It has been nearly six years since Carl Froch last stepped in the ring, almost 11½ years since Joe Calzaghe boxed, but the rivalry that once burned deep in Froch is still there. He still sees Calzaghe as the one that got away.

This week Froch revealed that he was sounded out by Eddie Hearn to take part in a “virtual press conference” for fights that never happened, a way of filling the void without any action. Calzaghe v Froch was one, presumably Ricky Hatton v Junior Witter could be another. Maybe the motivation might be to get Amir Khan and Kell Brook together.

Froch is keen, as he made all too clear on the excellent podcast he does with Darren Fletcher, Froch on Fighting.

“I said to him (Hearn) ‘forget the virtual one, we’ll do the press conference, but if he can get him out of retirement, I fancy a bit of that’,” Froch said. “I have always said I will come out of retirement with the right dance partner.

“He’s probably not going to get Calzaghe on because he probably won’t fancy it. Maybe I’ll coax him out of retirement. I don’t feel as badly now when I think of him. I don’t get upset when I think of his name.”

They are six years apart in age, but the reality is that Calzaghe and Froch’s careers barely overlapped. Certainly their top class careers did not. Calzaghe was in his fifth year as WBO super-middleweight champion when Froch made his professional debut. And when Froch beat Jean Pascal to become a world champion for the first time in December 2008, Calzaghe had already had what turned out to be his final fight against Roy Jones Jr.

That did not mean the rivalry was not there, but it was very one-sided.

Froch was the WBC’s mandatory contender when Calzaghe claimed that belt from Mikkel Kessler in 2007 and, while he did vacate the belt rather than fight him, he had his eyes on a move to light-heavyweight to box Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas.

While Calzaghe had been Froch’s target throughout his career, to Calzaghe, Froch was just another British challenger. He had faced four domestic opponents in his 11-year reign as a world champion – Chris Eubank, Robin Reid, David Starie and Richie Woodhall – he had no interest in facing another, he wanted to prove himself on a global stage.

These days it would be difficult to find many people who believe Froch would have beaten Calzaghe, but it was not the case at the time. Certainly it is tough to make a case for Froch being the better boxer. After all he beat probably a better Mikkel Kessler than the one who beat Froch in their first fight.

Froch had an impressive career, though, boxing a level of boxers throughout his career that would have put to shame some of the names on Calzaghe’s record. Despite what some will say, Calzaghe was an avoided fighter. Sven Ottke, a rival world champion for much of Calzaghe’s reign, never fancied it, while the offers to come to America and face big names there were fairly derisory.

But while Froch admits his chances of beating Calzaghe on points would have been low, he always fancied his chances of knocking him out. The four times that Calzaghe was off his feet as a professional – against Byron Mitchell, Kabary Salem, Hopkins and Jones – were from right hands. Froch carried a lot of power in his right hand and that is exactly what Froch and Rob McCracken, his trainer throughout his career, always believed would bring him the upset against Calzaghe.

“He has got his fanbase and they are solid and loyal and always give me a bit of stick on the internet,” Froch said.

“Whenever they do a ‘who wins, Froch or Calzaghe, I always come out on the bottom – 95 per cent. The people that are talking don’t understand, they are not fighters, they are armchair fans. They say Calzaghe is too fast, he’s awkward, he’s got quick hands and blah, blah, blah.

“I just think I would have ironed him out. I think I could have lost on points but I don’t think I would have, I’d have backed myself.”

Calzaghe’s reputation has grown in retirement, while Froch’s high profile as a member of the Sky Sports commentary team has ensured that there are plenty of people who are still keen to give him stick.

Froch knows how to play the bad guy, though, and used his podcast to throw some early barbs in Calzaghe’s direction.

“I’m not being funny, or horrible or disrespectful in any way, but have you seen the state of him?” he said.  “The size of his head – I don’t know why it has swollen up so much, he looks like he has high blood pressure or something, he looks a bit of a mess.

“If he agreed to come out of retirement because of my cheek and the way I am speaking about him. I’d definitely fancy a bit of that, but he isn’t going to want to come out because he knows he would get absolutely flattened, because I am in good shape.

“The only reason I would consider not fighting him is because I would consider it unfair.”

It will never happen, but the biggest reason is not Calzaghe’s lack of fitness. Calzaghe was part of a team. There have been plenty of father and son teams in boxing, but none have been closer than Calzaghe and his father-trainer Enzo. The idea of him getting in the ring again without Enzo is unthinkable.

It is easy to believe that Froch is still cut up about never getting a fight with Calzaghe. He used to be, indeed after he beat Pascal and Jermain Taylor, it seemed Calzaghe was the only name on his mind.

But he’s not. The truth is that Froch didn’t need Calzaghe to forge an excellent career, which saw him being a world champion for not far off six years. And had he faced Calzaghe back in 2008 and the result gone the way “the 95 per cent” believe, maybe he would not have had that career.