WBA super-middleweight champion Andre Ward believes that Carl Froch needs to fight in America to enhance his worldwide reputation.
Froch faces Mikkel Kessler on Saturday night with the winner facing the possibility of a bout with Ward, but the American has insisted that he feels no pressure to fight in the United Kingdom in order to ensure that a rematch with Froch takes place.
The 29-year-old told BBC Sport: "I have never refused to fight in the UK, contrary to what Carl's team has said.
"The reality is that I don't have to fight in the UK to become a star in the world of boxing but Froch has to come and stake his claim in the United States of America in order to be recognised domestically and worldwide."
Ward won by unanimous decision when he fought Froch in Atlantic City in 2011.
