Carl Froch Offering Money to Stage Fight in Nottingham, Kessler to Return

Carl Froch is offering $250,000 of his own money to stage his June 4 fight against Glen Johnson in his hometown of Nottingham. Froch also says that the deal isn't exactly done, after previous reports had the fight on June 4 (not set, according to Froch) in Atlantic City (not set, and Froch desperately wants to change that).

"I've spoken to Showtime, who will obviously want compensation. After all, it's an expensive business to bring a production crew over here.

"I've offered to pay them 250,000 dollars out of my share of the gate in Nottingham and I'm just waiting for them to get back to me.

"I'll be gutted if I have to fight in America, but I can't really do any more."

Froch is playing the "I owe it to these great people here in Nottingham, because after all I'm definitely going to retire early like everyone says they're going to do but they almost never do" card, but in reality it's probably safe to assume he's looking for a hometown edge. That sounds bad and all, but you can't really blame him, and he's offering to compensate the network. Froch also says he assumes Johnson, known as "The Road Warrior," wouldn't have a problem doing it, but you have to wonder if maybe Glen Johnson is a little tired of the road, and might balk pretty hard at the idea of taking a very important fight on the home turf of another fighter in a tournament semifinal that really should be held on neutral ground. Not to mention Johnson is promoted by Lou DiBella, who I'm just going to guess is not going to be crazy about the idea.

It has also been reported that Mikkel Kessler will make his in-ring return on the June 4 Showtime telecast, likely against Renan St-Juste. St-Juste (22-2-1, 15 KO) is a 38-year-old Canadian who isn't really a contender, but he did knock out Sebastian Demers in the second round of his last fight. Honestly it's really no worse than the competition Lucian Bute has been fighting, and the goal is to shake some rust and set up Bute-Kessler for later in the year.