Steve Bendall has had an eight- year professional career, fought for the British title, won 23 of his 24 fights and has an excellent amateur record.

However, he heads into an English title fight against Donovan Smillie admitting that he is still taking baby steps on his road to recovery after tearing up his gameplan and retracing his boxing career.

The 31-year-old middleweight's defeat against Scott Dann 15 months ago resulted in damaging mental scars for Bendall and he wiped out seven years of his boxing life in a bid to kick-start his flagging fortunes.

Bendall faced ten months' inactivity before suffering his first professional defeat at the hands of Dann and spent a further nine months kicking his heels in the aftermath until a gruelling points win over Ismael Kerzazi.

A scruffy points victory over Magid Ben Driss in October saw the Tile Hillborn boxer blow away the cobwebs even further, but he looked anything but a former British title challenger.

Nevertheless, Bendall is a master of self-flagellation and realises that any repetition of his previous performance against Smillie tomorrow evening could lead to the bell tolling on his career.

"Because of all the hassle I went through trying to get the British title fight, it messed my head up a bit and I got too tense," admitted Bendall.

"All the hard work I did in the first 21 fights I had lost, so it was like starting all over again and I went back to the beginning in the gym.

"I can see some improvement and as long as I keep winning every fight then I will be happy.

"All of a sudden, when you meet someone who isn't a rough-arsed journeyman like Madriss, but is on a level par with you, it will come to the fore.

"However, anyone who saw my last fight wouldn't say that Bendall is back to his best because I am not.

"There are no excuses. I am not going to get it back overnight as I have had four fights in three years.

"I am under no illusions, as it is going to take me four or five fights to get back to what I was.

"However, I still believe that on my day I am the best middleweight in Britain but I have got to get it back."

The meeting with the dangerous Smillie is only his fifth fight in 25 months and the southpaw can count on fervent home support at the Mercia Park Centre.

Yet while his vocal following are a partisan bunch, they don't allow blind faith to cloud their judgment in their post-fight analysis with Bendall.

" Friends of mine get annoyed with me when they

"I haven't been boxing anywherenear as well as I can, but the big fights bring out the best in me. see me struggle against people I should easily beat because they know how well I can box," continued Bendall.

"I take a lot of stick when I don't box well because people expect a lot.

"I haven't been myself in my last couple of fights and people who have followed me know that.

"I was rubbish for most of my last fight and I've gone off the boil because I haven't been active enough.

"I have had so many injuries and setbacks in my career it's unbelievable.

his mentor Trevor Francis, but wanted a change of scenery to drag him out of his state of lethargy against a boxer defending the English title he won against Roddy Doran last November in Shrewsbury.

"I had gone a bit stale and needed new input. Owen's got a lot of ideas and plenty of enthusiasm and that's rubbing off on me," enthused Bendall.

"It's just what I needed. I haven't been up to scratch in my last two fights and needed to do something.

"I'm changing the way I do things. I'm going to have four weeks hard sparring for this fight and I'm going to be in good shape."

The four-fight dinner show at the Mercia Park Centre in Coventry also features unbeaten Bedworth supermiddleweight Neil Tidman along with Leamington's Richard Mazurek and John Ruddock.

Tickets are available from Owen Delargy priced £30 on 07967-444853.