THOUGH when it came it was no surprise, Carl Froch’s decision to retire, announced this past week, leaves a glaring gap in British boxing.

Froch was a genuine throwback to an era when pride was as great, if not greater, source of motivation for a prizefighter than money.

For most of his career he fought anybody anywhere without fanfare or glory, struggling despite his inarguable ability and winning record to gain the mainstream acceptance of other fighters.

When you consider that as an amateur the Nottingham-born and based world champion was a contemporary of David Haye and Audley Harrison you catch my drift.

Recognition came his way towards the end of his career, culminating in his postwar record-breaking rematch against bitter rival George Groves at Wembley Stadium in front of 80,000 spectators last May.

It was an end to a career that now seems almost scripted it was so fitting a performance to go out on — Froch ending the issue with a devastating left hook-right hand combination that left Groves slumped against the ropes.

If controversy had shrouded Froch’s victory in the first fight, there were no arguments this time. It not only brought down the curtain on his career, it ended the most torrid period of his time in the ring, wherein he’d been subjected to such a psychological battering by the Londoner prior to their first meeting that he hired the services of a sports psychologist as part of his preparation for the rematch.

Imagine how Froch’s legacy would have looked if he’d lost to Groves? It would have been irretrievably tarnished, despite it also having on it wins against some of the best super middleweight talent of any era.

My personal favourite Froch performance came in his 2008 victory against Canada’s Jean Pascal in Nottingham to clinch the WBC belt. Pascal was a fearsome specimen of a fighter who carried devastating power and Froch had to dig deep to take the decision.

The fact he entered the ring with a perforate eardrum and cracked rib, sustained in sparring, left no doubt that whenever spoken or written his name deserved to be either preceded or followed by the appellation “warrior.”

Further victories against Jermain Taylor and Andre Dirrell were followed by the first loss of his career along with his WBC belt to Mikkel Kessler after a truly epic contest in Denmark.

He bounced back with wins against Arthur Abraham and Glen Johnson, before sustaining the second of the two losses on his record against Andre Ward, considered by many to be vying with Floyd Mayweather Jnr for the pound-for-pound best in the world crown.

Ward didn’t just defeat Froch he schooled him, making him appear sluggish, slow and one-dimensional. To his credit Froch has always given Ward his rightful place, while claiming that he himself was “off” when they fought. Whether true or not, it’s undeniable that he came back in blistering style with a career-defining performance against the hitherto undefeated Lucien Bute of Canada.

In fact, it would be fair to say that the proud Englishman rolled over the much-fancied Canadian and IBF champion to take both his belt and undefeated record.

A year and one fight later, Froch equalised his first loss to Kessler by unanimous decision when they met at a sold-out Millennium Dome in London. By now, 2013, a fight involving Froch was an event not to be missed, guaranteeing bell-to-bell excitement.

This is no surprise when we consider his unique style, technically flawed enough to offend the purists, placing as it did an emphasis on grit and strength. His feet planted flat on the canvas while carrying his left hand low at his waist, along with very little head movement, meant that his face was his defence.

This is key, for without his inordinate ability not only to take a punch, and even more crucially the way he was able to get up off the canvas after he’d been dropped by one, Froch would have been consigned to the ranks of journeymen fighters, destined to end his career with bumps, bruises and memories rather than an inflated bank balance.

One of the debates that will always occupy boxing forums is over whether Froch would have beaten Joe Calzaghe if they’d fought. By the time Froch was emerging as a force in the super middleweight division, Calzaghe was approaching the end of his career and despite Froch repeatedly calling him out, the Welshman understandably refused to bite, focusing instead on going out on the back of lucrative stateside appointments with Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jnr.

Froch was recently involved in a Twitter spat with Calzaghe, which grew ugly when the Nottingham fighter offered to meet Calzaghe on the cobbles to settle their differences. This is unfortunate given that both fighters have departed the ring with a legacy that will live on after them.

When it comes to the debate over whom would defeat whom, Calzaghe retired undefeated after 46 fights, while Froch is retiring after 35 fights with two defeats. Fans of Froch assert that their man faced a higher calibre of opposition than his Welsh rival.

Here they have a point. While Calzaghe faced and defeated the likes of Chris Eubank, an in-prime Kessler, Jeff Lacey, Hopkins and Jones, it has to be said that neither Eubank, Hopkins or Jones were the same fighters as in their prime by the time they met Calzaghe.

But then was Calzaghe the fighter he was when he fought Hopkins and Jones? His hands were gone by the end of this career, which told in his punching style, redolent of slaps rather than full-blooded punches.

No matter, slaps or punches, Calzaghe still got the job done and when it comes down to it you can only fight the opposition that’s in front of you. Regardless of the names on his record, an undefeated record over 46 fights can’t be dismissed.

Ultimately styles make fights and Calzaghe in his prime combined blistering speed with an astonishing work rate and punch volume. Froch on the other hand was a master at grinding even the busiest opposition down, taking them into the late rounds where he excelled in coming on strong.

It would undoubtedly have been a cracking fight, especially considering the massive pride that resided in the hearts of both men.

Froch has been an ambassador for the best virtues associated with men who earn their living with their fists.

Courage, determination, dedication and relentless tenacity described his career. The fact he has been able to retire intact and rich marks a fairytale ending.

However much money he made, he deserves every penny.