THANET boxer Takaloo says he is not planning to hang around too long when he fights Dubliner Jim Rock for the vacant WBU light-middleweight title on Saturday.

The Margate fight is anxious to return to winning ways after losing to highly rated Puerto Rican Daniel Santos in a WBO title bout at Cardiff Castle last summer.

Saturday’s fight takes place at the 10-000-seater Odyssey Arena in Belfast but Iranian-born Takaloo remains unconcerned that the majority of support will be against him.

The Irishman has called Takaloo a coward during the big fight build-up. The Kent boxer explained: “I couldn’t get to the press conference in Dublin because I was not allowed to travel.

“He called me a coward and said that I was scared but he’s the only one who is scared because he wanted the fight in Ireland. He did not want to come to London.”

He stressed: "When I start throwing punches Rock’s going to think he’s surrounded by Indians."

Takaloo stressed: “When you’ve been in the ring with a world class fighter like Santos it changes everything else you do after. You train at a certain level for that sort of fight and this fight won’t be at the same intensity."