EXCLUSIVE: McGuigan admits relationship with Haye 'wasn't the best'

An infectious sound of punches thudding against leather bags and their supportive chains clanking reverberates around the room on a typical Wednesday afternoon at Shane McGuigan's boxing gym in east London.

Tucked away discreetly inside Leyton County Cricket Ground, European cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith and newly-signed prospects Adam and Hassan Azim are working up a sweat while going through the gears in training. Lawrence Okolie is also about to complete a sparring session ahead of his world cruiserweight title defence later that month.

Yet the trio only amount to a third of McGuigan's current roster.

'This is the most I've ever had,' the renowned coach tells Sportsmail. 'It's a stable of nine. We've got prospects, we've got Caroline Dubois who's just made her debut, we've got a world champion in Lawrence Okolie, fringe world-title challengers like Dan Dubois.

'So it's a mixture of males and females and it's great, it's booming at the moment.'

As well as the aforementioned six, McGuigan is also stewarding the careers of Anthony Fowler, who is embarking on a new journey up at middleweight following defeat against Liam Smith last year, former European light-welterweight champion Robbie Davies Jr and fledgling featherweight Ellie Scotney.

His talented batch of fighters are at contrasting stages of their respective careers. Okolie, for example, is on the cusp of unifying the 200lbs division against a fellow world champion, while, in comparison, the female Dubois sibling only recently got up and running as a professional.

In his duty as trainer, a role he already has 12 years of experience in at just 34 years of age, McGuigan must attend to each of their individual needs with acute awareness and attention.