EMERGING boxing prospect George Davey has insisted he is ready to step into a first professional title fight this year.

The York fighter has recorded five wins from as many fights since moving into the paid ranks at the end of 2019.

Davey, who is trained and managed by York boxing legend Henry Wharton, has been quickly stepped up in his early fights, dispatching the likes of Jeff Thomas and Jamie Stewart, both of whom possessed winning records.

The then unbeaten Jack Ewbank was due to box Davey in October but pulled out ahead of their meeting at the Birmingham Arena.

Having dropped just one round from his first five fights, the 24-year-old thinks he is now ready for further step-ups and wants to fight for a belt in 2022.

“I’ve got it in my head that I will have a title fight next year,” said Davey. Whether that’s an Area title or some sort of Continental title, I want some sort of title next year.”

“Absolutely,” was Davey’s reply to whether he was ready for such a step-up. “It’s just a case of whenever my team can give me it, I’ll take that opportunity.

“I think that when I get that opportunity, I’ll dominate the fight.

“Henry is on board with that as well, 100 per cent, and we’ve both got the same mindset about it.”

Davey believes he has learnt plenty from his two wins over game and tricky opponents with winning records and stressed that he wants similar challenges over the next 12 months.

“It does feel like my team are trying to push me and that’s what I want,” he said.

“I know I’m not ready for Terence Crawford [unbeaten two-weight world champion] but I beat Jeff Thomas and that was a bit of a step up.

“Then there was Jamie Stewart, who is another good fighter, and then I was meant to box Ewbank.

“It’s what I want. I don’t want to sit there like a lot of other fighters, fighting journeymen, building their records up.

“I’m happy that they’re not doing that with me. They’re not sticking me in the deep end but they’re giving me tricky opponents early on which I will learn a lot from, rather than fighting round after round against lower-level fighters.

“I’m always training and trying to get better. But when you know your opponent, that’s when you try and work on a few more specific things.”

In the more immediate future, Davey hopes to return to the ring in February on another bill run by his Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren.

Davey has been in Lanzarote - where he spent much of his childhood - for Christmas before heading full steam into training.

“I’ll still be training out there,” Davey added. “As soon as I come back, I’ll be fit and fresh from a bit of a rest.

“Then I’ll be straight into camp and getting ready for a fight, fingers crossed.

“Obviously I’d have loved to have got another fight in 2021 but unfortunately it didn’t get over the line.

“The aim now is to get around six fights. Four or five would be the minimum.”