Sounds like he's not taking defeat too well. He can't quit, he's got a contract with Showtime. If he does quit he'll have to pay them back what he made for his first two SS fights and possibly a bit more. And then what's going to happen? Bute isn't going to come to Nottingham even if they could make that fight (highly unlikely, don't think HBO want their boy fighting a SS reject) so Froch would be fighting away from home anyway. And if he couldn't fight Bute he'll have to fight some nontitle fights until the SS is over and he isn't getting any younger. Plus the post-bandwagon Froch crowd to see him fight B level guys like Bika isn't going to pay much and will make nothing from TV. So he's stuck with the SS.

The only ray of sunshine I heard was on Five Live in the car this afternoon, I just switched the radio on and somebody was saying something like "the word in Demark is that Sauerland will agree to a neutral venue to keep Froch in the tournament" but that was the end of the segment. Did anybody hear the full thing?

Sauerland have the financial muscle and they have the pull with Showtime compared to Fat Mick. They've got two guys in the tournament and a stable full of top prospects while FM has last legs Froch and nothing else. If they do go to a neutral venue it means some crappy American casino ballroom like Froch-Taylor. Compare that with 20 000 Germans at the O2 Berlin and no promoter is going to give that up so I just can't see a neutral venue when Showtime have Froch by the balls via his contract.