Carl Froch is willing to come out of retirement and face Gennady Golovkin, the fearsome world middleweight champion.

Froch has not fought since his victorious rematch against George Groves at Wembley in 2014 and announced his retirement from boxing the following year.

The four-time world super-middleweight champion has forged a successful media career since, working as an analyst on Sky Sports, but rumours of a return to the ring have persisted.

Eddie Hearn, who worked as Froch’s promoter, has now claimed that his former fighter is prepared to face Kazakhstan’s Golovkin, who is rated by many as the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter.

Hearn told The Times: “Carl texted me tonight and said, ‘What weight would Golovkin fight me at?’ and I said, ‘172lb [4lb above the super-middleweight limit]’ and [Tom] Loeffler [Golovkin’s promoter] said ‘170’,”

“Carl has got wound up,” added Hearn, who met with Loeffler in Monaco this weekend. “I know what Loeffler is trying to do and that is entice him out of retirement.

“I’m not sure I want to see him fight again but he is such a competitor. I will say this: that would have been one of the great, great fights and it might still be.”

Last Thursday, Loeffler tweeted a photograph of himself and Hearn alongside an apparently light-hearted claim that the pair were negotiating a match-up between Golovkin and Froch.

“With @EddieHearn in @MonteCarloSBM negotiating@GGGBoxing v @Carl_Froch at @wembleystadium to break 80K record,” he wrote.

Golovkin is expected to fight in the United Kingdom next year following the successful defence of his WBA, WBC and IBF middleweight crowns against Kell Brook in September.

Billy Joe Saunders, the WBO world middleweight champion, and Chris Eubank Jr have both been earmarked as potential opponents for the Kazakh, whose camp is based in Los Angeles.