Froch Targets Year of Redemption Against Ward and Kessler

Carl Froch is aiming to secure a trilogy of mega fights in 2013 as he plans to seek redemption for the only two professional losses of his career against Mikkel Kessler and Andre Ward.

The Cobra is scheduled to face Lucian Bute in a rematch in Canada after brutally dispatching the previously unbeaten 32-year-old in five rounds back in May.

Bute recently returned to the ring with an underpar points victory over Denis Grachev, while Froch demolished Yusuf Mack in three rounds to hold on to his IBF super-middleweight title.

Froch pounced on the challenger early and put him on the canvas in the opening round before vicious body fights in the third forced the Philadelphian to take a knee as he failed to beat the count.

The 35-year-old must first get past Bute but he has his sights firmly set on avenging the only defeats on his record against Kessler and Ward. The tree-time world champion has looked sensational in his last two contests and fully believes he can overcome the two super-middleweight kings.

"I haven't got time to waste," said Froch. "I wouldn't be stupid and jump back in the ring too early but I have no injuries, my hands are fine so I feel good and if something could come off sooner rather than later I'd prefer that.

"Other than fighting at the Capital FM Arena the next best thing would be the City Ground, it would be unbelievable. I go to loads of Nottingham Forest games and I go on the pitch sometimes and get a standing ovation so to be in the middle of the pitch fighting someone like Kessler or Ward I can only imagine how phenomenal that would be, a career defining night."

Froch's promoter Eddie Hearn is eager to bring both Ward and Kessler to the UK and has even suggested that Bute may pull out of his rematch with Froch after seeing the demolition of Mack.

"We are obliged to go to Montreal in March for the Lucian Bute rematch but I don't know after his performance against Grachev and Carl's performance on Saturday that they are going to want to take him on," said Hearn. "There's the issue of the mandatory challenger in Adonis Stevenson who is a good fighter. We want to fight Kessler and Ward said on Twitter that he could be interested in a fight in the UK and I think he'd come. I want to do a stadium fight with Carl next summer."

Ward cemented his position as the best fighter in the 168lb division when he defeated Froch in the final of the Super Six series last December and has since defender his title in dominating fashion against the dangerous Chad Dawson.

While Froch is desperate to get back in the ring with the slick southpaw, he also wants to avenge his loss to Kessler back in 2010. The Danish fighter was the first man to defeat Froch in an entertaining contest that saw the Viking win the WBC title.

At 35-years-old, Froch knows that he does not have long left in his career and is keen to make 2013 a memorable year as he continues his remarkable run of fighting in world title fights.