When Bobby Vanzie steps into the ring at the Elephant & Castle Leisure Centre tonight he knows that he has the opportunity to silence the critics who have been sniping at him during his rise to stardom.

Suggestions that he is too flash, says too much and that he flatters to deceive in the ring, have hurt Bradford's British and Commonwealth lightweight champion.

But Vanzie is determined to show that the comments are wide of the mark when he defends his crowns against Londoner Stephen Smith.

The fact that many of the influential members of the national boxing media plus Sky TV will be ringside will increase Vanzie's already intense desire to end Smith's 25-fight unbeaten record.

Vanzie says: "I am frustrated that I never seem to get the credit I deserve. I am a double champion but because I come from Bradford rather than London it seems that I cannot please some people.

"I hope I will make them sit up and take notice of Bobby Vanzie tonight. I want to show it was no fluke that I won two titles and I want to show that I have what it takes to go right to the top."

Sky summariser Barry McGuigan, the former world featherweight champion, was scathing of Vanzie's most recent performance when he scored a crushing points win over Guyana's Howard Vincent in a Commonwealth title defence in December.

McGuigan felt that Vanzie was too flashy and didn't try hard enough to finish his opponent off despite enjoying total dominance.

But Vanzie felt it was a low blow from McGuigan. "I had an opponent who just didn't want to fight and I damaged both my hands during the contest. I think McGuigan likes orthodox boxers and I am not one of them."

Tonight Vanzie faces perhaps the most critical fight of his career to date. Victory over Smith will win him a Lonsdale Belt outright and surely open the way to more lucrative fights for European and even world titles.

But defeat could really set him back in a hugely competitive and talented British lightweight scene.

Vanzie, always supremely confident, refuses to consider the prospect of his first professional defeat after previously recording 16 wins and a draw, but Smith will prove a formidable opponent.

The contrast between the two men could hardly be more marked. Vanzie is supremely confident, eloquent - some would say outspoken - and something of showman in the Naseem Hamed mould in the ring.

By contrast, Smith is a very quiet individual who tends to allow his father and manager Darkie Smith to speak up for him. He is a sound boxer with an unblemished professional record after a fine amateur career.

He is a hard-working southpaw with a big heart but he does not have the punching power of Vanzie who has demonstrated his ability to take out opponents in big fights.

His tenth round stoppage of the highly-regarded Wayne Rigby to win the British crown in October 1998 was matched when he stopped Athanus Nzau in the same round to become Commonwealth champion seven months later.

The Rigby fight has many similarities with tonight's encounter. Vanzie had to step into his opponents backyard, take on a highly-regard opponent and beat him in front of a partisan crowd.

On that occasion he dazzled Rigby with his elusive style to secure victory and he needs another top drawer performance tonight.

The crowd is expected to be heavily on Smith's side but Vanzie doesn't mind that. "I am used to it by now. A crowd cannot win a fight, only a fighter can do that. Crowds can help you when you are having a bad spell though."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.