Jane Couch will become the first woman to box professionally in Britain tonight.

And she is promising a whirlwind performance to woo the critics who believe female fighting should be outlawed.

Couch, who calls herself the Fleetwood Assassin and is the world welterweight champion, takes on 18-year-old German Simona Lukic at Caesar's nightclub in Streatham, South London.

It is Couch's first fight since taking a hostile Boxing Board of Control to the Equal Opportunities Commission to force them to issue her a licence.

"In England we are five years behind everyone else," maintains 30-year-old Couch, who is 5ft 8in and 10st.

"In France, Germany, Mexico and America women's boxing is massive.

"I stuck a tape in the hand of boxing boss John Morris and said, `watch that and tell me I'm not as good as a male boxer.'

"He couldn't. I might not have the power, but I've worked hard and I'm fitter than most male boxers.

"I've only been doing it four years so I'm still fresh. Boxing is about being mentally and physically tough, but you've also got to have a big heart."

Couch trains with men at a Bristol gym once used by Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno, and her coach Ted Woodward, a former amateur boxer, is convinced she has a bright future.

"Jane trains harder than the average pro," says Woodward. "Women should be able to box if they want to. I'm convinced there are going to be a lot more taking up the sport.

"Half the male fighters in her weight category in the country couldn't beat Jane. No woman could get within a mile of her."

Couch has fought on high profile bills in America, including alongside Roy Jones - widely regarded as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter.

But she insists the sport, to which she has certainly brought curiosity value, needs a boost.

"With male fighters, especially world title fights, I start going to sleep at about round eight," she says.

"It should never be like that. In the days of Hagler, Leonard and Hearns, even when Brian London was about, it was different. It was exciting."

And while she is not making any predictions about tonight's fight she does guarantee one thing. "It will not be boring," she says. "I have an all-action style - a bit like Nigel Benn. I love getting stuck in."