The Melbourne middleweight was on the way to the gym to complete his preparations for a bout with super-middleweight national champion Les Piper when he was involved in a collision that damaged his and two other cars.

He escaped unscratched, much to his own relief and that of promoter Barry Michael.

Soliman and Piper are the headliners on a strong eight-event card on the latest of Michael's popular Box on the Dox promotions at Docklands on Sunday night.

Soliman is on the way back, still with his eternal dream of the elusive world title driving him, after a year out of the ring.

He disappeared off the scene after losing a disputed points decision to his nemesis, Anthony Mundine, at Vodafone Arena in May last year.

But he insisted yesterday that he had never retired.

"There were a lot of rumours to that effect because I was out of action for so long, but I never considered it," he said.

"The dream remains intact. I wouldn't be boxing if it wasn't.

"I have never been happy with my career without the world title and I never will be."

Soliman, who has had 47 fights for 36 wins, is within a few weeks of his 36th birthday and is obviously fast running out of time.

But Michael said yesterday that he hoped to position him for a crack at the International Boxing Organisation middleweight crown, which is in dispute between Mundine and Tasmanian Daniel Geale.

Mundine beat Geale on points in Brisbane in May but the IBO upheld a protest alleging that a judge had been intimidated and that a knockdown had not been scored.

It ordered a rematch which is yet to happen.

Soliman appears to have his work cut out with Piper, an aggressive Queenslander who has lost two of his 15 fights.

"He's a tough nut and I'll pay him the respect he deserves because you don't win a national title by luck," Soliman said.