Joe Calzaghe has given Carl Froch the 'favourite' tag ahead of his showdown with Mikkel Kessler on May 25.

'The Cobra' meets the Dane in a super-middleweight unification bout at the O2 Arena in London, and Calzaghe feels that Froch will have enough to beat his opponent on the night.

"Froch is active, fighting in London, he's at home and you have to say he is the favourite," Calzaghe said.

"To be honest, I don't think Kessler is the fighter he was when I beat him [in 2007]. He was a bit slower and he's been inactive. Don't write Kessler off though, he can still punch."

Calzaghe was part of a roundtable panel comprising of Chris Eubank, Steve Collins, Roy Jones Jnr and Richie Woodhall, for Sky Sports' The Gloves Are Off show.

Eubank feels that while Froch is an accomplished fighter, he sometimes lacks the showmanship necessary to be a big box office attraction.

"He can beat Kessler and I think he has the resolve and the desire to give his life in the ring and I think that is important," added Eubank.

"However, in terms of entertainment for the crowd, I would ask for little bit more finesse. He's ungainly in the ring and I would ask for a bit more finesse from him [on Saturday]."

Kessler beat Froch in 2010 with a points decision to inflict a first career defeat on the Nottingham native.