Once Teresa Perozzi had sweated off the final 5lbs needed to get into the Middleweight Category, she knew victory would soon be hers.

Dropping down a weight class ? meaning hard running in a sauna suit on Trinidad?s roads ? meant the Bermudian pro would have the extra power required to pummel her way into history..

And almost as soon as the opening bell had rung in the Jean Pierre Sporting Complex in Port of Spain, Perozzi knew she had the measure of her local opponent, the previously undefeated Scroller Carrington.

?I was nervous but not in a bad way. Sort of focussed nervous,? said Perozzi, the day after returning from her WIBC Middleweight world title victory.

?She wasn?t as big as I thought she would be ? they said 6ft 1 but I don?t think she was any more than 5ft 11. It was pretty obvious to me that she just couldn?t handle my power.

?I was hitting her with a lot of flurries, getting a lot of hits in. At the bell at the end of each round she never had to go far to find her stool, I pretty much kept her in the corner. As soon she came out, I just kept hitting her back on to the ropes.

?Maybe I actually held a bit back, I should probably work on my distance because there probably should have been a knockdown. I would have loved to see her on the canvas.?

For Perozzi, whose training was hampered by the lack of strong sparring partners, the victory was as much a relief as it was an excitement, months of hard work, sacrifice and the disappointment of a dubious decision last year were finally put behind her as she became the first Bermudian to claim a world title when Carrington?s trainer threw in the towel in the sixth round.

?It probably could have been stopped earlier,? said Perozzi, who admitted she had no idea how she would handle going all ten rounds having never boxed more than four before.

?The only reason she didn?t get knocked down was because she had the ropes for support. The only way you can guarantee a win is to get the knockout ? something I?ve yet to do ? but this was the next best thing.

?Her trainer called it a day after six rounds and then that title that I have worked so hard for was finally mine.?

Perozzi said the 1,500 crowd were incredibly supportive towards her, with many claiming hers was the most entertaining bout of the evening on a night of controversy and poor attendance that was originally touted as one of the biggest boxing promotions in the Caribbean.

But for Perozzi, none of that matters, all that matters is that she is world champion.

?It?s hard to explain how I feel,? said Perozzi, who returned to her other job as a masseuse yesterday.

?It?s just such an incredible feeling to have this belt and know that I am the world champion. I?ve done my time, I?ve fought for free, I was the only boxer on the card to pay for my own travel down to Trinidad, I?ve made plenty of sacrifices but now hopefully I can take this to the next level.

?People might say that it is only women?s boxing and that this isn?t a big thing but I have worked hard for this and I deserve it.?

Perozzi, who is happy to say that she would never recommend the fight game to any aspiring young women due to the corruption and the lack of money, is gearing up for a busy time courtesy of her new lofty position on the women?s boxing circuit.

?I am a pro boxer but boxing is not my career,? she emphasised.

?The most important things for me are my business and my son ? and that will never change. I am still not going to go full time but I am looking for more sponsorship because there are going to be more fights, including my title defence, and that will mean sparring against women of a good standard ? and that means money.

?I know girls who will come across and spar with me but it is not cheap and I am going to have to secure funding from somewhere if I am going to get them over here and improve.

?But there are fights coming up and hopefully some here and the training can go well. As I proved on Friday, if I train well then anything is possible.?

If things work out ? and Perozzi admits that they often don?t in the turbulent world of pugilism ? she will head off to Albany, New York, late next month for a four or six round fight before potentially defending her crown here in November.

And there is always the chance that Perozzi will get the chance to further her reputation in the sport by unifying the world titles.

?If I got an offer that is certainly something that could happen,? said the world?s newest champion.

?I am not afraid of any fighter.?