Carl Froch: 'I would have retired if I lost'

Carl Froch said that he has proven a lot of people wrong with his sensational victory over Lucian Bute.

The Nottingham fighter stopped the Romanian-born Canadian in the fifth round of their IBF super-middleweight title fight in Nottingham to become a three-time world champion.

The Cobra said that he needed to set the record straight after critics had written him off following a comprehensive defeat to Andrew Ward in December.

"After the Andre Ward defeat I was very deflated," the 34-year-old told Sky Sports News. "I was here tonight to put right a wrong. I came here to do a job, I was so focused from the dressing room.

"A lot of people wrote me off, in the magazines, they're re-writing the script. They've got Lucian Bute ranked number one, me ranked at four, so I want that rectified. The bookies got it wrong as well, a lot of people made money on me in Nottingham tonight.

"It was all or nothing. If I'd have lost tonight, I would have announced my retirement, that's how close it was. But with a performance like that, I'm just so excited about the future it's unbelievable."

The victory takes Froch's record to 29-2.