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Yvonne Reis will be Teresa Perozzi's sternest test yet.

Sure Perozzi has defeated previously unbeaten and high ranked boxers before, but never one of this calibre.

She has a non-title fight against Yvonne Reis on Saturday at the Berkeley gym as part of the Sanshou Showdown .

The fight against Reis marks the first time she's fought an ex-champ. Reis used to hold the WBC belt before it was stripped from her last December for not putting it on the line in a fight against Leatitia Robinson.

It marks another step up for Perozzi who has beaten previously undefeated Roselin Morales and Scroller Carrington.

Perozzi was originally supposed to fight Kim Harris, but the latter broke her hand and Reis was brought in as a last minute replacement. It's caused a few problems in Perozzi's training, but Perozzi has taken it in stride.

" I hadn't planned on taking this high of a calibre (boxer), but now that I have I'm quite happy because when I come out with a win I'll feel better about it because I've taken on someone who's a lot more challenging and more experienced.

"It's a lot more pressure. She's fouoght a lot, but I'm not going to let that intimidate me."

Perozzi said fighting Reis will also earn her kudos in the boxing world as Reis last three matches have all been for titles.

The champ has slowly moved up the charts in the alphabet soup of organizations that rank women boxers. She's fifth in the World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight rankings (Reis is second), fourth in the World Boxing Association (WBA) and third in the Women's International Boxing Association (WIBA).

Perozzi said: "This has totally changed my training. The other girl was orthodox (right-handed) and a brawler. I was training for that, but now I'm fighting a southpaw boxer. I have to take more of the inside punching role. Plus she's taller and I have to move the opposite way of what I'm used to. I've had to learn to do that and it's harder."

Perozzi has only fought a southpaw once before, and that was way back in her amateur days - and that result wasn't so good as she lost. "I don't think that's why I lost because in the amateurs it's on a points system."

She's been in training seven days a week and twice a day on Mondays through Thursdays.

She's been doing a lot of strength and conditioning with Yves Paul.

"That's made the biggest difference in how I feel for this one. Plus I've been boxing Monday through Thursdays. It's been non-stop."

On Wednesday she was working with Bean. The kickboxer donned the pads and allowed himself to be a human punching bag for Perozzi's throws. Absorbing lefts and rights as she worked him around the ring.

Perozzi was sparring with former Bermudian Olympian Roy Johnson, but she ended that last week.

"He's been giving me a really good work out. He's in his 50s but he acts like he's in his 20s.

"I don't want to spar this close to the fight because I was pretty banged up last week. My face, nose and eyes were so sore."[[In-content Ad]]

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