If rising Bristol boxing star Danny Butler is to become British middleweight champion, he will almost certainly have to do it the hard way.

So says manager and trainer Tex Woodward, who fears the 22-year-old will be forced to travel to realise his ambitions.

Butler takes the latest step towards a shot at the Lonsdale Belt when he challenges Darren McDermot for the English middleweight title on a Sky-televised Hatton Promotions show at Fenton Manor, in Stoke, on Friday.

And Woodward reckons his charge will have to keep travelling if he wants to continue his march up the British Boxing Board of Control rankings in the future.

He said: "We have now reached the point where it is very difficult for us to put Danny on in Bristol.

"He's moving onwards and upwards and there simply isn't a venue big enough around here to stage one of his fights. A lot of Danny's early fights were at the Marriott Hotel in the city centre and he always benefited from tremendous home support.

"But he has outgrown the venue and it looks as though he is going to have to travel if he wants to progress."

Butler will still be backed by more than 100 travelling fans on Friday night and Woodward is confident the Western Area and British Masters champion can claim his third belt in 12 months. "Although Danny is giving up home advantage, I still believe he has what it takes to beat McDermot," said Woodward, who runs the Spaniorum Farm gym on the outskirts of Bristol.

"McDermot is a very useful fighter and is ranked sixth in Britain. But Danny is 10 years younger than him and is very, very fit. He will box at a very high tempo and will keep it going for 10 rounds if he has to. We'll see if McDermot can keep up with him."

Butler travels to Manchester on Thursday for the weigh-in and will stay in a hotel in Stoke the night before the fight.