Shane McGuigan: New BBC One documentary 'Stable' goes inside elite boxing gym

All four episodes of Stable: The Boxing Game will be streamed on BBC iPlayer from 6am on Saturday, 30 March, and broadcast as double bills on BBC One after Match of the Day on Saturday 30 and Sunday, 31 March.

The list of fighters Shane McGuigan has trained reads like a who's who of recent British boxing greats.

The son of boxing Hall of Famer, Barry McGuigan, the 36-year-old has mentored a string of world champions - including David Haye, Carl Frampton, George Groves, Chantelle Cameron, Lawrence Okolie, Josh Taylor and Chris Billam-Smith.

In a new four-part BBC One documentary, cameras are allowed special access into the McGuigan gym.

We meet some of the more decorated fighters in the stable - Okolie, Daniel Dubois and Billam-Smith - as well as rising stars such as Adam Azim, Caroline Dubois and Ellie Scotney.

The series also offers an interesting insight into the politics of boxing, as Barry and Shane McGuiguan reflect on a bitter split with former fighter Frampton.

Here are a few takeaways from the series.

Billam-Smith had 'chip on shoulder' over Okolie rivalry
How does it feel when two fighters you've trained for years face off against one another for a world title? In a word, "awkward".

That's how McGuigan describes Billam-Smith's showdown against former stable-mate and WBO champion Okolie last May.


During the build-up, Okolie described his opponent at times as a "friend," and at others, a former "colleague."

They had both been under McGuigan's tutelage since 2019. During that time, Billam-Smith had to get used to playing second fiddle. It was Okolie who got picked for the 2016 Olympics and he was the one headlining cards whilst both fighters were signed to Matchroom.

Billam-Smith, 33, said he had "a chip" on his shoulder for years and reveals that it was "hard to take" when then-British and Commonwealth cruiserweight champion Okolie joined the gym in 2019.

"It doesn't mean I didn't like Lawrence or disrespected him at all," Billam-Smith stressed to BBC Sport.

Either way, when Okolie, 31, split with the McGuigans in 2022, it was an opportunity for Billam-Smith to challenge for his belt.

And it was the underdog, Billam-Smith, who stunned his former stable-mate in in front of 15,000 fans at Bournemouth's Vitality stadium.

Billam-Smith said Okolie texted to congratulate him the day after the fight.

McGuigan lost 'best mate' in Frampton
Okolie's split is presented in Stable as a mutual one - notwithstanding the fact that McGuigan says he "always expected" the former world champion to use the opportunity to "elevate himself".

However, not everyone has enjoyed such an amicable split from the McGuigans. In 2017, former two-weight world champion Frampton sued former manager Barry for loss of earnings after leaving the gym and McGuigans' Cyclone Promotions.

McGuigan lodged a counter-suit for breach of contract. Both parties denied the respective allegations against them and the case was settled out of court.

McGuigan, who helped Frampton win world titles at two weights, says he lost a "best mate" when the Belfast man left.

'Family things are good things'

Of the various successful fighters McGuigan has trained, one of the brightest prospects in recent years is Daniel Dubois. Under McGuigan's guidance the 26-year-old became a big name in the heavyweight division.

When he knocked out American Trevor Bryan in 2022 to win the WBA (Regular) title, it earned Dubois the opportunity to challenge unified champion Oleksandr Usyk last August.

However, just three months before that title shot, the Londoner split with McGugian and joined trainer Don Charles.

Meanwhile, his younger sister, Caroline, who was also being trained by McGuigan, opted to remain within the stable.

The series finished filming before Daniel's departure, but episode three offers a glimpse inside the family's unique dynamics, with contributions from both siblings as well as head of the family, Stan.

The family patriarch home-schooled seven siblings from a three-bed flat in Greenwich and reveals that he formed a plan to turn his eldest son Daniel into a boxer, "before he was even born".

Caroline, by contrast, had to nag her dad to take her to a gym. He relented reluctantly and took her to Repton boxing club, but for a period they pretended she was a boy called Colin., external

In an interesting foreshadowing of the sibling split, Stan talks in one scene about the importance of family, comparing the Dubois' to other boxing dynasties like the Hattons, Benns and Eubanks, saying "family things are good things," before adding, "hopefully it'll end with a good story".

Azim 'used ADHD as a good thing' through boxing

Adam Azim is one of British boxing's hottest prospects and a new poster-boy for British Asians.

The 21-year-old from Slough is undefeated in 11 fights and won his first pro title last November.

His older brother Hassan, also trained by McGuigan has seven wins on his unbeaten record.

However, while Adam does double training sessions and celebrates wins with backflips, the elder sibling's approach is more measured and careful.

Adam talks in episode one about being diagnosed with ADHD, saying he is used the condition "as a good thing" by channelling his energy into boxing.

McGuigan describes Azim as being "in a rush to get somewhere" and the boxer has previously said he hopes to emulate his idol Amir Khan by becoming a world champion by the age of 22. His birthday is in July.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/68610173