Carl Froch insists he is hungrier than ever despite being in the twilight of his career and coming off a high-profile defeat.
Froch tonight bids to become a three-time world champion as he celebrates his Nottingham homecoming by facing unbeaten IBF king Lucian Bute.
The Englishman claims his defeat by Andre Ward in the Super Six final in Atlantic City before Christmas has fuelled his appetite for the sport rather than diminished it.
The former two-time WBC champion has the chance to add further gloss to an impressive legacy at the Nottingham Arena when he fights in his hometown for the first time in three years. He faces a stiff test, however, against an unbeaten but untested champion who was overlooked for the revered Super Six competition.
Froch (28-2, 20KOs) was deflated after losing to Ward in December but insists the defeat has only served to fuel his ambition and bounce back in a similar way to his 2010 defeat by Mikkel Kessler.
"It drives you on and makes you hungrier when you lose a fight," he said.
"They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and after a loss you can either chuck it in and forget about it or you can pick yourself up, dust yourself off and think 'I'm going to set the record straight and put this right'. And that's exactly what I'm doing.
"I've done it before, when I lost a very tight decision against Mikkel Kessler. In my very next fight I came back and won the world title back against Arthur Abraham."
Bute (30-0, 24KOs) has the safety net of a rematch clause guaranteeing him a chance to reclaim his belts in Canada should he lose. He sees the 'away' fight as a chance to prove his critics wrong, however.
"We just told his promoter (Eddie Hearn) to make us an offer," the 32-year-old said.
"We said 'We're going to go defend the belt in your place and we'll prove everybody wrong that I'm only fighting in Montreal'.
"So, I asked to go out to prove myself."
Bute, who is the clear betting favourite, has had a colourful build-up to the fight, suffering a foot infection which threatened his participation, while also causing amusement by training to a soundtrack of Froch's vociferous fans and the shrill sounds of his partner Rachael Cordingley.
"We tried to recreate the atmosphere as much as we can and we have recreated that noise," he explained.
"I'm sure it's going to be a little different in the ring, but I know that this fight is going to have an amazing atmosphere."
Froch, who traditionally makes the 12 stone super-middleweight limit comfortably, weighed in at 11st 13lb 5oz at yesterday's weigh-in. Bute was seven ounces heavier.
