AFTER an 11-year absence professional boxing returned to York with a hard-hitting hat-trick bang.

All three of York’s current pro fighters – Harry Matthews, the “Pocklington Rocket” who helped to formulate the five-card bill at Oaklands Sports Centre, Heworth hit-man Matt Doyle, who was making his debut, and Graham Fearn, the New Earswick warrior – all carded unanimous points wins.

And not only was it a personal triumph for the triumvirate, York’s boxing fraternity was also the winner.

The Saturday night fervour attracted a sell-out crowd of 600 much to the delight of the promoters, the boxers and Oaklands Sports Centre sports facility manager Paul Bickle.

The event, the first show of paid-for boxing in the city since September 1998 when York’s greatest boxing ring-master Henry Wharton fought Ukrainian Konstantin Okhrey at the now defunct Barbican Centre, was hailed a runaway success by Bickle.

“We had a capacity sell-out crowd of 600 and I am hoping it’s going to be the first of many such boxing events here,” he told The Press.

“Sports centres like us now have to be in the business of providing pathways from grass-roots all the way to the top. We have an amateur club (the Community Sporting Boxing Club) that holds training sessions here and now we have had a professional card like this.

“This has been most impressive. Obviously we need to find out what the feedback is from the sport’s officials who were here and the promoters, but for ourselves it has gone really well and we would like to do this again.”

All three fighters were thrilled to have been part of the venture, which restored the professional game to the city after more than a decade.

Said Matthews, who topped the bill against Romford’s seasoned Duncan Cottier, whom he beat by a 40-36 points margin: “It felt so right to be here in York and while I did not perform as well as I know I can, it was great to have the support of a home crowd.

“I felt a little bit drained about making the weight, so I don’t think I did myself justice, but as I got more into the fight I felt better.

“This game is all about gaining experience and this has been a valuable learning curve.”

The unbeaten 21-year-old Matthews is lined up for his eighth pro middleweight fight at Hull’s KC Stadium in mid-December when he will step up from his York debut of four three-minute rounds to a contest spanning eight rounds of two-minutes duration.

His stable-mate Doyle – both are trained by former York amateur ace and now qualified trainer Glen Banks – crowned his pro baptism with a convincing points win over Tamworth’s Matt Seawright.

After the welterweight duel over four two-minute rounds, the 27-year-old Doyle said: “Just listening to the crowd chanting my name was such a buzz. I wanted to make sure I got my career started with a win so the crowd played their part. And I’d like to thank everybody who turned up to watch, especially the ‘Mike Nasser of Dolby’ crowd. They’ll know who I mean.”

The 34-year-old Fearn, who stunned boxing just over a year ago when he forsook a distinguished amateur career to become a pro at the age of 33, expected to be more nervous in realising his ambition of fighting on a pro bill in his home city when up against Sheffield’s Daniel Thorpe in the night’s opening bout, a lightweight contest over six two-minute rounds.

“It was a bit of a contrast from my last fight when I was at a crowded MEN Arena and I was up against former world amateur champion Frankie Gavin,” said Fearn, who impressively won five of the six rounds. “But getting a win, my first of 2009, was a big bonus, especially in front of people I know and people who have supported me in York.”

The whole night was hailed by Banks, the trainer of Matthews and Doyle. He said: “The York lads have all lived the dream in fighting on a pro bill in their home town. It’s proved a cracking night of boxing and hopefully it won’t be another ten years before we have this again in our city.”