JUST LIKE anyone involved in boxing, Shane McGuigan needs time – and, more importantly, space – to breathe, away from the often-suffocating nature of his profession.
There is, of course, a passion for his craft, fierce enough to keep a flourishing stable of fighters firing on all cylinders. But to maintain that energy, there must be semi-regular releases of unwanted emotions, almost as if to purify his mind and soul.
And nothing, for McGuigan, facilitates that process quite like running – the endorphins alone proving addictive enough for him to keep pounding the track.
“It’s a dogged world in boxing – if you lose, you get hurt,” the British trainer tells Boxing News. “Whereas, with running, if you’re having a bad day, you can just try to enjoy it.
“There’s no enjoyment in boxing when you’re having a bad day.
“I’m 37 [years old], so now is a pivotal time in my life to keep on top of my health. With the impact that I take in boxing, I’ve started to pick up a few niggles and injuries [from taking fighters on the pads].
“But with running, there’s huge health benefits. I’ve naturally got a competitive personality. I like to be good at things, so running keeps me accountable – you know if you’re in good shape or not.
“We’ll try and get out [as a gym] for at least one or two weekly runs, and there’s a nice social element to it. But [the fighters] are all scared to get on the track with me, that’s for sure.”
While McGuigan’s competitive spirit has certainly enhanced his love for running, there is a far deeper meaning behind each race.
This April, he ran the London Marathon in memory of his sister, Danika McGuigan, who, after being diagnosed with bowel cancer, tragically lost her life in 2019.
Amid the emotional turmoil, Shane, unable to come to terms with her untimely passing, instead developed a greater appreciation for physical activity.
“So many people aren’t able to move their body, whether that is because they’ve lost limbs, they’re too heavy or too sick,” he says. “It’s a gift [to be able to run]. You only get one life, you only get one body, so you’ve got to make the most of it.
“My sister was such an active person, so for her to sit around, not being able to move, was just a horrible phase before she passed away.
“I was running for Young Lives vs Cancer, and that charity helped us massively when Danika was diagnosed with leukaemia [aged 13].
“We raised just under £4,000, but it was more about creating awareness of the families – and obviously the kids – that are affected.
“The charity puts people up in safe houses, allowing a kid’s parents to be around them while they go through chemotherapy.
“So, while [the marathon] was in memory of my sister, it was also for all of the families affected [by cancer]”
While responding to his own demons, and learning how to process them, a key aspect of McGuigan’s job involves diving into the minds of his clients, too.
From that angle, it must also be said that a coach, no matter their eye for a compelling gameplan, should, above all else, possess a comprehensive understanding of human psychology.
That way, without adopting a one-size-fits-all approach, they are able to build a sturdy base around their fighter’s mentality.
“In psychology, there’s either the stick or the stroke,” McGuigan explains. “Certain people need a stroke of encouragement, whereas others need a stick to crack them into position, meaning that they respond better to authority.
“It’s just about figuring out that particular individual and working on a way to get through to them – giving them confidence without gassing them up too much.
“This is a dangerous sport, so you can’t just focus on making [fighters] feel good all the time. They have to go through all different emotions in camp, and overcome a lot of obstacles, to be able to succeed in this horrible game.
“But there’ll also be days when everything just fits, so it’s about taking that same energy into fight week and making sure that, mentally, they’re in a strong place.
“This game is all mental at the top end, so the way you talk to a fighter is the most important thing [as a coach].”
They say that training is 80% physical, whereas fighting is 80% mental. In that sense, it is no wonder McGuigan places emphasis on the psychology of his fighters.
But Shane, like any coach, will always experience changes to his gym, sometimes even when everything appears to be running smoothly.
From a purely boxing standpoint, too, it is not often that the fighters who leave his stable suddenly begin to produce stellar performances.
“It depends on the stage of their career,” McGuigan reasons. “If they’re at the top end of the game, and then leave [the gym], it’ll have a big impact on them.
“[Carl] Frampton was at the top-end of the game, and then [experienced] a big decline in his performances. Same with Josh Taylor.
“That’s why I like taking on fighters [when they’re younger], like Adam [Azim], who was 18 or 19 when I started to work with him.
“With Adam, I know that we’re embedding him into this system so that, when he reaches the top level, we’re in sync; I can get through to him in a way where I know that he’ll listen.
“Nobody is a perfect coach, but you’ve got to build a relationship – and have that element of trust – with your fighter.”
Not so long ago, Frampton told Boxing News that, following his very public fallout with the McGuigans, he joined forces with Manchester trainer Jamie Moore and, in turn, reduced his amount of sparring.
In saying so, ‘The Jackal’ suggested that, while training with Shane, he perhaps took too much damage in the gym. If not for that, he said, there might have been a few more years added to his glittering career.
Offered his right of reply, McGuigan, much like a prime Frampton, was quick off the mark.
“[Frampton’s] performances went downhill, because you prepare in sparring,” Shane insists. “George Groves might only do 80 rounds of sparring in a camp, while other fighters might do 150.
“Out of those 150, there could be 100 useless rounds. But that fighter needs to get their fitness levels up, so we make sure the gloves are more padded, and put them in with people that can’t hurt them, just so they can go through the motions.
“Some individuals don’t train hard, so the way to make them train harder is by having somebody throw punches at their head.
“Other people, like Adam [Azim] and Josh Taylor, are naturally energetic – they can afford to do less rounds in sparring.
“So, if anyone tries to throw shade on me, saying that I make fighters spar too much, that’s absolute bollocks.
“Chris Billam-Smith [for example] doesn’t spar that much. He’s a true professional; it’s never a weight-making camp with him. It’s not about getting him down 15 or 20kgs because he’s a glutton outside of camp; he doesn’t need to go and drain himself down.
“But, equally, you’ve got to be battle-ready – that’s the most important thing – so you’re mentally and physically hardened. And that’s what sparring does.”
However you slice or dice it, McGuigan has proven time and again that he offers a compelling recipe for success.
And each one of his fighters, past and present, would almost certainly vouch for that, knowing that their respective careers may not have acquired the same degree of lustre if not for his tutelage.
