POOLE middleweight Steve Bendall has vowed to bounce back a better boxer after suffering his first loss in 22 professional fights.

The 30-year-old southpaw took an impressive 100 per cent record of won 21 lost none into the ring for his British title bout against Scott Dann in Plymouth.

But Bendall was beaten by a powerful display by Dann in his home city in front of a frenzied 2,000 crowd in the Pavilions on Friday.

The Dorset man was defeated when referee Marcus McDonnell stopped the contest two minutes and five seconds into the sixth round to save Bendall from further punishment.

Bendall might have missed out on his childhood dream of lifting a British title, but the IBO Inter-Continental champion is determined to put his first professional setback for seven years behind him as quickly as possible.

The former England amateur international said: "I had been in a position where I hadn't been in the ring for so long and that wasn't a good thing.

"I hadn't been in the ring for 10 months and lost this one, but everyone will see how good a boxer Steve Bendall is by the way I come back from this defeat.

"Every good boxer loses. I will show people that I am a better boxer than I was in Plymouth.

"I had been a long time waiting for a British title fight, probably too long - 10 months.

"But I live to fight and will be back more determined than ever. I showed a lot of heart against Dann and I will be back.

"I just didn't get my tactics right on the night and Scott did. I just wasn't closing the gap, I wasn't fighting him. I felt I would get him and I caught him with a good punch in the fifth round, but again I gave him too much space.

"It wasn't a good performance from me - but I will be back.

"Scott showed a lot of power, but he also showed he could box as well as that."

Bendall stressed he refused to be intimated by the fiercely vocal support for Dann in the Devonian city.

He added: "I blanked out the crowd, that wasn't a problem. I just got my tactics wrong.

"I am back in the ring in November though. I have to get back in there and get back into winning, build myself back into a title shot." Bendall, who moved to Bournemouth from Coventry in 1998, can't box for 28 days after picking up a statutory ban because the referee stopped the fight.

The Poole man had just been threatening to get back into the contest when he was stopped by Dann in the sixth round.

He was beginning to land more blows on the Plymouthian and silence some of the support for Dann.

But Bendall's challenge petered out unexpectedly when he took three lefts from Dann in quick succession as he was left reeling on the ropes. Dann went for the kill as Bendall back-pedalled onto the ropes and McDonnell was forced to step in to stop the punishment.

It was a new experience for Bendall, who won't want to taste it again.

Christchurch-based Ken Honni-ball was the British Boxing Board of Control's steward in charge of the Bendall-Dann championship fight.