Carl Froch has described Gennady Golovkin as a "hype job" in response to comments made by the unified world middleweight champion.
Over the past seven days, it has been claimed that Froch is considering a return to the ring to face the hard-punching Kazakh at Wembley Stadium next summer.
The speculation led to Golovkin taking to social media to brand Froch "a clown" after previously talking about a potential showdown without agreeing to the super-fight, but the former super-middleweight world champion wasted little time in firing back at the man who is widely considered to be the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.
Never stepped up! And call me a clown 🤔 Come back when you've beat someone! You better hope I stay retired #HypeJob https://t.co/7sMUNaPZMu
— Carl Froch MBE (@Carl_Froch) November 17, 2016
Froch has not fought since knocking out George Groves at Wembley in May 2014, meaning that he would have been retired from the sport for three years by the time a mouth-watering clash with Golovkin could possibly happen in May.
In September, Golovkin extended his unbeaten record to 36 fights with a fifth-round stoppage of Kell Brook.