NOTTINGHAM, England, October 15, 2009 (AFP) - For Carl Froch, winning the world title and then beating one of America's top boxers in Jermain Taylor has not been enough.

The WBC super-middleweight champion is still fighting to emerge from the shadow of his fellow Briton Joe Calzaghe, who ignored Froch's calls to fight him and instead retired, unbeaten, earlier this year.

Undefeated Froch, 32, makes his second title defence, against unbeaten American Andre Dirrell, here on Saturday.

But while Calzaghe has been strutting his stuff on primetime television as a contestant on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, Froch's latest bout, which is also part of the newly-launched Super Six World Boxing Classic series, has been snubbed by mainstream television in Britain.

But Froch, who has stopped 20 of his 25 victims, is confident the Super Six event will lead to him eventually gaining similar recognition as Calzaghe and is unconcerned about the low profile of his fight against former Olympic medallist Dirrell.

"My last two fights have been fight of the year candidates so I'm not doing anything wrong, it's just the TV companies have had their budgets cut and they can't afford me," Froch told AFP.

"But with or without TV this Super Six tournament will make me big in the UK and USA.

"I've had it tough because I had to go to America to defend my title in a first defence and now I'm going to be up against the best super-middleweights that are out there.

"Dirrell certainly talks a good game but I'm seeing similarities of when Jeff Lacy came over to Britain and got murdered by Calzaghe a few years ago.

"Lacy came over here with a lot of hype as an unbeaten American fighter and future star like Dirrell is being talked about, but it was all hot air and Joe took him apart. I can see the same thing happening with Dirrell."

Dirrell, 27, won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and has since gone on to compile 18 wins, 13 by stoppage, in the professional ranks. From Flint in

Michigan, he has trained at high altitude in Big Bear Mountain, California, and believes his hand speed will be Froch's undoing.

"He's never been in there with someone as fast as me, with a guy who can switch up like me," Dirrell said.

"Carl showed he is tough and a hell of a fighter against Jermain Taylor, he wanted it more. But I believe I'm the more skilled boxer and if he's dependent on fighting in his home town then he's going to be in trouble. He will be at a loss for words by the end of the third or fourth rounds."