Boxer Teresa Perozzi has revealed she will be back in the ring as early as next month as she gears up for her world title fight against Sweden’s Asa Sandell later in the year.

The North American Boxing Council middleweight title holder, who has not fought since July last year, will take on lowly-ranked American slugger Cimberley Harris in a six-round, non-title fight at the new Berkeley gym on June 23 as part of the San Shou Showdown — an international martial arts event being organised by Jiketsu Martial Productions.

Perozzi had been keen to find an additional bout to aide her preparation for the more important assignment coming up in Sweden this September.

And when asked by the San Shou martial artists — with whom she has been sparring for some time — whether she would like to be part of their fight card she didn’t need to be asked twice.

“I called the matchmaker in New York who has all the numbers of the top girls and asked him whether there was anybody available,” Perozzi explained yesterday.

“I was meant to fight this girl Cimberly Harris a while back but it didn’t come off, but when it turned out she was available, it proved to be perfect timing.

“She’s a paramedic and from what I’ve heard of her she’s more of a brawler and is not a technical boxer by any means. I should be able to outbox her and hopefully it will be a good warm-up ahead of the title fight against Asa Sandell.

“It will be good to get back in the ring again — it’s been a while. The training’s been going well. I ran May 24 which was fantastic and obviously I’ve been spending a lot of time working in the gym.

“I’ve still got around eight pounds to lose to get down to the 160-mark, which is where I need to be for the title fight. But honestly that shouldn’t be too difficult from this point.”

The 39-year-old Harris, who hails from Tampa in Florida, has a record of four wins and nine losses from 14 professional fights.

Perozzi signed a contract to fight the 6ft 1in Sandell — the world’s number three ranked female middleweight — in late April and will be putting her NABC belt on the line against the Swede, who has fought (and lost) to Laila Ali and has six wins, three losses and one draw in her pro career.

The local masseuse’s last fight was in July, 2006, when she beat American Roselin Morales at Clearwater Beach via a unanimous points decision.