Carl Froch has revealed that he would have retired from boxing had he lost against George Groves at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
The 36-year-old floored his opponent with a powerful right hand in round eight, which saw him retain the WBA and IBF super-middleweight belts.
"I didn't want to go out or finish my career, because my career would have been over," Froch told the Nottingham Post.
"I would have retired if I lost that fight. I didn't want to go out and be remembered in the biggest fight in British boxing history post-war as a loser.
"I said from the start that this was potentially a legacy fight. My legacy was at stake. I lived like a monk for three months and I've put my body through so much pain and it was hard."
Froch has said that he would like to fight in Las Vegas before calling time on his career.