Brian McIntyre believes that leading Terence Crawford and Chris Eubank Jr. to big wins wasn't his biggest headline in 2023.
The veteran trainer had a really, really good year in the ring, to put it mildly. In July, the coach nicknamed 'Bo-Mac' led Terence Crawford against Errol Spence Jr. For years, fans had hoped to see the two welterweight champions fight.
However, when they finally met in the ring, it was incredibly lopsided. Thanks to McIntyre's preparation, Crawford bullied Spence Jr. for nine rounds, knocking him down multiple times to score a stoppage win.
Later in the year, McIntyre became the trainer for one Chris Eubank Jr. 'Next Gen' suffered a stoppage loss earlier in 2023 to Liam Smith. That led the former champion to replace Roy Jones Jr. with McIntyre.
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In the end, that was the correct decision, as he avenged the defeat with a knockout win of his own. Sadly, the celebration for McIntyre was short-lived. Days following the victory, he was arrested for trying to board a plane in the U.K. with a firearm.
While McIntyre was named 'Trainer of the Year' by many media outlets, he's not so sure that he got the honor thanks to his training. Speaking to FightHype in a recent interview, the coach speculated (via BoxingScene):
“I think [I won] because I went to jail. I think because I went to jail, my name just—it was Crawford’s win, then Eubank’s win, then [my going] to jail. If I wouldn’t have went to jail they would’ve been like ‘oh, that’s BoMac’. I really do think so. …That’s just my opinion but we did have a good year.”
Check out his comments (1:00):
Will Brian McIntyre be in Terence Crawford's corner for his next fight? Current status of his legal situation
Brian McIntyre spent a month in a British jail, but he's now free to resume his career with Terence Crawford and others.
While 'Bo-Mac' is a legal gun owner, the U.K. has some of the most strict rules on the planet for firearms. As a result, the trainer was promptly arrested at the airport and quickly thrown into jail.
It took over a month for the high-profile coach to get a trial in front of a judge. While the charge carries a heavy sentence, McIntyre was let off with a suspended sentence instead.
The result was made possible thanks to character witnesses such as Crawford. Now a free man, McIntyre will train 'Bud' for his return expected early this year.