Lewis Crocker splits from long-time coach despite recent world title success

[Ruthless-RKO]

Lewis Crocker splits from long-time coach despite recent world title success

Lewis Crocker has split with long-time coach Billy Nelson despite the pair combining for world title success last year.

Crocker defeated Paddy Donovan by split decision at Windsor Park in September to be crowned IBF world welterweight champion, with Nelson in his corner.

However, less than four months later the pair have parted company, with the Sandy Row man having linked up with an unknown new coach in London ahead of his first title defence.

When asked about Crocker's plans for 2026 on X, Glasgow-based Nelson replied: "Lewis has changed coaches."

In a follow-up response, Nelson added: "Lewis has moved on to a coach in London so I no longer know what going on with him, but I hope he gets a voluntary defence in front of his fans in Belfast."

Ahead of his fight with Donovan, Crocker spoke effusively about the Scottish coach, who had been talking about opponents for ‘The Croc’ in the new year and was one of the biggest supporters of a meeting with Conor Benn.

"Billy shot me on to where I was, or compared to where I was, so I'm so grateful for Billy, not only as a coach, but I have him as a friend as well,” said the Belfast man.

"To have Billy in my corner and since I met him my life's changed and here we are, touching the distance of a world title.

"I just think the bond that me and Billy have is different. I came here to (Scotland to) Billy with nothing, and now I’m on the cusp of winning the world title here. So, you know, he’s changed my life."

[Ruthless-RKO]

Billy Nelson ‘insulted’ by split from Lewis Crocker

Billy Nelson has described as “insulting” Lewis Crocker’s decision to replace him as his trainer with Huzaifah Iqbal.

The Northern Irishman won the vacant IBF welterweight title in his past fight, September’s rematch with Paddy Donovan, and on the eve of securing the date, location and opponent for his first title defence has separated from Nelson, the trainer who led him to his title and under whom he remained undefeated.

Crocker, 28, is expected to next fight his former opponent, fellow Briton Conah Walker, in a rematch, but regardless of the identity of his opponent he will prepare under Iqbal at the experienced Adam Booth’s gym and therefore relocate from Glasgow, Scotland to London.

Nelson previously guided his fellow Scotsman Ricky Burns to a version of the world lightweight title, and he told Boxing Scene: “I’m disappointed that [Crocker] thinks he needs a change. He said he needs a change. I’ve also heard that he thought I’ve took him as far as I could, which I find quite insulting, actually. I’ve been involved with two world champions that have had 10 world-title fights.

“A boxer’s gotta make a decision – what they think’s right for them. I don’t think it’s right. Especially when you consider the coach he’s went to hasn’t done a fraction of what I’ve done, and that’s no disrespect to that coach.

“It’s a guy called ‘H’, at Adam Booth’s gym. The thing is, he was at Adam Booth’s gym before he came to me, and he left it to come to me. We’ve looked after him in Glasgow, way beyond any other fighter – way beyond. As soon as he won a world title he fucked off [laughs]. As I’m finding out from the boxing fraternity, people don’t think it’s right.

“Jamie [Conlan, Crocker’s manager] told me initially, and then Lewis told me and I said ‘He’s went in the changing room saying that I changed his life…’. How I done everything for him when he came to Scotland, to being replaced. He’s either being two-faced, or somebody’s been in his ear.”

Nelson was then asked about the extent to which the development came as a surprise, and he responded: “It wasn’t a surprise because I knew he was down, four weeks before I was told, for two weeks training, so I knew he was down there. But in that four weeks, from his manager, I was getting asked about Jack Catterall, [Conah] Walker, [Devin] Haney. Everybody knew, including myself, what was happening, but I just didn’t let on to them.”

[smiling assassin]

If you want loyalty get a dog.

[Taansend]

“It’s a guy called ‘H’, at Adam Booth’s gym.

A bloke called H from London?

[Glass Joe]

If you want loyalty get a dog.

Probably doesnt want to give him 10% of this next purse

[Ezzard]

Seems tough as Crocker was totally outclassed by Paddy in the first fight and the change in tactics totally chaged the rematch, which most thought a foregine conclusion. But who knows the details?!!?

[mickey1975]

If you want loyalty get a dog.

Probably doesnt want to give him 10% of this next purse

Or Billy has upset someone. He's quite outspoken.

[Taansend]

If you want loyalty get a dog.

Probably doesnt want to give him 10% of this next purse

Or Billy has upset someone. He's quite outspoken.

He is that. I don't think he can help himself.

[a force]

Seems a daft decision on paper especially as Nelson seems to have attracted some other decent fighters over the last year or two.

Ricky Burns did the same thing & his career was never the same after leaving.

[rd350lc]

Surprised at this tbh.
Billy had a great gameplan in the Rematch.

[Coco]

Always about money

[TheLeprechaun]

Have to presume it's about money. Billy getting Bakole starched by Parker and banking money for it didn't sit well with me. Bakole should never have been in the fight but I suppose both of them got paid.

[SeanBrennan]

If you want loyalty get a dog.

My dog wasn’t loyal tbf. When I got burgled he was all over them wagging his tail as they took the telly.

[SeanBrennan]

Sam Jones will be insufferable after this news

[smiling assassin]

If you want loyalty get a dog.

My dog wasn’t loyal tbf. When I got burgled he was all over them wagging his tail as they took the telly.

[Old bones Ian]

Always about money

I've got a feeling Crockers new team will cost more than Nelson ever did.

[coneye]

Always about money

I've got a feeling Crockers new team will cost more than Nelson ever did.

Think besides the money and % relisticly you have to ask yourself does the guy i.m working with , alianate himself , and therfore the fighter , from the promoters and the men who make the money fights happen

[maverick23]

Billy is an excellent trainer but the way he runs his mouth for guys he only trains is OTT.

Crocker has a manager to manage him and Billy should stay out of any of the contractual stuff/offers to opponents. It undermines the manager (Conlan) who will have strong input into who Crocker trains with.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

LEWIS CROCKER OPENS UP ON BILLY NELSON SPLIT

Welterweight champion Lewis Crocker has opened up on his decision to leave Billy Nelson just months after they won the IBF title together.

Crocker this week confirmed he has left Nelson’s gym in Glasgow, Scotland and relocated to Surrey, England to link up with Huzaifah ‘H’ Iqbal at Adam Booth’s gym.

The news came as a surprise to many given Nelson had helped steer Crocker (22-0, 11 KOs) to his upset victory over Paddy Donovan in September which gleaned the IBF welterweight belt.

Nelson has spoken of his disappointment in Crocker’s decision but the 29-year-old insists he did not make it lightly following their two successful years together.

“Look it was a very, very tough decision to make,” Crocker told The Ring’s Louis Hart on Thursday.

“I was very comfortable in Scotland and I have very, very good friends there and everything was sorted for me. By no way was it an easy decision for me to make.

“Maybe it was too comfortable and I needed to push myself out of my comfort zone and almost make a fresh start because I feel like I’ve got a lot to improve on and I could be better in a lot of aspects."

During an interview with Boxing Scene, Nelson revealed that he felt insulted by Crocker’s suggestion that he had taken him as far as he could. He suggested that Crocker’s decision was wrong and pointed out that Iqbal has not done ‘a fraction’ of what he’s done as a coach.

But Crocker says he has previously shown loyalty to Nelson despite people advising him to leave in the wake of his 2024 fight with Conah Walker and his first fight with Donovan in March.

On Nelson’s comments, Crocker added: “I’ve seen that he’s said things and he’s said that I’ve said things. But I’ve never said anything. People say things on Twitter and he bites. I think it’s quite silly.

“I love Billy, he’s a great guy and he did a lot for me as well but I’m a fighter and if I think I need to be better … I remember the first Walker fight, all I saw was about leaving Billy. The first Donovan fight, I didn’t see one comment telling me to stay with Billy and I stuck with Billy after that.

“It was a big decision to make and I stuck with him then. If I feel as a fighter that I can be better … I’m only going to be fighting world class fighters from now on and I don’t want to be going in there knowing I’m not a 100 per cent version of myself.

“No disrespect to Billy, I love Billy and I’ve never said a bad word about Billy at all. I don’t know where he’s getting that from and I think he should stop reading comments on Twitter.

“He’s a lovely fella and he took me in a couple of years ago in Scotland and it was a very hard decision to make. I could have sat there in Scotland comfortably but I have a new start here, a fresh gym, fresh house and everything’s different. It’s a big decision to make and as a world champion, if me and my team feel I can be better, I have to take those opportunities.

“Starting the new year as world champion, New year, new coach, fresh start. I have big plans ahead and I know I’m going to show the world how good a fighter I can be and will be. I have great confidence going into the next year.”

Crocker, who already knew Iqbal having spent time training under Booth, added: “I knew H prior as a person and he would do anything for you, a real gentleman. Extremely good coach, very tactical, pushes you very very hard so I’m excited about what’s to come going forward.

"Just working with H [so far] I can see and I can feel a lot of different things I need to work on.

“I’m very excited and I’m a good bit away from my next fight and I’m already being pushed hard.”

[Old bones Ian]

Boxer that changes trainers says "I can already see things I've improved on and we are working on improved skills"

Next fights looks exactly the same , time will tell if this is a good move for Crocker.

[SeanBrennan]

Least he was very polite and hasn’t got into a back and forth with Nelson, Nelson should just stay schtum. Boxers leave.