Dressed in his pink garb, Jim Rock might get a few wolf whistles in Belfast's Odyssey Arena tomorrow night, but the Dubliner is as hard as they come.
When you have stared down the barrel of a sawn-off shotgun and lived to tell the tale then facing Margate's Takaloo for the vacant WBU light-middleweight title holds no fear.
Rock, who calls himself the Pink Panther and enters to that famous theme tune from Peter Sellers's classic movies, explained: "I was 20 at the time and working in a nightclub as a doorman and I chucked this guy who was the son of some tough people.
"That night I walked to my car in the car park outside the club and three gunmen came along and ordered me out of the car.
"They pointed a shotgun at my stomach and just as they pulled the trigger I grabbed the gun, pushed it downwards and I got shot in both legs - I almost lost my crown jewels".
It is that determination that Dubliner Rock believes will drive him to an upset victory over Takaloo, who is bidding to regain the title having vacated last summer to fight WBO champion Daniel Santos in Cardiff only to lose on points.
Rock added: "I've dreamed about a big fight like this all my life. I'm not in boxing for the money. I want the glory. I want this belt and there's no way I'm leaving the Odyssey without the belt around my shoulder".