CARL FROCH V JERMAIN TAYLOR
Venue: Mashantucket, Connecticut Date: Sunday 26 April Start: Approx. 0300 BST Coverage: Full commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio Nottingham, live video at www.omnisport.tv (pay-per-view)

By Robin Chipperfield BBC Radio Nottingham

Froch has understandably described it as the biggest fight of his life BBC Nottingham's Robin Chipperfield

After all the talk, the speculation and the predictions, the big day is finally here.

It is amazing to me how quickly it has come round, because it does not seem so long ago that it was announced that Nottingham's Carl Froch would be making the first defence of his WBC super-middleweight title against American Jermain Taylor.

Both Froch and Taylor looked confident at the weigh-in on Friday at the Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, though I have to say that the American seemed a different person to the one I had seen at other press conferences.

In those, he had always seemed very laid-back, and gave (an obviously false) impression that he was not too bothered about the whole thing.

But, as he stood on the small stage at the weigh-in, within inches of Froch, and the two fighters gazed into each others eyes, I was standing at just the right angle to see the look in Taylor's face.

His dark eyes looked fearsome. There is that old saying that "if looks could kill..." but I had not experienced that look in my life until that point. Not even from my mother!

Froch had a slender advantage at the weigh-in, with the Nottingham man tipping the scales at 167lbs and Taylor at 166lbs. It is such a small margin that it surely will not have an effect in the fight.

There are different views on who will win the fight, dependent on who you ask.

The American boxing journalists seem to think it will be a close fight, with Taylor just shading it. The British boxing journalists seem to think it will be a close fight, with Froch just shading it.

For me, that probably sums up the contest - it is too close to call. When you went to Froch fights earlier in his career, you were certain he would win.

606: DEBATE I think Taylor will be shocked by quite how much Carl puts into every shot irvine123

I remember strolling up to the Nottingham Arena a few hours before the Jean Pascal fight, and thinking he might actually lose that one.

Thankfully, he did not, becoming world champion as a result of his victory over the Canadian. It was the first time I had thought the dream could end. But this is another fight that he could lose.

The prize for winning though, is so large. He has understandably described it as the "biggest fight of his life." And the result - either way - could have such a huge effect on him.

Robin Chipperfield will be covering Froch's fight for BBC Radio Nottingham, and will be writing regular reports for bbc.co.uk/nottingham

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