While former professional boxer Joe Calzaghe puts in the shadow all winnings of super middleweight champions, two of the much acclaimed boxers in the category Lucian Bute and Carl Froch are set for the fight of their life this Saturday, May 26 at the Capital FM Arena, in Nottingham, England. Joe Calzaghe retired in February 2009 with an undefeated record and as a reigning World Champion.

This is the first time when Froch is fighting in England since October 2009. Romanian-Canadian Bute is defending his IBF super middleweight crown, while Froch is on his way to become a three-time world champion. And according to the later, he is more than prepared to win this battle in his hometown.

"The crowd will be silent when he's throwing punches and going mental when I throw punches," Froch told BBC Sport. "It will be difficult to cope with because he won't feel like he's getting any reward for his work. It's not really a test for me, I've mixed it with the best in the world for the last three years, but he's got it all to prove."

"And to do that in Nottingham, that's a very tough task. After rounds one, two and three, if he's not having any success and getting caught with some big shots you'll see what he's made of," Froch added. "I want to put it on him, put him under some serious pressure and make him feel the pain early on and get him out of there. He'll either go into his shell and want to go home or come out fighting like a wounded animal. Either way, I'm ready for him."

A win for Bute cements perception: He is an ultra-talented fighter, one of the 10 best in the world based purely on his abilities, but who will have proven against Froch that it's no illusion. A win for Froch once more subverts perception: He is a basic-looking fighter who somehow finds a way to win against superior physical and technical specimens.

Meanwhile, the unbeaten champ Bute is taking his training to the extreme. As Froch will have 9,000 fans on his side screaming for Bute's blood, he has tried to replicate the noise he can expect in the ring during their training sessions in the gym.

And they have gone into detail: the high-pitched screaming of Froch's girlfriend Rachel Cordingley, which has annoyed opponents in the past, has also been replicated. "While training, we recreate the atmosphere of what we expect to hear at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham," Bute told ESPN. "I can't hear the bell and I can't even hear my coach talking to me. On May 26, I will be ready to face not only Carl Froch but also the hostile atmosphere of Froch's fans."