SCOTT Harrison knows a thing or two about putting people’s noses out of joint. The only difference this time is that the 41-year-old, twice WBO featherweight champion, feels that all it has taken to ruffle a few feathers in the fight game is simply refusing to retire from the sport he loves.

The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC) are first in his firing line, for refusing to grant him a licence to fight after serving three years of the four-year prison stretch he was sentenced to after being convicted of an assault in Spain.

Instead the Scot, appearing refreshingly free of his well publicised demons as he speaks after a public work-out at the same Phoenix ABC gym in Dalmarnock, will fight for the first time in five years under the auspices of the British and Irish Boxing Authority against Tackie Annan of Ghana at the Glasgow Club Bellahouston on December 8.

He rails against the BBBoC, not least because their suspension flies in the face of the fact they had actually returned his licence to fight prior to his Spanish extradition case in 2014. Mike Tyson got a licence to fight in this country, while debates are ongoing about the likes of Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn, or Lennox Lewis fighting in their 50s.

Boxing remains a huge part of his life, a sport which can provide for his partner Stacey and son Jack. Ideally, it would all end in a further world title but even if not, the sport can still offer him a shot at redemption.

“There will be a few noses put out of joint, there’s no other way about it,” said Harrison. “Everyone probably thought I would retire now. But I’m still here. There might be people who want me to come back, there might be people who don’t want me to come back. But that’s up to them ain’t it? I’m back and I’ll be fighting a week on Saturday, I’ll get my opportunity to deliver and put on a good show for all the Scottish fight fans again, which I’m looking forward to.

“You’ll see people saying I don’t keep myself in condition,” he added. “Well I’m 41 years old, I’ve got a resting heart rate of 40. On fight night that drops to 35. I feel better now than I did when I was world champion. I feel in better condition, more focused, no distractions – I’m just working towards this fight. When you live a crazy life as a young man, then you get older and wiser, start to live a better life – I can assure you, it’s possible to be in better condition now.

“I’ve worked hard for it, doing a lot of sparring for it, really preparing for it. My sharpness is better than it was back then, my weight is better than it was, my fitness is better. All I can say is I can’t wait until December 8. It’ll be showtime.”

It is fair to say the BBBoC are not on Harrison’s Christmas card list. Asked how he felt he was treated by them, he replies “disgracefully”.

“The board are a law unto themselves, some of the things they get away with,” said Harrison. “One of the answers they said to me was you’ve been out the ring for so many years but they’re giving fighters their license back at 52, so what can I say? They just said ‘we don’t want you back boxing again’. They put that down in black and white but I’ve got high courts, the lawyers in London who are dealing with taking the board to court, so that’s in the process at the moment.”

Harrison re-discovered his talent for art whilst serving his time in Barlinnie – his diverting artworks include portraits of Celtic and Rangers managers Brendan Rodgers and Steven Gerrard – but his love of boxing has never gone away. Within a week of his release, he was back in the old gym, surrounded and inspired by photos and memorabilia of the days when he ruled the world.

“Am I doing anything different? No, I’ve just been working harder, that’s the only thing I’ve changed,” he said. “I’ve upped my training – done more rounds sparring, more miles in the morning, watched my diet even better than I did back then, so I’m much sharper. It’s not just a fact of me coming back to have a couple of fights, I’m coming back to win the title again. I promised Stacey and the weans I would win the title again so it is going to happen.”

Tickets priced £40, £50 and £60 (Ringside) are available from Tickets Scotland (237, Argyle Street, Glasgow, G2 8DL; 0141 204 5151; tickets-scotland.com) and on 07594 144 433.