YORK boxer George Davey insists that he has not lost any motivation for his training despite having no fights scheduled due to lockdown.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the British Boxing Board of Control last month stated that professional shows may have a “phased return” once lockdown comes to an end, given that NHS staff will be better served treating the vulnerable rather than being at boxing shows.

Davey, who has won both of his two paid bouts, has been out of the ring since November. And, the 22-year-old saw his scheduled contest at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro on May 2 cancelled due to the pandemic.

With no fight date to work towards, one might think that motivation for training would be in short supply for Davey. Not so, insists the York boxer.

“I think as a boxer you’ve always got to have that motivation to better yourself,” he said. “If anything, you’re now thinking ‘I’ve got a bit more time to perfect things.’

“That’s the way that I’m looking at this situation anyway. I think that as soon as this lockdown finishes, whenever that may be, I may only get a month’s notice for my next fight.

“At that point, I want to be already fit and then I can get even fitter during that month and at my best point in order to be able to compete.

“The Glasgow fight being cancelled, it’s heartbreaking, absolutely. But, I can’t dwell on that.

“It was going to be a great show with a great atmosphere and just an all-round great night. But it is what it is.

“I’m sure that there will be more opportunities in the future. You’ve just got to keep your head up and know that you’ll be in more cards in the future.”

Davey currently finds himself in Lanzarote, where he spent the majority of his life before moving back to his hometown of York to pursue boxing aged 16.

At the moment, making sure that he’s setting himself a weekly route is key to keeping his mind occupied.

“Obviously this isn’t an ideal scenario for anyone but the main thing for me is that I stay active, where I can,” Davey continued.

“I’m trying to keep my training up and making sure that I don’t get lazy, which is quite easy to do when there’s nothing to do.

“My daily routine is doing some training in the morning, whether that be on my bike or doing some weights.

“Then, I’ll do a little bit of training in the afternoon too, whether that be some bag work, shadow boxing or anything else.

“It’s about keeping yourself active.

“The main thing for me is keeping positive and not getting down in a slump about this. Doing that won’t help anyone including yourself.”

Davey is trained by York boxing legend and three-time world title challenger Henry Wharton.

The pair remain in contact in spite of the geographical distance between them.

The super-welterweight said: “Henry has said, ‘Keep yourself fit, do your exercises, but don’t over-train yourself and don’t get too fit too soon.’

“Obviously, you don’t want to burn yourself out before your training camp starts. It’s about ticking over and trying to create a little plan. I’ve been planning out my weekly workouts so that I don’t go overboard and it means that I’ve got something to stick to.”