Andre Ward has branded Carl Froch an "overachiever" as the former super-middleweight rivals traded scathing assessments about their careers.
The American two-weight world champion retired with a 32-fight unbeaten record, including a points win over Froch in the World Boxing Super Series final in 2011.
Froch claimed the WBC, WBA and IBF belts during 35 fights, with just two defeats, and holds victories over a string of fellow world champions such as Mikkel Kessler, Jermain Taylor and Jean Pascal.
But Ward gave a stinging opinion on Froch's career, telling the Sky Sports' Toe 2 Toe podcast: "I'm going to give him some ammunition, I'm going to give him something to talk about you know over the next couple of weeks.
"The thing about Carl Froch, and I always respected about him, is his competitiveness, because he's not really athletic. He's an overachiever. You look at him and just the way he fights, there's nothing that jumps out at you that says, 'wow, that's a great fighter.'
"But his work ethic, his attention to detail. I know he used to keep binders full of his every workout that he did. He was tough, he could take a shot, so he had other qualities that were intangible that you couldn't really see, and I think he was an overachiever, but for me he got hit too much.
"He took too much punishment and a lot of his big fights could have easily have gone the other way, even the fight with Jermain Taylor. If Jermain Taylor didn't fade and was in better shape, he would have never lost that fight. I think he's up there, but I don't think he's the top dog, not at all."
Froch admitted he exceeded his own expectations in his career, but could not resist a parting dig at his old foe.
"I think that was absolutely spot on, to be honest, that was really good," Froch told Sky Sports. "Overachiever? Maybe.
"Andre Ward, a top fighter, and the opinion that he says, I can't really argue with it, if I'm honest. This is coming from a guy who beat me quite conclusively on points.
"If Jermain Taylor was a bit fitter and he had a bit more steam in the tank towards the end, he might have survived and won on points, but he didn't have any energy left in the tank, because I sapped it out of him. I absolutely punched holes in him for the last three rounds.
"Andre Ward beat me fair and square on points in a boring fight, a dull affair. Same as when he beat Kessler. Headbutted him to bits, but he knows how to win. He wins ugly, but he knows how to win."
The Nottingham man has reignited a war of words with fellow Brit Joe Calzaghe in recent months - and left the unbeaten Welshman out of the top three in his list of the sport's greatest super-middleweights.
"He won the WBO belt on an undercard of a Prince Naseem Hamed fight in Sheffield," said Froch. "He fought an old, faded Chris Eubank, who was weight drained.
"He won the WBO title and then he defended it for 10 years against, I don't even know. I can't remember the names of the guys he fought for 10 years, but he's unbeaten in 46 fights, Hall of Famer. You can't argue with his record, but he had 10 years of mediocrity, defending that title.
"Probably his best win was against an injured Kessler. Many say Jeff Lacy. Let's be honest, Jeff Lacy was a hype job.
"The Hopkins win was so close and so debatable, I think it was a 55-45 split in Hopkins' favour on the night by all the top Americans [media]. Very, very close.
"Then he fought a totally shot to bits Roy Jones Jr. He even said himself before that in an interview that I read before that, that beating Roy Jones Jr proves nothing, because he's so finished, he's so past his best."
You can find out Carl Froch's top five greatest super-middleweights on this week's Toe 2 Toe podcast.