COUNCIL leaders in Scarborough are drawing up plans to give boxing king Paul Ingle an official hero's welcome home.

The Yorkshire Hunter returned to North Yorkshire yesterday after coming off the canvas in Madison Square Garden, New York, to defeat Junior Jones and retain his International Boxing Federation world featherweight crown in thrilling fashion.

After Ingle first lifted the title back in November Scarborough's favourite son was given a tour of the town in an opened topped bus where he was able to meet and greet the hundreds of fans who had turned out to celebrate his success.

Now civic leaders are planning a second tour of the town in an opened-topped bus finishing with a civic reception at the Scarborough Spa for the 27-year-old, who also lifted the International Boxing Organisation title when he stopped Jones in round 11 on Saturday night.

A party for friends and family has already been confirmed at Ingle's local pub, The George Hotel, for later this week.

However, Ingle will not be able to relax too much after his New York success - he is due for a mandatory defence on the undercard of the next Lennox Lewis fight at the London Arena on Saturday, July 15.