By Scott Gilfoid: Former WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch revealed today that he plans on fighting on May 5th in Nottingham, UK against a top 10 opponent.

Froch said “against a top-ten opponent, somebody sensible.” Froch then said he plans on fighting again in the summer “with a rematch against Mikkel Kessler or maybe a fight with IBF champion Lucian Bute.”

Froch says he’s got about “18 months to two years minimum” left in his career before he hangs up his gloves for good. He figures he’ll be able to get at least two to three more big fights during that time and can recapture the World Boxing Council super middleweight title he lost last December against WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward in the Super Six tournament finals in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
As far as Froch’s next fight goes in May 5th, he’s talking a top 10 contender, so it can be anyone. There are a quite a few top 10 fighters spread out among the four sanctioning bodies.

Here are SOME of the top 10 contenders that will be available for Froch on May 5th:

Anthony Dirrell
Dimitri Sartison
Kelly Pavlik
George Groves
James DeGale
Librado Andrade
Edwin Rodriguez
Adonis Stevenson
Dyah Davis
Les Sherrington
Thomas Oosthuizen

It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to guess that Froch will probably take the easy path by facing either Dimitri Sartison or Librado Andrade. The other guys are either too dangerous for Froch – Pavlik, Dirrell – or just too obscure – Sherrington, Oosthuzen, Rodriguez, Stevenson, DeGale, Groves, Davis. Dirrell would probably knock Froch out, so he’s definitely not going to get picked. Yeah, it’s going to be Sartison or Andrade.

My pick is Sartison (28-1, 17 KO’s). He’s ranked #2 WBC, and has been previously knocked out by Mikkel Kessler four years ago in 2008 in a 12th round knockout loss. Since then, Sartison has been on the easy course of facing 2nd tier opposition over and over again with exception of his 12 round decision win over fringe contender Khoren Gevor. Sartison is beatable for Froch and not someone that can go into Nottingham and potentially embarrass Froch by knocking him out or beating him by a lopsided decision like Dirrell likely would.