Nathan Heaney: Stoke boxer hopes he is step closer to his dream home fight at the Bet365 Stadium

Nathan Heaney and promoter Frank Warren were given a jolt by Brad Pauls (right) but were agreed that the right man won

Stoke boxer Nathan Heaney hopes he has moved a step closer to a dream fight at the Bet 365 Stadium after Saturday's narrow defence of his British middleweight title in Birmingham.

In his first defence since winning the Lonsdale Belt off Denzel Bentley in November, Heaney, 34, made hard work of seeing off Cornwall's Brad Pauls.

"I've had two good hard fights in four months," Heaney told BBC Radio Stoke.

"First Bentley and this was tough. But I've felt worse after other fights."

Heaney only retained his title in a draw on a split points decision - and, although the Pauls camp argued that they should have won it and at least had the right to a rematch, the Stoke fighter hopes promoter Frank Warren has other bigger plans.

• Heaney held to split draw by challenger Pauls

• Heaney knows stakes are 'massive' heading into title defence

"Although it was a fantastic fight and I'd love a rematch with him in the future I don't think that fits into the immediate plans Frank Warren has for me," said Heaney.

"There is usually a rematch clause but that is usually for the champion, if he gets beaten."

Instead, fuelled by the noise made by the 2,000-strong Delilah-singing congregation he attracted to Birmingham City, the Stoke City fan remains keen on the idea of fighting in front of his fellow Potters fans.

Legendary British heavyweight Henry Cooper fought the great Muhammad Ali twice at football grounds, the first when Ali was still Cassius Clay at the old Wembley Stadium in 1963, when Cooper famously had his man on the deck in round four, and then again at Highbury in 1966.

Barry McGuigan's world featherweight title win over Eusebio Pedroza at QPR's Loftus Road in 1985 also remains the stuff of legend, as does Frank Bruno's win over Joe Bugner at Tottenham Hotspur's old White Hart Lane home two years later.

Nathan Heaney retained his British Middleweight title in Birmingham only on a split points decision

But, in more recent times, Heaney is spurred on by memories of Manchester City fan Ricky Hatton, Tony Bellew (at Everton's Goodison Park) and Leeds United fan Josh Warrington all winning on home soil.

"In my head, it had to happen this year," he said. "I'm in my prime and feeling ready.

"Only a handful of boxers have fought at their home football stadium, Ricky Hatton, Tony Bellew, Josh Warrington. If it happened for me at Stoke City, it would be amazing, a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Warren told BBC Radio Stoke: "He needs a good week to let the bruises heel and then we'll make a decision. He has to be 100 per cent. We want him to win."

But Heaney said: "Frank is just looking after me first and foremost as a fighter. He doesn't want to see me get hurt."

And Heaney believes he can tap back into the buzz he experienced in Birmingham.

"Walking out at nearly midnight in front of 2,000 Stokies was fantastic," he said.

"I appreciate every single one of the people that supported me at the fight, not to mention those ones sat at home staying up late with their coffee or their cocoa, or whatever.

"When I'm up on that boxing stage, I am, for that one night only, I feel like I'm representing my city wholeheartedly. I feel like I'm a physical embodiment of Stoke-on-Trent.

"What I lack in ability, or what we lack in infrastructure, we make up in heart. And I showed a bit of heart in that fight. If I was a less of a man I'd have ended up on my arse."

Nathan Heaney was talking to BBC Radio Stoke's Lee Blakeman