Conlan confirms permanent relocation to London as he teams up with leading UK trainer

IRISH FEATHERWEIGHT BOXER Michael Conlan has confirmed that he has moved to London on a permanent basis to train under Adam Booth.

The former amateur world champion and two-time Olympian has been based on the west coast of America since signing a lucrative promotional deal with Top Rank in the autumn of 2016, and will continue to be promoted as normal by the U.S. boxing giants.

Conlan spent his first year as a professional under trainer Manny Robles at The Rock Gym in Carson, California, but will team up with Booth – who also trains Irish world champions past and present in Andy Lee and Ryan Burnett – for the foreseeable future.

The 26-year-old Belfast man’s former Irish team-mate, Jason Quigley, recently completed a similar move, leaving Robles and relocating to Sheffield where he has begun training with Dominic Ingle.

A lack of one-on-one time with the renowned Robles – whose hands are full with world champions Oscar Valdez and Jesse Magdaleno amongst others – was a factor in Conlan’s decision, but the driving force was family, with the former Olympic bronze medalist and his partner expecting a new arrival later this year.

“You know, I have another baby on the way,” Conlan tells The42 from his new home.

“I’ve done a good year out in America, but coming back home now and being a lot closer to my family – it’ll be a lot easier to get on with stuff. Obviously, for Shauna, it’s important to be closer to her family, her mum – especially with two kids.

“I feel it’s going to be better for my family and myself to be back in the UK.

“And I wanted to come back and work with the best coach in the UK, and I feel Adam Booth is that guy.

“I’ll be based in London. We just sorted out an apartment and all in the last few days, so I’ll be based here now indeed.”

Belfast boys and former amateur rivals Ryan Burnett (far left) and Conlan (far right) are now gym-mates

Promoters Top Rank, who have lofty hopes for the Irishman, are more than fine with the move so says their post-Rio recruit himself.

After finishing 2017 5-0 as a pro, Conlan will fight for a third time at Madison Square Garden on St. Patrick’s Day, and the Falls Road featherweight assures his career will carry on as it has done even while he’s based in England: the vast majority of his fights will continue to take place Stateside.

“Top Rank had no issues – no issues at all,” he says. “They’re happy with whatever I want to do, and I wasn’t contracted to be in America.

“Now that I’ve come back, it’s all good. There’s no problems.

I think it’s going to be the exact same as it always has been. I’ll be predominantly fighting in America – obviously I’ll be fighting in Belfast for my homecoming – but fight-wise, I’ll still be USA-based.

Training-wise he’ll team up with unified bantamweight world champion Ryan Burnett, his compatriot and former amateur rival (Conlan remains the last man to have defeated his fellow Belfast man), as well as Limerick’s former WBO World middleweight champion Andy Lee – both of whom enjoy extremely close relationships with Booth, under whose auspices they each won maiden world titles.

Conlan’s confidence in his new trainer was such, however, that he didn’t even feel the need to consult with his fellow Irish stars.

“I didn’t speak to them beforehand, no, and Andy hasn’t been here in the gym since I got here, but I’ve seen Adam for years. I’ve watched him, and I’ve always agreed that he was the best coach in the UK.

I love how he connects with his fighters. And he doesn’t have a lot of fighters: that’s the thing. He takes time and picks certain fighters to work with, so to be one of his fighters is an honour.

“I’ve been in the gym now a while – this is my second week – and I feel like I’ve already got a connection with all the lads. Had a good wee session as well today. There’s a good bit of craic in the gym. It’s always light-hearted but working hard.”

Conlan will fight in Ireland for the first time as a professional when he headlines the SSE Arena in his hometown this summer, with a late-May or early-June date yet to be confirmed.

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