocal response to the previous calls for him to retire. And, until now, it was the last time his career hung genuinely in the balance.