Perozzi’s preparations boosted by Darrell
Bermudian southpaw Teresa Perozzi has gone all out in her preparations for next month’s WBA and WBC women’s middleweight unification championship bout with the undefeated Tori Nelson.Perozzi, whose pro record stands at 9-4-1, is scheduled to fight the American in a ten-round bout at Poinciana Ball Room at Fairmont Southampton on October 13.Nelson has yet to be beaten as a pro and is currently the top ranked women’s boxer in the United States and third in the world.To help overcome her latest challenge, mother-of-one Perozzi has been whipping herself into shape in between sparring sessions at Allen (Forty) Rego’s Gym under the watchful gaze of former professional middleweight boxer Troy Darrell.“Troy has been coming up to the gym and helping out which is really great,” she said. “It’s just so nice having that kind if expertise around me.“Troy and I have worked together in the past before and the nice thing is that everyone works so well up there at Forty Rego’s Gym.”Perozzi added:”I am really pleased how things have come together; I feel really good and my conditioning is really good.“I have a trainer working with me a couple of mornings every week with my running and another trainer doing strengthening and conditioning with me a few days per week and then I have my boxing so everything is going along okay. I have no injuries and actually feel ahead of the game this time.”Given the enormity of the task at hand, Perozzi is determined to push herself to physical limits to enhance her chances of success in her upcoming championship bout with Nelson headlining next month’s appropriately dubbed ‘All or Nothing Championship Boxing’ event.“I am actually training harder than ever and preparing myself for anything,” she said. “I know what she’s bringing to the table and I know she’s in tremendous shape so I know it’s going to be a good fight.”Perozzi’s preparations have received a psychological boost from the support she continues to receive from the local community in the lead up to next month’s big fight.“Everybody is giving me their support and I think this event is going to be sold out very quick,” she said. “It sounds like it’s going to be a great night of fights and I’m getting so much support which is really nice.”Perozzi landed the WBA women’s middleweight belt with a split decision win over American Lorissa Rivas in Trinidad last December. She then successfully defended her title with a unanimous points decision over Rivas’ compatriot April Ward on home soil last March.The local fighter has earned respect for choosing to take on the formidable Nelson rather than defending her crown against lesser opponents.“I didn’t want a guaranteed fight that I knew I could win,” Perozzi said. “I think I’m good enough and now at a level where I want to fight the best fighters out there. I don’t want to retire and say ‘yeah, you may have done this but you didn’t fight this person or that person’.“I want to beat her. She’s number one in the US, has never lost and it’s time for that first loss.”Nelson currently holds the WIBA middleweight belt but was forced to vacate the WBC middleweight belt that will also be up for grabs in her upcoming fight with Bermuda’s Perozzi.Tickets for the upcoming ‘All or Nothing Championship Boxing’ event can be purchased at International Sports Shop and also online at Ptix.bm.