Britain's Froch hangs up his gloves

The 38-year-old, who last fought in May 2014 when he knocked out George Groves at Wembley Stadium, hangs up his gloves after winning 33 of his 35 fights in a 13-year professional career.

"I'm officially retired from boxing," he said on his Twitter site on Tuesday.

The Nottingham-based fighter, whose only losses came at the hands of Dane Mikkel Kessler and American Andre Ward, told Sky Sports News it was a hard decision.

"Making the decision to retire and saying 'It's been a year, it's too long, the fighting machine has gone, it's not going to come back', it's still hard.

"The last thing I think about before my head hits the pillow is boxing, and when I wake up in the morning to think what time it is, and I think it's half six, seven o'clock, should I be going for a run, where's my trainers - it's a lifestyle, a way of life, and it's a mindset.

"I'll always have that and I think I'll always be itching for the big fight."

Speculation that Froch would retire gathered pace this year when he relinquished his IBF super-middleweight belt after an elbow injury forced him to miss out on a money-spinning fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.