Calzaghe, who retired with an amazing 46-0 record in 2008, never faced Froch as ‘The Cobra’ attempted to make an name for himself and relations between the two have always been decidedly frosty.
As Froch, 37, debates calling it a day having been out of the ring since knocking out George Groves in front of 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in May 2014, Calzaghe says the three-time world champion should step up and face the best.
“If he is going to fight, I think he should fight quality opposition, as in Golovkin or DeGale,” Calzaghe told Sky Sports
“There’s a few options out there but that’s up to him at the end of the day. He’s been inactive for over a year so I think it is going to be difficult when you’ve been out of the ring for a long time.”
On a rumoured comeback, Calzaghe predictably said that wouldn’t happen, but clarified that if he did make a shock return it would only to face the top fighters in the world at this moment in time.
“I’ve been retired six years and I’m not coming back now. If I was coming back, I’d fight the best – Andre Ward is the best right now. He’s No 1 in the world and Froch has never been that. Andre Ward and Kovalev, they would be the fights,” he said.
A final decision on which way Froch will go is expected soon, although potential target Golovkin has already begun attempting to make 154lbs in order to entice Mayweather to fight, so may need a little more time to prepare.