Teresa Perozzi’s sole bout before her high-profile title fight later this year in Sweden just got a whole lot more interesting after it emerged yesterday that her scheduled opponent has been replaced by a former world champion.

Bermuda’s own North American Boxing Council (NABC) world champion had initially lined up the lowly-ranked American slugger Cimberley Harris for a six-round, non-title fight at Berkeley gym this Saturday night.

But when Harris mysteriously pulled out of the deal at the last minute, Perozzi’s match-maker in New York was forced to approach former World Boxing Council middleweight champion Yvonne Reis — an awkward south paw fighter like Perozzi who boasts plenty of experience against the top girls and a pro record of six wins, 11 losses and one draw in a career spanning five years.

“She’s certainly a much tougher and more experienced fighter than Cimberley and will be a good test for me looking ahead to September,” said Perozzi, who has to drop five pounds in a few days in order to make the required fight weight of 165 pounds.

“She’s a south paw as well, which is going to present some challenges for me because I haven’t fought one in my professional career before and the movements are the complete opposite of those you would make against a normal fighter.

“She’s got an excellent reputation, though from what I’m told she’s not a particularly big puncher. I feel like I’ll be able to handle her pretty well.”

The 38-year-old Reis hails from Marlborough, Massachusetts and was a full-contact martial artist before going into boxing full-time — first as an amateur (with a record of 14 wins and three defeats) and then a pro since 2002.

In March this year she lost a ten-round bout to Trinidad’s Giselle Salandy, thereby surrendering her WBC middleweight title which she won from Kenyan Conjestina Achieng in 2006.

For her part, Perozzi has been training furiously both at Police Gym and Forty Rego’s self-built facility in Warwick for the last couple of months and suggested yesterday that she has never felt better physically.

And while training for professional fighting has been far from straightforward with a young child to look after, a full-time job, no sponsorship and limited facilities, the 34-year-old is still chomping at the bit to get back in the ring again.

“I feel absolutely fantastic to be honest, probably fitter and stronger than I have ever been,” she said.

“I’ve found the motivation and the energy again and decided this (boxing) is something I really want to do to the best of my ability. I still don’t have the best training facilities in the world and have got no real money coming in for doing this, but I want to look back when it’s all over and be happy that I gave everything.”

Perozzi is scheduled to fight the number-three-ranked female middleweight Asa Sandell in Sweden this September — where Perozzi’s NABC belt will be on the line against a highly-rated and well-funded opponent who has fought and lost to Laila Ali and carries a career record of six wins, three losses and one draw.

The Bermudian masseuse has not seen competitive action for almost a year, with her last fight coming against American Roselin Morales at Clearwater Beach — which she won via a points decision.

Perozzi will be fighting on Saturday night as part of the San Shou Showdown — an international martial arts event being organised by Jiketsu Martial Productions.