On the undercard earlier on Saturday, Commonwealth super-middleweight champion George Groves got off the floor and stopped Scot Kenny Anderson to defend his title and move closer to a possible showdown with arch enemy James DeGale.

BBC: David Haye stops Audley Harrison to retain WBA title

Froch broke from his usual routine of heading out to Ireland for a four-week training camp and instead spent March in Loughton, Essex, where he sparred with Commonwealth middleweight champion Darren Barker and super-middleweight prospect George Groves.

BBC: The secret diary of Carl Froch