Right Coach at Right Time – Michael Conlan on new training link-up

Michael Conlan says he’ll be more than grand with Grant and believes he has found the right coach at the right time.

The two-time world title challenger officially ended a prolonged search for a new training set-up when he confirmed Grant Smith as his new coach last week.

The Belfast talent was last seen in the ring in December of last year and won’t fight until March of next year at the earliest.

When he does return he will have Smith in his corner, a coach he picked after a prolonged and thorough search.

“I was looking at a few coaches; Stephen Smith, Grant Smith and Buddy McGirt, and I narrowed it down to Stephen or Grant,” Conlan told Boxing Social.

“I appreciate the time that I have had with all of the guys that I have worked with, it has been great, but I believe that Grant’s next step for me is the right one to help me with my career and that he is the right coach for me, at the right time.

“I just like how he operates and how he is as a coach, and I like how the other guys operate as well. It was a very, very hard decision if I am going to be honest and I took time before making any decisions.

“I first saw him in July and then again in August and then I only came to my decision within the last week and reached out to both Stephen and Grant and let them know which way I was going. Both were sound with it, so I was happy enough.”

Conlan makes the likes of former Ray Moylette foe Dalton Smith, Charlie Edwards and Katie Taylor rival Chantelle Cameron stablemates with the move. The Irish amateur legend suggests the environment they create in the gym played a part in his decision to head to the Steel City.

“I think that [surrounding myself with talent at the Steel City Gym] was probably part of the reason that I decided to go to Grant, because of the quality fighters that he has around him. Stephen only has a few fighters, with Charlie Edwards being the main one,” Conlan continued.

“The last coach that I was with, coach Pedro [Diaz], in my opinion was one of the best coaches that I have ever worked with. I am very grateful to have been under him for a while but I was basically training by myself for a lot of the time. It was alright whilst you were doing it, but in hindsight it wasn’t what I needed, because you don’t know how hard you are pushing yourself, you need to be able to gauge that off of other people.”