HENRY WHARTON hailed George Davey’s “clinical” performance in his points win over Jeff Thomas.

The York boxer marked his return to the ring at the weekend with a clear win over the Blackpool veteran, taking his record to 3-0 and continuing his streak of having not yet lost a round as a professional.

Wharton, a three-time former world title challenger, lauded his protege’s display.

He told BT Sport after the contest: “The development of George is coming along so fast because the first time that he boxed (as a pro), he got a little bit anxious with the crowd in and he was a bit keen to impress.

“He got a little bit amateurish, because if you send a long time in the amateurs and you’re fighting the top grade in the world, the world’s finest fighters, you become a good amateur at doing amateur things.

“Now we’ve got to mould him into the professional game, which doesn’t happen overnight. You’ve got to become well-rounded and he’s becoming that, as you could see.

“Jeff Thomas is a good kid and a solid pro, and I send him my best, and the way that George boxed there, he done a really good job on him.

“I’m not saying that he beat him up, but I’m saying that he did a clinical job, he went through his array of punches and I’m proud of him.

“He’s doing it in the gym, but do that in the ring is a completely different thing.

“We all see good fighters in gyms, but they’ve still got to produce in there (the ring), no matter how much we hype them. This kid, I’m sure is going to become a big star.”

The fight was Davey’s first in 10 months and he felt that the time in the gym had been put to good use.

the 22-year-old told the Queensbury Promotions YouTube channel: “I’ve got to say thank you to Jeff Thomas for coming to fight me because he pushed me to fight better.

“In my first two fights, I had to go to them but Jeff came to me and was trying to take the fight to me. I had to be my best self basically and I’m really happy with my performance.

“Everything that we’ve been practising in the gym it came off and I’m over the moon with it.”

The fight took place behind closed doors at London’s York Hall, creating a far different atmosphere.

Davey added: “I think that I’ve learned to deal with my nerves a bit more and that means that I’m more confident in there and the more confident you get, the spiteful you get, in my personal opinion.

“It was a big contrast (to my debut) from having 11,000 people there. I was a little bit more nervous there where as, in this environment there a little bit less pressure because it’s just a camera and a few people.

“I think that I learned to deal with the occasion a little bit better. I came out, I was ready for it and I went out there and did the job.”