Froch wary of Dirrell threat

Froch's tournament opener on Saturday doubles as a defence of his WBC super-middleweight title at the Trent FM Arena in his home town of Nottingham this weekend. American Dirrell, 27, is unbeaten - like Froch - but relatively untested at the top level, and the Englishman admits it is hard to know what to expect.

"Andre Dirrell seems very, very confident," he said. "He's got a big mouth; he's talking a lot of trash, but we don't actually know what he's got."

He added: "He's an Olympic medallist and he's coming over and obviously wants to follow on that form. He's coming to Nottingham to take the WBC title home with him and he's going to do anything he can to try and take it off me.

"It's my job to make sure he doesn't."

A sell-out crowd is expected for Froch's bout. The 32-year-old won his belt from Jean Pascal at the same venue last December before making a successful first defence against Jermain Taylor - another competitor in the Super Six - in a gruelling 12-round encounter in Mashantucket, Connecticut, in April.

The two fights have left Froch with no doubt as to how important home support can be - and he expects to reap the benefits back in his home town at the weekend.

"I think it helps in a massive way," said Froch, whose record currently stands at 25-0 (20 KOs).

"I've been in America, fighting in front of Jermain Taylor's crowd all booing me and cheering him - even if a shot just misses your chin the crowd think it has landed and they cheer. You think 'this is bad' - you can feel it.

"When you get to round 10 or 11, you're feeling the pace and the crowd are booing you, it doesn't help. I boxed Jean Pascal at the Trent FM Arena for my world title fight - and the crowd really lifted me, they really did."