Froch to return to Nottingham for IBF super-middleweight title

Carl Froch to try and win the IBF super-middleweight title in May Credit: ITV Central

Nottingham's former boxing world champion Carl Froch will return to his home city to try and win the IBF super-middleweight title in May.

He'll fight at the Capital FM Arena on May 26th - his first outing since losing his WBC title to Andre Ward in December last year.

His opponent is the current champion Lucian Bute.

The Romanian is unbeaten in 30 fights and is ranked in the top 10 pound for pound fighters in the world. It’s certainly no easy comeback fight for the Midlands’ star.

Froch last fought in Nottingham against Andre Dirrell in 2009.

Since then he has boxed in Denmark, Finland and the USA.

There had been talk of much bigger venue for the fight, in particular Notts County’s Meadow Lane ground, but Froch's new promoter Eddie Hearn said that logistical issues and bureaucracy made the idea unrealistic.

This is a different version of the super-middleweight title than Froch has held before.

Bute won the IBF title in 2007 and had defended it 9 times.

Tickets go on sale today and start at £40.