For decades, boxing clubs in Ireland have served as pillars of their communities, offering support and opportunities to at-risk youth and adults seeking purpose in their lives. The Oakleaf Boxing Club in Derry, which has been welcoming members for over 30 years, is no different. The club, possibly unknowingly, played a pivotal role in shaping Conor McBride’s journey.
Born and raised in Derry, McBride had a quintessential working-class upbringing. The youngest of three, he grew up with his father working as a chef and his mother as a waitress. Navigating childhood and adolescence in Northern Ireland is tough, but McBride was lucky only to experience the tail end of the troubles. When he was 15, he decided to give boxing a try.
“I was a bit frightened when I walked through the doors. I didn’t want to fight at first; I was a bit timid going in. Took me a year before I fought, but I gained confidence right away. I was naturally athletic and took to it easily.”
The Oakleaf is one of Ireland’s many community boxing gyms where the coaches mainly work on a volunteer basis. It serves as a vital outlet for many of Derry’s impressionable youth, offering them a positive path and a place to grow. As McBride states, “It was a great way to stay off the streets and away from the bad things.”
The gym went on to produce a plethora of boxing champions, both amateur and professional. It provided more than just a sense of camaraderie; it was a safe place to hang out with your peers going through the same stuff as you. For McBride however, it did even more; it changed the course of his life in an extremely positive way.
“The club gave me more stability than school did and helped me decide what I wanted to do with my life, which was fitness.” Because at the time, being a boxing coach wasn’t seen as a career. McBride’s blueprint was that of guys working 9-5 and hurrying over to the club to help out after. The lack of money in coaching in those days motivated McBride to stay in school and get his degree in physiology in addition to his fitness qualifications.
“Those years pushed me in the right direction. The time [I spent] at the boxing gym gave me a career path instead of working at a dead-end job, which wasn’t what I wanted to do.”
McBride earned his BSc in physiology from the University of Central Lancashire in the U.K. After graduation, he secured a highly coveted internship with the Wigan Warriors Rugby League Football Club – the most prominent and renowned rugby league team in the U.K. This was a monumental achievement for the amateur boxer from Derry and an opportunity he was determined not to let slip through his fingers. Straight out of university, McBride was already working with elite professional athletes.
Always striving for growth, McBride set his sights on Australia. After completing his internship, he packed his bags and headed to Perth. While such a move might seem like a significant upheaval to some, for McBride, it was the next logical step in his journey – a chance to gain essential life experience and explore the world.
He knew a lot of Irish people in Perth and already had a support network there, so it wasn’t like he was starting entirely from scratch. Even before he settled in, he connected with some MMA fighters from back home. Aware of his boxing abilities, they reached out looking for a coach.
“I said, ‘Guys, I’m not a coach. I’m a boxer.’ But they still wanted me to help them, so I did.”
The fighters felt that the stuff Conor helped them with was good, useful. Word started to spread and Conor got his first paid gig as a boxing coach. Apart from MMA fighters, even boxers were sliding into his DMs.
After a year or so in Perth, Conor moved back to Derry, where he started to add boxing to his S&C classes and found a niche in the market.
“Boxing coaches only work certain days and certain times, but I had a lot more time available. So even some pro boxers started coming to me. I had the flexibility to let people book when they’re available.”
Slowly but surely, McBride started to curate a career for himself as a boxing coach. He was even offered a job at Tribe in Belfast. Technically, it was his first steady job as a coach. The gym wasn’t anything like the Oakleaf. It was a semi-private training facility, kind of like a boutique gym, where doctors and lawyers would come to train. The gym was small, but the training was high quality.
People often say we make our own luck, and that seems to be the case for McBride. Dedication to his craft, the daily grind, and the grit to keep it all afloat. During his stint at Tribe, one of the owners, Ray Ginley, asked McBride to step in and train Michael Conlan. A household name in Ireland, Conlan is a world gold medalist, Olympic bronze medallist, and a WBO Inter-Continental Champion among others.
From there, McBride started garnering some serious credibility as a trainer.
“People thought if I was good enough to train Michael Conlan, then I must be something. So people just started to think more of me.”
It didn’t take long for him to start working with Ireland’s top boxers on pads, making it clear that he was one of the country’s best coaches. McBride owes a lot to Ray Ginley for giving him a chance to train Michael Conlan and to Conlan for the exposure he provided, but at the end of the day, it was McBride who earned his spot at the top.
That’s when his career as a boxing coach really started to take off, right about when John “Johnboy” Hutchinson, head boxing coach at Tiger Muay Thai, took notice and invited McBride to Phuket. He stayed for a month, stopping by to check out Bangtao in the process. While some may have gotten overwhelmed by the exposure, McBride pivoted with the opportunities provided.
At the time, staying in Thailand wasn’t necessarily in the cards, but the day he arrived back home in Derry was the same day he received a call from Bangtao’s head S&C coach, Andrew “Woody” Wood, offering him a job as Bangtao’s head boxing coach. Without hesitation, McBride accepted.
Since its launch in January 2024, McBride has led Bangtao’s boxing program alongside assistant coach James Heelan and S&C coach Woody. For McBride, the deciding factor was the quality of life available to him in Thailand. He could very well be working in a similar role in Ireland, but the nice weather, being minutes away from the beach, and the affordability Thailand offers can’t be topped.
Building a legacy wasn’t something McBride ever set out to do, but with the support of the crew at Bangtao, he’s found a home here in Thailand. He’s adding his name to the next generation of MMA and boxing greats. Getting to train people from diverse backgrounds and disciplines has been an eye-opening experience for McBride, broadening his horizons. Adding that, “I’m very privileged to be here.” “These guys have influenced the change in mixed martial arts. Without them there would be no Volkanovski, no Peter Yan, and Tiger Muay Thai wouldn’t be what it is. They are a massive influence on the sport as a whole and to think that I am part of that team is an absolute honor.”
If Conor McBride’s story has inspired you, why not take your boxing skills to the next level? At Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA, we offer world-class Western Boxing classes designed for all levels, from beginners to experienced fighters. Under the expert guidance of Conor himself, you’ll refine your technique, improve your fitness, and experience the best of boxing training in Phuket, Thailand. Want a more personalized experience? Book a private session with Conor through our front office at info@bangtaomuaythai.com or contact him directly on Instagram @strikingcoach_cmcb. Don’t miss the chance to train with one of the best!