Despite his father's name, Barry McGuigan, Shane has succeeded in the sport in his own right as a trainer and currently has hot prospects Adam Azim and Caroline Dubois in his stable.

Shane McGuigan is a British and Irish boxing coach who is known for working with some of the biggest fighters in the sport. He currently works at the McGuigan's Gym in London and trains world champion Lawrence Okolie, European titlist Chris Billam-Smith and heavyweight Daniel Dubois.

McGuigan guided Carl Frampton to world title success at junior featherweight and featherweight and worked with the Belfast man between 2013 to 2017.

McGuigan has also worked with former world heavyweight champion David Haye between 2015 and 2017 and oversaw Haye's two comeback victories before his loss to British rival Tony Bellew. The pair parted company in June 2017 via mutual agreement.

McGuigan coached former WBA super middleweight champion George Groves from 2016 until his retirement in 2019. He was part of the team that helped to make Groves a dominant world champion, defending his title successfully on two occasions.

Shane is the son of International Boxing Hall of Famer Barry McGuigan, who held the WBA and lineal featherweight world titles in the 1980s. The pair coached former professional cricketer Andrew Flintoff to victory in his only pro boxing bout against Richard Dawson in 2012.

McGuigan guides Billam-Smith to world title

Under the tutelage of McGuigan, Chris Billam-Smith became the new WBO cruiserweight champion dethroning former gym-mate Lawrence Okolie in Bournemouth in May 2023.

Underdog Billam-Smith floored Okolie, a former member of McGuigan's gym, three times en route to a majority points victory.

Okolie and McGuigan split earlier in 2023 after Okolie had won the WBO title in 2021, knocking out Krzysztof Glowacki. The Brit though moved to Dubai to link up with SugarHill Steward.

But McGuigan's detailed knowledge of Okolie helped Billam-Smith to victory. A frustrated Okolie was twice docked points for holding and grappling as he lost his unbeaten record.

The judges' scorecards read 112-112, 116-107 and 115-108 in favour of Billam-Smith.

Chantelle Cameron controversy

Undisputed super lightweight champion Chantelle Cameron was part of the McGuigan stable for two years until 2019.

But Cameron was "unhappy" and left to join Jamie Moore anf MTK and has since unified the super lightweight division after beating Katie Taylor in Dublin in May 2023.

The friction arose when Cameron's team denied McGuigan's fighter Ellie Scotney a dream title shot. Things then became more heated when Cameron accused McGuigan of mistreating her.

Adam Azim and Caroline Dubois

Relationship with Carl Frampton

McGuigan started working with Frampton in 2013, and the pair soon formed a good relationship both in and out of the ring and it was proved by their results inside the ring.

McGuigan took over the mitts when Frampton - who had been referred to as 'Barry McGuigan reincarnated' - held continental titles and together they had huge success. 

McGuigan's effective training methods helped to transform Frampton into a world champion after he won the IBF world junior featherweight title from Kiko Martinez in 2014.

The Irishman successfully defended his belt on two occasions before coming up against domestic rival Scott Quigg in February 2016. Frampton won the British grudge match via split decision to add the WBA title to his collection.

Frampton's toughest test came in the next fight against Mexican star Leo Santa Cruz, with the former's WBA belt on the line.

The Northern Irish fighter won via majority decision to hand Santa Cruz the first defeat of his career in Las Vegas. Frampton was later named Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year in 2016.

During those incredibly successful years, the Frampton and McGuigan partnership was one of the closest in the sport. The pair were groomsmen at each other's weddings and regularly socialised together outside of work.

However, the relationship soon went stale in a much publicised and bitter break-up. Frampton parted ways with McGuigan in October 2017 in the midst of his cancelled fight with Andres Gutierrez.

Since then, their strained relationship has increased in the public eye. Frampton revealed how he wanted to hang up his gloves while working with the McGuigans. He said: "For two years all I've been talking about is retiring.

"It was about getting enough money to pack it all in, hang up the gloves and never think about boxing again. Even in those massive fights I was involved in, I was just thinking about the exit strategy, just counting down the days. That's a bit sad really when you think about it."

He filed a lawsuit against them for 'withheld earnings'. Frampton ultimately decided to continue boxing and signed with Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions and is now preparing to become Ireland's first three-division champion.

Guiding Groves to world glory

McGuigan began coaching Groves in 2016 after his third successive world title loss, this time to Swedish fighter Badou Jack via split-decision.

"Saint George" desperately wanted to get his world title hopes back on track and he saw McGuigan's disciplined training methods as a way of doing so.

McGuigan's first fight involvement was for Groves' bout against Andrea Di Luisa in January 2016. The Englishman easily dispatched his opponent, ultimately winning via TKO.

Groves soon began a winning streak in the build-up to his world title revival which set up a showdown with Fedor Chudinov for the vacant WBA world super middleweight title at Bramall Lane in Sheffield.

Groves took the fight into his own hands with a dominant TKO victory over the Russian to finally become world champion, nearly four years after his first world title shot. McGuigan was at the helm as Groves defended this title on two occasions, including an impressive points victory over fellow British fighter Chris Eubank Jr.

McGuigan continued to train Groves until 2019, when the fighter decided to retire following his World Boxing Super Series defeat to eventual world champion Callum Smith in Saudi Arabia.

Relationship with father and boxing legend Barry

Shane's father Barry is a retired Irish boxer who competed professionally between 1981 and 1989. Barry achieved a strong amateur record before representing Northern Ireland at the 1978 Commonwealth Games.

Two years later he would represent the Republic of Ireland at the 1980 Summer Olympics, competing in the featherweight division.

He successfully retained the European belt before competing for the WBA world title in 1985. Barry beat Eusebio Pedroza via unanimous decision to become world champion for the first time.

The fight was a huge deal in Britain and was watched by a reported 20 million viewers. Barry was voted as the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year for his achievement. McGuigan defended his titles on two occasions before losing to Steve Cruz in 1986.

He continued to fight until 1989, when he retired with a record of 32-2 (28 KOs).

During his career, Barry was a symbol of hope for the British and Irish people during the troubles that affected Northern Ireland. His universal popularity seemed to transcend national borders.

Since retiring, McGuigan has continued to maintain a presence in boxing. He launched the Barry McGuigan Boxing Academy in late 2009, a gym dedicated to helping the next generation of fighters to hone their skills.

Alongside his son Shane, Barry coached Frampton during his pursuit of a world championship belt. The pair helped Frampton to realise this dream in 2014.

Barry is currently a boxing journalist. He runs a well-renowned boxing column with the Daily Mirror and commentates on fights for the likes of Sky Sports and the BBC.

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