Dressed in his pink garb, Dubliner Jim Rock might get a few wolf whistles in Belfast’s Odyssey Arena tomorrow night but he is as hard as they come.

Irishman Jim Rock labelled former WBU light-middleweight champion Takaloo “a coward” when he failed to turn up at a Dublin press conference today.

Takaloo could be forgiven if he had other things on his mind during preparations for his second world title challenge in the new year.

Former WBO Intercontinental light-middleweight champion Anthony Farnell is backing Welsh prospect Gary Lockett to claim his old title at the MEN Arena in Manchester on Saturday night.

Wayne Alexander is confident that 2002 will see him established as the best of Britain’s bright crop of light-middleweights.

Londoner Richard Williams will be looking to make a statement to Britain’s other top light-middleweights when he defends his Commonwealth crown against Guyana’s Andrew Murray in Liverpool tonight.