Jim fixing on big finish to Rock odyssey

BOXING: Johnny Watterson talks to journeyman Jim Rock who has finally arrived in the big time to take on Takaloo at Belfast's Odyssey Arena.

The fight came about by way of a casual conversation in a car. It was in Belfast on the day of Wayne McCullough's bout last year against Nikolai Emereev. Promoter Frank Warren needed a lift. Jim Rock had the wheels. The Dubliner made his pitch to the Englishman and now he's in the fighting shape of his life, doing interviews. Nothing ventured

Facing Takaloo (Mehrdud Takaloobighashi) tonight in The Odyssey Arena for the vacant WBU title, the Irish light-middleweight will again have to execute a turn-around if he is to revitalise his career, get to lick the cream before his powers diminish. But the fighter isn't bothered by long odds. He's got what he's been looking for, all he's ever wanted: a chance.

Disillusioned with the sport which offered little other than undercard bouts, decommissioning his gloves was more prominent in Rock's mind last year than a world title, until Warren opened the door. Whether Rock steps in, will depend on his durability against an able opponent, one who is hoping to bounce back from a points defeat at the hands of world class Puerto Rican Daniel Santos in a WBO title challenge in August.

"Warren said to me in the car, 'why aren't you in this show (McCullough's)?'. I said I wasn't interested. I was looking for a world title fight. I was fed up with what I was doing. I'd beaten them all. This was on the Saturday and Warren says 'I can make Takaloo'. On the Monday he'd done it," says Rock.

"Yeh, I'd had title fight offers before but with only a weeks' or 10 days' notice. One day, about two years ago, the phone rang on a Friday. They were asking me to fight on a Saturday for $64,000. That was about £40,000. It was tempting, very tempting. But I wasn't ready for the fight, probably couldn't have made the weight. If I'd taken it I'd have blown my chance of a future. So I didn't."

Not a lot of people give Rock's future a chance tonight and outside of the boxing fraternity even less people know the Blanchardstown fighter, whose first professional fight was on the undercard to Steve Collins at The Point in 1995. Always the crowd pleaser, his path from archetypal troubled youngster to main contender is a suburban cliché of disadvantage, disillusionment and, of course, salvation.

Coming from a family of 13, nine boys and four girls, Rock found boxing early in his life and prison soon after: St Patrick's, Wheatfield and finally Mountjoy for assault and driving without insurance. Rites of passage in some areas, adversity and trouble were once his close companions. But Rock neither talks up nor talks down his past.

"It is something that happened years ago. Part of my growing up and part of my life, I suppose. It's not something I regret and it's not something that I'm ashamed of either. Yeh, it probably shapes what you become in the future," he says.

"I wouldn't say I was a criminal, you know out robbing banks and dealing drugs, stuff like that. Okay, I was locked up. I was in prison. Last time was in the North six years ago. It was for assault but it was for something I didn't do, GBH with intent. I got put into custody for 28 days. Of course I didn't stay that long. They knew I didn't do it. The last time I was in prison in Dublin was 10 year ago for driving without insurance, assault, that sort of thing.

"Since I turned pro that has all been out in the open. Everyone knows about it. Why not? When I'm the world champion it would have come out next week anyway. I still go into prison, St Pat's, twice a year to do a bit of training with the guys, have an oul chat. They all know me on first name terms. Obviously. It happened but I've no grudges about it. I've no grudges with the law and I've no grudges with the judges or with the guards."

Preparing diligently at John Breen's gym in Belfast, Rock is comfortable. Belfast has been his home for a number of years and before that Greystones in Wicklow. But his Dublin accent is unmistakably pristine and it refuses to "mouth off" about his boxing abilities, despite his understated confidence in being able to pull off an upset against the highly rated Takaloo.

His preparations weren't helped at the weigh-in yesterday, when a dispute between WBU president John Robinson and British Boxing Board of Control official Robert Smith over the weigh-in caused chaos.

Rock and Takaloo were due to weigh in at 4 p.m. but they went for a trial weigh-in at 2.30 p.m. and had their weights accepted by Robinson as both were inside the 11 stone limit. However, subsequently the Takaloo camp protested - insisting the official weigh-in should take place as stipulated.

But in the meantime Rock had started to fill up with some fruit and water, believing he had no need to return to the scales.

A furious Rock was then informed he had to go back to weigh-in at 4 p.m. and was a couple of ounces over, though after a 20-minute walk he returned to weigh-in at 10 stone 13-and-three-quarter pounds.

If Rock can put such disruptions aside, a win at The Odyssey could lead to a first defence at The Point in Dublin. He hasn't fought there since his debut bout under Collins. On that occasion he was the last fight of the night, and wasn't even on the printed card because he was hauled in late. But what Rock remembers is the 500 people who stayed on to watch him fight. That sticks.

"No I'm not worried. Someone has to be an underdog. Underdogs have a habit of upsetting odds. That's what I rely on. He seems to have a big punch but no one has put me down before. All champions get put on their arse and I have been hit hard. But I consider myself to be resilient and quite stubborn too. He's a good digger. He's very fit and he does everything right. But I'm not into the over-hype. I just go out and fight.

"Starting out I never thought for a second that I'd be a world champion. I remember the Collins fight for my pro debut. A Dublin fella like myself. I was very proud. It was a privilege to fight under him. I remember that night we were staying in The Stillorgan Park Hotel. I was in the room watching television that night and saw this guy called Foster winning a title belt. It looked lovely. I thought, 'that's what I want'. Then I got a belt and wanted more. Then I got them and started thinking of a world title fight," he says.

While Rock may have had problems in the past, so too has his Iran-born opponent. Despite living in Britain for the last 22 years Takaloo still hasn't been able to acquire British citizenship and may even face being deported later in the year if his current application is unsuccessful. Last week, because of the bureaucracy surrounding his status, he was prevented from leaving London for a Dublin press conference with Rock.

Because of the anomaly he has had to pass up offers for quality sparring in America with the likes of Vernon Forrest. Having fled his native country during the revolution as a six year old with his family, Takaloo, who also has a six-year-old daughter with his partner Sarah, remains confused as to why, unlike Canadian tennis player Greg Rusedski and South African athlete Zola Budd, he has been unable to obtain a British passport.

"This fight should have happened two years ago," says Rock. "But the way I look at it is I'm two years wiser and two years a better boxer. I'm confident Takaloo's power won't bother me; he won't put me on my arse because no one has."

He will make his entrance to music by Henry Mancini. He will be wearing pink shorts because he can. Jim Rock, the "Pink Panther". It's a billboard name. He knows it. He just has to make it happen.