MICHELE Piccirillo had better watch out as Salford boxer Jamie Moore insists that nothing will stop him from winning their European Light Middleweight title fight early next year.

Moore, aged 30, has seen European title shots slip through his fingers on no fewer than four occasions during what has been a ‘mightily frustrating’ couple of years.

The desire to win that belt has built up to boiling point. And Moore insists he would win a European title fight no matter who was put in front of him.

Moore said: "I can’t even begin to describe how much I want that belt. I have waited a long time for a European title fight and there is no way I’m going to lose to Piccirillo.

"In fact, I am that motivated that I would beat anyone if the European title was at stake.

"I am 100 per cent confident of winning against Piccirillo. But there is no doubt that the Italian is a good fighter. He’s an ex-world and European champion who has only been beaten in world title fights.

"I have watched tapes of him and I think that, style wise, it makes for a great fight. I can see it being a war, which is par for the course for me.

"Michele doesn’t seem to like toe-to-toe battles. He is more comfortable using his boxing skills at a slower pace. Ricardo Mayorga beat him by taking the fight to him and I intend to do the same. That’s my style anyway."

Irish Light Middleweight champion Moore was originally planning to take part in a six-round warm up fight at the Helix in Dublin tonight, Thursday, December 18. But he pulled out of the show for fear of getting injured and suffering yet more European title heartbreak.

Moore said: "I asked to be put on the show as a six-round sharpener and southerner Paul Dyer was being lined up as my opponent. But I was feeling great in the gym. I’d done most of the sharpening work I wanted to do and I decided that it’d be silly risking getting injured by fighting on Thursday.

"I have had worse luck than Bryan Robson in terms of getting injuries. And it would be just my luck to have to pull out of my long-awaited European title shot after getting injured in a warm up fight."

The best example of Moore’s rotten luck with injuries saw him injure his knee when bending down to help his son open Christmas presents two years ago.

Moore said: "I ended up spending Christmas Day in hospital. So, with such an important fight on the horizon, I am going to be extra careful this Christmas. I am thinking of wrapping myself up in cotton wool all day."

Sky Television have decided that Friday, March 6, will be the date for the European title bout but Moore’s manager Steve Wood is still looking for a suitable venue.