THERE will be planes full of people flying from Lanzarote to Leeds next month as York boxer George Davey makes his professional debut.

Having been born in York, Davey’s family moved to Lanzarote aged just a few months old.

Aged 16, he made the brave decision to take up his passion for boxing as a career and move back to his home city.

Under the guidance of York’s legendary former world title challenger Henry Wharton, Davey won numerous amateur titles, earning himself a deal with Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren and a spot on the upcoming Josh Warrington undercard for his professional debut.

That fight will take place on October 12 at the First Direct Arena in Leeds.

“I’ve got planes full of people coming over Lanzarote to watch me,” said Davey.

“I’ve had a lot of support from the people of York too, which I’m really thankful for.”

Davey explained of his upbringing: “My parents moved abroad when I was about a couple of months old.

“Growing up in Lanzarote was unbelievable. I was on the beach almost everyday, surfing and just enjoying the really good lifestyle out there.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better childhood. I went to a Spanish-speaking school out there of course and because I had a lot of friends out there, it was very hard to leave.”

Davey was just 10 years old when he took part in his first boxing session, though it took him another four years for him to take up the sport seriously.

“I think that my first session in boxing was when I was aged about 10 and I went down to one of the local gyms in Lanzarote,” Davey recalled.

“I was sparring in my first ever session which was crazy thinking about it now. I was up against someone that had been boxing for four years as well and he beat me up!

“But, he came up to me afterwards and admitted that I hurt him, so that gave me a lot of confidence.

“For about four years I didn’t go back to the gym, but aged 14 I decided to pick it back up again.

“I enjoyed my time in the gym over there and I practically lived in that gym for two or three years - I fell in love with the sport.

“But, aside from the odd English fighter coming over when he was on holiday, the sparring was really limited.”

Davey quickly came to realise that a move away from the island was the only way to turn his passion into a career, ultimately leading to a move back to his birth city of York.

“I couldn’t really go anyway in my career if I continued to live in Lanzarote,” he admitted.

“I’d just end up boxing the same people over and over again and I wouldn’t have learned anything from that or progressed.

“My Dad said to me ‘if you really want to make it as a boxer, you’re going to have to move back to England.’ It was a really hard decision to do so, aged 16.

“At first it was difficult. I was quite lonely given that I didn’t have any friends when I first lived here.

“Since coming to Henry’s gym, I’ve been welcomed and that the decision has paid off for me.

“I’d heard about Henry Wharton’s gym through my Dad and about Henry himself as a world-class fighter in his day and we're here now.

To get in contact about either tickets or sponsorship, call Wharton at 07415 993415 or Davey at 07775 290853.