Since the retirement of Joe Calzaghe in 2008, Britain's best fighter has been Carl "The Cobra" Froch. David Haye may have made more money and created more headlines, Amir Khan might be the media's darling, but in terms of performances in the ring, Froch's achievements over the last three years would rank alongside any other British fighter in history.

When was the last time an Englishman fought six consecutive bouts against top ranked opposition, and defeated five opponents? Since December 2008, Froch has beaten Jean Pascal, Jermaine Taylor, Andre Dirrell, Arthur Abraham and Glen Johnson - every one a world title holder during their career at middleweight, super middleweight or light heavyweight, and each man ranked in the world's top five at the time of their meeting with Froch. 

His only loss came last April when he was out pointed by Denmark's power punching Mikkel Kessler in a sensational fight in Finland. Beating Froch took so much out of Kessler, he was forced to quit Super Six because of eye injuries sustained in the fight, and only recently returned to the ring. 

34-year-old Froch (28-1, 20 KO's) is a two-time WBC super middleweight champion, and will contest the final of Showtime TV's Super Six World Boxing Classic at the legendary Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City this December, taking on the undefeated American Andre Ward.

By all accounts, Froch should be one of the biggest sporting stars in Britain, on a par with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Lewis Hamilton, Luke Donald and Andy Murray. Instead, Froch's incredible ring exploits have been largely ignored until recently. Froch and his former promoter/manager Mick Hennessy had been battling since 2008 to get Carl featured regularly on Sky TV, yet only in the last few months - since signing with new promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom - has Froch reached an agreement with the satellite giants to broadcast his future fights. 

Born and raised in Nottingham, Froch has boxed in America, Denmark and Finland during Super Six, and with his new found appreciation of other countries, he has now decided to base himself and his young family permanently in the US.

Froch is looking to move from Nottingham to America in 2012, taking his longtime girlfriend Rachael Cordingly and 16-month-old son Rocco with him. In an interview with the Daily Mail's Jeff Powell, Froch said: ''You could say I’ll be turning my back on Britain, although we’ll keep a place in Nottingham.''

''I wasn't backed by Britain even after I won the world title. That fight (with Jean Pascal) was on ITV but even then British TV never really got behind me. But now I’ve had a couple of big fights in the US, the TV people over there are so supportive.'' said Froch. ''Had my recent series of fights against Andre Dirrell, Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham and Glen Johnson been given proper exposure, I'd have been a household name in Britain a while ago. But only now are Sky giving me the platform I think I should have been getting for years.''

Froch believes he will have too much for Andre Ward when the two meet in December, and is already looking ahead to lucrative fights like a unification match up with IBF champion Lucien Bute, the winner of the Mikkel Kessler v Robert Stieglitz WBO title fight in January, and ultimately a move-up to light heavyweight and a bout with the legendary Bernard Hopkins.

27-year-old Ward (24-0, 13 KO's) was a comparative unknown quantity going into the Super Six World Boxing Classic. The American had won a gold medal in light heavyweight class at the 2004 Athens Olympics, but had failed to impress in the professional ranks. However, he announced himself in spectacular fashion by battering pre-tournament favorite Kessler for eleven one-sided rounds before the Dane was ruled unable to continue due to severe cuts. The bout went to the scorecards, and Ward was declared a comfortable winner.

Since then, the WBA super middleweight champion has defeated Alan Green, Sakio Bika and Arthur Abraham, all on one-sided points decisions. He did not lose a round on either of the three judges scorecards against Green, and won decisively against Bika  and Abraham. At 6 feet tall and with a 71 inch reach, Ward will be at a physical disadvantage versus the 6'2" Froch who boasts a 75'' wingspan, but is likely to enter the ring as the bookies favorite.

The American is an extremely effective ring technician, and will vary his tactics according to the opponent. A highly skilled boxer/puncher, Ward is also a past master in the ''black-arts'' of boxing, and knows all the dirty tricks in the book. Kessler himself said that he suffered more headbutts in his fight with Ward than he had in all his other bouts combined.

Froch is not a man who is easily intimidated, and is quite happy to engage in a brawl if need be. When he wants to, he can box like a dream, as he proved in his shockingly one-sided points win over the fearsome German based Armenian Arthur Abraham last November. His blood and guts struggle with Kessler in Denmark proved beyond any doubt the quality of his heart, chin and stamina. Although he has gone the distance is last four bouts, Froch retains a tremendous punch, and is more than capable of stopping Ward should the opportunity arise. 

Like Hopkins, Sergio Martinez and Vitali Klitschko, Froch seems to be improving with age, and looks more than capable of continuing at the very top of professional boxing for a few years yet, even if we get to see less and less of him in UK rings. 

He may be seven years older than Ward, but the teetotal Froch has never taken a beating in the ring, always stays within a few pounds of his fighting weight, and is in bed at 10:30 most nights. As he says:

''At 34, I feel 20. Never been in better shape. I feel like I could carry on for ever. I know one day my body will tell me it's time to quit. But not for a while yet.''

Big fights odds: Carl Froch 2/1, Andre Ward 4/11 bet 365