Teresa Perozzi has thrown in the towel on her professional boxing career ? only two days after successfully defending her world title belt against American challenger Roselin Morales at Clearwater Beach.

Making the shock announcement yesterday afternoon, the 32-year-old North American Boxing Council World Champion blamed the absence of proper training facilities in Bermuda as well as insufficient cash incentives for the decision.

She insisted, however, that she was not totally ruling out a return to the ring at some stage in the future ? but only if a proper boxing gym materialises as well as a promoter capable of generating more revenue for her fights.

?I just cannot do it anymore,? she said.

?It?s so difficult to prepare as I would like to in Bermuda ? I didn?t even have a heavy bag to train with before I fought Morales. What I need is a place to train and a lot more money in order to make it worthwhile. Capital G have been very good to me and thrown some funds my way.

?But I?m 32 years-old, I?m a mother, I?ve got my own business and it takes a lot of time and sacrifice in order to get myself ready to fight and I?m not really getting enough back to justify all the stress.

?When you run your own business, taking days off to train and prepare for fights means that you lose money, and to make it worthwhile I?ve got to make more ? it?s as simple as that.

?So as it stands, I?ve got my belt and I?m ranked number three in the world out of 29 middleweight fighters and that seems a pretty good way to go out.

?I?ve already told my family and close friends about my decision and I know they?ll support me whatever.?

On hearing the news yesterday, the promoter behind Perozzi?s last bout Thomas Jones said he had ?a lot of sympathy? for her having seen first hand how difficult it is to complete the required training on the Island.

?We just do not have the facilities here in Bermuda for Teresa to do the things she needs to do to keep competing,? he said.

?I?ve seen the difficulties she faces and she always amazed me with how she was prepared to go that extra mile to get the job done. In the States there are thousands of gyms with the best equipment available and plenty of sparring partners. In Bermuda, Teresa just doesn?t have that and I can understand why she has become so frustrated.?

Perozzi?s ? whose professional record stands at seven wins and two losses ? won a unanimous points victory over Morales on Saturday night, although her opponent claimed it had been a ?home-town decision?.

The champion ? who said she will probably have to vacate her NABC title if she does not mount a defence in the next six to nine months ? remains adamant, however, that the decision was a just one, while also criticising some media coverage of the fight which had portrayed the result as ?controversial?.

Although Perozzi?s grandfather Farrell Quinlan was a three-time NCAA champion, she did not don the gloves until 2001, when she drunkenly agreed to take part in the Teacher?s Rugby Club Fight Night and ended up stopping her opponent in the second round.

Two years of successful amateur competition followed before she made her professional debut against Nicole (Musclehead) Conant at The Aladdin casino in Las Vegas ? winning the bout unexpectedly on points.

Perozzi beat Trinidadian Scroller Carrington in October 2005 to claim the WIBC world middleweight crown, but had that title stripped from her 13 days later because of a row between the WIBC and the fight?s promoter over whether the bout was valid.

In the interim, however, the NABC stepped in and handed their vacant crown to Perozzi, who defended it successfully in February against Denver?s Martha Deitchman.

Her two losses came against the Dominican Republic?s Monica Nunes and American Laura ?Lady Ram? Ramsey? ? both on points.