SCOTT Harrison is not worried that time will have blunted his boxing skills.
The former WBO featherweight champion makes his long-awaited comeback on Friday night at the Kelvin Hall, after six and a half years out of action when he faces French Algerian Brahim Bariz.
Although just seven weeks short of his 35th birthday, Harrison says he is confident he can turn back the clock.
He said: "I have no concerns over that.
"Everything has gone well in training and I am 100 per cent hungry to fight.
"There will be some nerves, but that is only natural as there is an awful lot at stake for me.
"I don't have the time to make mistakes now and it is not just about winning it is about making a statement.
"However, my training has gone really well and I know the amount and quality of work I have put in to get back in shape for this.
"I take a lot of confidence from that and it is up to me to make sure that I perform to such a level that people will get the message I am back for real."
Bariz is expected to be an awkward opponent for Harrison in his first sortie at lightweight – he has a two-and-a-half inch height advantage and a reach advantage.
Harrison admits he may have to size his man up before going to work.
The former two-time featherweight world champion said: "You can have made all the plans in the world for something, but then they go out the window.
"So we will wait and see what problems Bariz poses then take our strategy from that.
"To a certain extent, it is a no-win situation but I have never lost my hunger to box and it has been just great this week to be experiencing all the old feelings.
"It has been a bit of deja vu for me. I have lost a lot of things outside the ring through going to prison and losing my world title.
"This is my first step on the road to getting that back, so it is important to me. It has been nice to have people wishing me good luck and shouting over 'hope you do it' in the street."
lTickets priced £100 ringside, £60, £45 and £30 are available on 0141 554 7777/0000.