By David Cosgrove

Whether or not he is victorious against America's unbeaten Andre Ward, 24-0 (13 KOs) in the final of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, which is due to take place before the end of the year, Nottingham's 33-year-old WBC super-middleweight world champion Carl Froch, 28-1 (20 early), should look back upon his recent run of fights with an immense sense of pride.

In the modern world of boxing, champions are often pampered and untested, hyped beyond their abilities without ever having proven their true worth. Froch though, has shown, over a lengthy period of time, a credible desire to travel and face the best opponents available to him.

He has, in a sense, broken the mould, showing less interest in his fight's gate receipts than in the accumulation of a resume which will stand the test of time, as his assertion to the BBC that he is simply “In the sport to prove that I am the best” affirms.

Froch's name was first bandied around at the end of Joe Calzaghe's career as an opponent for what would have been a big all-British clash at super-middleweight. Calzaghe, though, understandably chose the offer of American TV money and encounters with two modern ring legends – Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. - over the still relatively unknown Nottingham man.

After having held the WBO 168lb title for a decade, and engaging in unification bouts with Jeff Lacy and Mikkel Kessler, Calzaghe was deserving of a couple of big paydays. Any contemporary criticism of the bout with then 43-year-old Hopkins has been dispersed in recent times, with the ‘The Executioner's’ past couple of performances confirming he remains as tough a challenge as ever, and an excellent scalp for the Newbridge southpaw.

While Froch complained long and hard that Calzaghe was purposefully ducking him, the fight not materialising looks to have been a good thing for both men. At the time the bout was mooted Froch had not proved himself and would have been a significant underdog, and Calzaghe was able to add two big American names to the end of his career ledger, retiring with his unbeaten record, 46-0 (32), intact.

Despite the back-and-forth verbals between the pair which accompanied the suggested contest, Froch also stressed his respect for Calzaghe's achievements, telling at the time that his desire to take on the Welshman was “Not just because I think I can beat him. He’s strong fit and dedicated – a real warrior. I know that a fight with him won’t be easy, but I’d be prepared to train harder than I have ever trained before to beat him.”

Froch's suggestion that he was willing to face Calzaghe, despite recognising that the fight was one in which he might not have been favoured, stresses why he has engaged in such an impressive sequence of bouts since – the simple desire to prove himself. Froch has recently been on a run that few in the sport can match, borne out of his ambition “to get [a] legacy secured and go down in the history books for years and years to come.”

In his previous six fights – against Jean Pascal, Jermain Taylor, Andre Dirrell, Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham and Glen Johnson – Froch has encountered five previous or future champions from middleweight to light-heavyweight, emerging victorious against all but Kessler, when he was on the wrong end of a close decision in his opponent's home country.

Significant credit for this must, of course, be given to the American television channel Showtime's conception of, and investment in, the Super Six format. The tournament was devised with the express intention of pitting the best 168lb fighters against each other, in order to crown the undisputed king of the super-middleweight division.

While the Super Six has undergone its share of problems – including fighter withdrawals and bout postponements – and has already overrun its predicted finish date, the final between Froch and Ward, which will unify the WBA and WBC titles, pits the two most deserving competitors against one another.

Ward is likely to be The Cobra's toughest test to date. The manner in which the 2004 Olympic gold medallist dismantled Kessler over eleven rounds in his opening bout in the Super Six was hugely impressive; a massive statement of intent to the tournament's other participants.

The comprehensive decision victories over Sakio Bika, Allan Green and Arthur Abraham which have followed have only cemented Ward's reputation as a top-class fighter; although that fact should long have been known. Ward is undefeated – in both the amateur and professional ranks – since 1998, when he was fourteen years old. Some achievement.

The question mark hanging over Ward is that each of his last four bouts has taken place in his home state of California, three of those in Oakland - his hometown. Suggestions have been made that Ward has been on the end of favourable refereeing, landing not just with his fists, but on more than one occasion with well-placed elbows and head-clashes.

Some will argue that thus far Ward has not had his fighting will truly tested - a criticism which is probably valid. As a critique of a fighter though, it is hardly a damning one, missing the point that Ward has probably not been truly tested as he has outclassed each of his last opponents with his superior boxing ability.

While Froch has shown a higher level of technical ability in his previous two bouts than he was previously given credit for, Ward undoubtedly remains the better fundamental boxer of the two. If possible, the Nottingham man will need to drag the American into uncharted territory, asking questions of Ward's resolve that Froch has already answered in his back-and-forth wars with Pascal and Kessler.

Showtime deserves huge praise for the creation of this innovative format, which will propel the tournament champion not just towards the heights of the pound-for-pound rankings, but also hopefully into genuine superstar status.

The two men left standing in the Super Six deserve to be ranked as the top two fighters in the division, having come through a series of tough challenges to progress thus far. The Ring Magazine has recognised as much, and the publication's respected title will thus be on the line when Ward and Froch eventually meet.

Win or lose against Ward, there is no doubt that Froch will continue to show the desire to test himself that is so often lacking in modern boxing. He has already mentioned a rematch against Kessler after the completion of the Super Six, citing “unfinished business,” and a bout with Hopkins at a 170lb catchweight has also been suggested.

Unlike many fighters, these comments are not PR stunts designed to boost his own standing, but an indication that Froch quite simply wants to continue to fight the best, and long may it continue; boxing fans should hope that more fighters follow his lead.

The sport of boxing would be a much better place if every fighter showed the combination of grit, determination and an insatiable appetite for self-advancement that coexist in Froch, a man who is a throwback to a past era: a real fighter's fighter.