WHEN it comes to what legacy he wants to leave behind, Nottingham's Carl Froch is under no illusions.
The Cobra wants to go down in the Hall of Fame, a boxing legend.
To achieve that, he knows the next fights are going to be pivotal as he first negotiates a tricky Yusaf Mack at the Capital FM Arena on Saturday November 17 in the first defence of his IBF super-middleweight title.
But it is then a hat-trick of re-matches which he feels will seal where he goes down in the sport's history.
First up next March is Lucian Bute, the formerly unbeaten Canadian who he destroyed inside five rounds back in Nottingham in May to become a three-time world champion.
Then it's Mikkel Kessler and Andre Ward – the only two men to have beaten the 35-year-old during a remarkable run of punishing world title fights that have finally seen Froch get the plaudits he deserves.
Froch's remarkable run of bouts, including reaching the final of the SuperSix series, started when he became WBC champion back in 2008, beating Jean Pascal.
He has since beaten Jermain Taylor on the road in dramatic fashion, Arthur Abraham and Glen Johnson on the road as well as Andre Dirrell in his home city.
The Bute destruction simply saw his stock rise even higher but despite a gruelling string of big fights, Froch has no intention of taking the easy money-making path into retirement.
With a two-year-old son in Rocco, and a stunning partner in model Rachael Cordingley, the Cobra could be forgiven for taking it easy, for wanting to put his feet up.
But far from it. As he lines up for his ninth consecutive world title fight, he wants the brutal bouts that will define his career.
And with re-matches in the coming months, he dismisses any clichés about becoming a father changing him.
After all, the super-fit, clean-living fighter says his preparation will always ensure he is always in tip-top condition for every bout.
"I consider myself to be a good dad and I am very proud of my little boy. But when I fight, that is my job," said Froch.
"And when I am training, I am not thinking about Rachael or Rocco, I am thinking about what round it is, what time I can eat my dinner, who I am sparring.
"I am not thinking I have got my boy now, another mouth to feed. That is all cliché.
"My boy is the most important thing in my life for me and I love him dearly, I would put my life on the line for him.
"But any parent would do that for any of their kids. So nothing changes.
"Boxing for me is a job and the fact I have got Rocco does not change anything. I never worry about getting injured in the ring because I do the weight so well, I have Rob McCracken in my corner and boxing is a safe sport.
"Any injuries are usually superficial.
"I am not concerned with keeping fighting and not concerned I have a young boy to look after.
"I get in there and I am professional and look forward to doing the business. And I want the big fights."
Froch says now he is fighting for Eddie Hearn's Matchroom stable, he has nothing to worry about except training and fighting, all the promotion and commercial aspects are left to his team.
He believes that showed its benefits when he tore apart Bute in one of the performances of the year.
And with that regime in place, he hopes to do the same to Mack and then old rivals Bute, Kessler and Ward in the future.
"I was taking a lot on board myself but I need to be an athlete and in the gym, eating the right foods and getting the right sleep and performing in the gym because that is where the fight is won or lost," said Froch.
"Eddie does a fantastic job. He promotes me and has got my name out there.
"People know who Carl Froch is now and I thank him for that."
Now it is all about the future and Froch said his career will not be complete unless he avenges that SuperSix final defeat to Ward, who some say is now the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He said: "I won't be happy until I least give myself every opportunity to beat him, which I didn't last time I boxed him.
"I had a bad day, I wasn't at the races.
"To fight him and beat him, for me, will be the difference between people saying 'Carl Froch, what a great fighter he is' to people saying 'legend'.
"It's as simple as that. So to be given the opportunity to fight him again and become a legend and go down in the Hall of Fame, that is not going to happen unless I have a re-match against Ward.
"It shows what kind of fighter I am and how serious I am about the game. I don't want to be fighting nobodies.
"If I am fighting Joe Bloggs who they drag off the door, I am not going to be motivated and then suddenly I am struggling.
"Come round six, when I am not prepared, not switched on, I will be in trouble. I need to be 100 per cent on my A game.
"Mack is potentially very dangerous.
"He has mixed it at world level in a higher weight division so this is a serious fight and after this I want the big, big fights.
"I don't want steady fights, drifting away into retirement.
"I want to become a household name, a legend universally and I am only going to do that by matching up against the people who have wins against me – and that is Kessler and Ward."
