(Photo by Ryan Hafey/PBC)

Brian “BoMac” McIntyre

With a master craftsman like Terence Crawford, everything can be on the table in terms of preparing a fight plan. Able to dominate from both stances, throwing every punch in the book, Crawford provides an array of options for beating an opponent. But the challenge in preparing Crawford is how to streamline his weapons for a specific task at hand. In assessing how to defeat Errol Spence, lead trainer Brian McIntyre centered on one aspect that he believed would be key. 

After Crawford stopped Spence, Crawford was asked in his post-fight interview about his fight preparation. Crawford noted that his counter right jab was the pivotal punch in the fight. He explained that McIntyre emphasized the shot during training camp. But it wasn’t just the punch itself. McIntyre and Crawford worked on it to make it more of a weapon. McIntyre wanted the counter jab to be a power punch, to pulverize Spence, to make him pay for his mistakes.

McIntyre and his team, which includes Esau Dieguez and Red Spikes, had done their homework. They noticed that Spence had a bad habit that could be exploited. Spence often lunged with his straight left, creating a brief instant where he wasn’t in a defensively responsible position. And McIntyre identified the counter jab as the perfect weapon in this scenario. It was the quickest shot to get from Point A to Point B. Importantly, the counter jab would have its maximum impact when Crawford was in the southpaw stance. The punch lined up perfectly with Spence’s straight left. (You’ll notice that Crawford spent hardly any time in the orthodox stance against Spence.)

Ultimately, this was game-planning at its finest. The counter jab repeatedly stung Spence throughout the fight, stopping his aggression on numerous occasions. Ultimately, Crawford would score three knockdowns, but the counter jab set the tone; it started the damage. McIntyre helped to create the perfect weapon and it played a huge role in Crawford becoming undisputed welterweight champion. 

Crawford went into the Spence bout with one belt; BoMac helped him emerge with all of them. (Photo by Ryan Hafey/PBC)

In 2023, McIntyre also trained Chris Eubank Jr. in his rematch against Liam Smith. Eubank had been stopped in their previous fight, but McIntyre, taking over for Roy Jones, implemented a series of changes for the rematch. McIntyre wanted Eubank to be the aggressor, to be first in exchanges. He also made sure that Eubank stayed away from the ropes and didn’t fall into traps waiting for the perfect counterpunch. He imparted belief in Eubank that he was the bigger puncher and that he could be victorious if he kept his foot on the gas. In a sublime performance, Eubank stopped Smith in the 10th round. 

It was a tremendous year for McIntyre. In his fight preparation and as a cornerman, his attention to detail, clear instructions and confidence in his fighters led to definitive victories. He displayed an acute understanding of his fighters’ strengths and how to dominate determined opponents. He is a deserving Trainer of the Year. 

RUNNERS-UP:

Shingo Inoue – The former amateur boxer guided his elder son Naoya to The Ring’s Fighter of the Year award and younger son Takuma to his first major world title (the vacant WBA bantamweight belt) in 2023.

Robert Garcia – The former world titleholder and Trainer of the Year award-winner had a successful 2023 with Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez’s flyweight title unification campaign and the advancement of Ring-rated contenders Raymond Muratalla (lightweight) and Giovani Santillan (welterweight).

Jay “Panda” Najar – The young Mexican coach currently trains two of boxing’s most relentless and successful pressure fighters/volume punchers: junior welterweight titleholder Subriel Matias and lightweight contender William Zepeda.

Jose Benavidez Sr. – The veteran trainer’s son David had his best year, with victories over Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade, while Diego Pachecho advanced from prospect to Ring-rated super middleweight contender under Benavidez’s tutelage