Bristol boxing promoter Chris Sanigar believes the absence of a decent-sized indoor venue is holding the sport back in the city.

And he fears Lockleaze-born British super flyweight champion Lee Haskins will again be forced to fight away from home when he defends his title in a winner-takes-all showdown with unbeaten Midlander Don Broadhurst later this year.

London-based promoter Frank Maloney has won the purse bids to stage the battle between Britain's best little men, but will almost certainly be forced to take the show outside of Haskins' home city.

"It's all for want of a big enough venue," complained Sanigar, who used to stage Sky-televised shows and pack out Whitchurch Sports Centre on a regular basis until the region's biggest indoor arena was sold to a private interest four years ago.

Since then, British champion Haskins has been denied home advantage, travelling the length and breadth of the country to pursue his ambitions. "It would be fantastic if Lee could defend his title in Bristol in front of his own fans," said Sanigar.

"But there's no chance of that happening given the lack of facilities here.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's a disgrace that a city the size of Bristol has nowhere to stage shows like this. When Whitchurch was available, I used to bring some of the biggest names in the sport to Bristol.

"We had Joe Calzaghe, Dennis Andries, Ricky Hatton and John Ruiz fight there, not to mention the five British and world champions I have produced in Bristol. But those days are over and there is no sign that anything will happen anytime soon to bring them back. There was talk of a new indoor arena being built a few years ago, but that was all it was – just talk. It's frustrating, especially when you see that places like Newport have big arenas and we don't."

He added: "It's not just boxing that is being affected. You look at athletics and swimming facilities in the city and it's the same old story."

Maloney beat off competition from rival promoter Frank Warren to win the purse bids for Haskins versus Broadhurst and the eagerly-awaited clash will be screened live on Sky Sports TV.

A date and venue have yet to be confirmed, but Sanigar revealed: "We are looking at the possibility of Friday, December 11. We should know in the next week or so."