You could say that featherweight Michael Conlan -- who faces Jason Cunningham on Saturday at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England -- was boxing's version of an exchange student.
As Conlan (9-0, 6 KOs) embarked on his pro career at the beginning of 2017, the native of Belfast, Ireland, made the decision to train with Manny Robles Jr. in Southern California. For the next year, he became ingrained in the bustling gym culture around the Los Angeles area.
"I look back at it with great enjoyment. I had a fantastic experience," said the 27-year-old Conlan, whose bout with Cunningham (24-5, 6 KOs) is one of the main supporting bouts before Josh Warrington defends his IBF featherweight belt against Carl Frampton on Saturday (3 p.m. ET on ESPN+). "For my progression as a professional fighter, I feel that I needed that year, I needed that time with Manny to learn a different side of boxing, which maybe I hadn't experienced."
The gym scene in the Los Angeles area is perhaps the most robust in the world. Within a hundred-mile radius you have the Wild Card Boxing Club, Robert Garcia's Boxing Academy, Churchill Boxing Club, Maywood Boxing Club, Ten Goose Boxing, the Summit in Big Bear and a multitude of other training facilities in-between that are filled with boxers of all shapes and sizes.
Under the guidance of Robles in 2017, Conlan spent most of his time at the Rock in Carson and then Legendz Boxing in Norwalk. Now working with the noted Adam Booth, Conlan trains in London, England.
The one thing that always struck him about his time on the West Coast of America was the abundance of top-notch talent that was available to work with on a daily basis.
"The amount of sparring partners, the quality and the levels on top that you can get in L.A. is unquestionable," Conlan noted. "Like if you want to spar a world champion in the morning, you can get a world champion in the morning. Just the variety of sparring partners is a lot bigger in L.A., that's the only difference. I'm still getting great sparring here, but you had the opportunity to get whoever you wanted sparring in L.A., at anytime."
So did being thrown from the frying pan into the fire, make Conlan a better boxer?
"I think so. It opened my eyes," admitted Conlan. "Things got tough in there and you have to learn the hard way."
From the beginning, Conlan had the opportunity to move around the ring with Oscar Valdez (the current WBO 126 pound champion) and Jessie Magdaleno (who at the time held the WBO 122 pound belt), and a host of other tough fighters.
"It was good, it was fantastic. I was a fan of Oscar and Jessie before I even turned pro, so the fact I was going over there to spar was great," Conlan said. "It was a great experience and something that was never daunting or anything because I was such a good amateur and I always like to test myself and I knew these were the guys I needed to be in against and learning from."
The bottom line is that as young fighters cut their teeth in this game, they need to take their lumps in the gym from more experienced veterans of the sport. It's a rite of passage that every standout boxer has gone through.
Conlan wasn't going to be a big fish in this pond.
"It kind of hardened me, if you know what I mean. I was a complete amateur boxer. I went there to learn a professional kind of boxing style and to try to progress and pick up new things. Where, as an amateur, I just used to box on my toes, getting in-and-out. Being there for the full year with Manny, that kind of went out the window, the boxing stuff, and I started getting caught in two different stages," Conlan admitted.
He certainly came in with heavy amateur credentials, having won the 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships, to go along with his 2012 Olympic bronze medal, before exiting the amateur class after a highly controversial loss in the 2016 Olympics with the middle finger seen throughout the world to the powers that be.
After signing with Top Rank with great fanfare, he was showcased on some big stages. His pro debut came at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on St Patrick's Day weekend, where he was escorted into the ring by Conor McGregor. Unlike other prospects who are hidden on the undercard or made to be swing bouts, Conlan was given prime slots during which his bouts would be televised. Conlan wasn't just signed for his ability, but his marketability.
The downside is that unlike other inexperienced boxers who can learn in relative anonymity, free from the glare of overly critical media and overbearing fans, Conlan, because of his profile, wasn't afforded such a pass. And as Conlan mentioned, like many other young boxers, he was still trying to find himself as a fighter.
But he put on his best performance in his most recent bout on Oct. 20, when he stopped Nicola Cipolletta in seven rounds. On this night, he looked like a bona fide prospect.
"I've found a middle ground now," Conlan said. "Where before I was unsure of the style I wanted to choose. I didn't know whether I was going to be a boxer or a fighter, because I can do either, or. It's hard to pick one thing for me, but now I think with what we're working on in the gym, I've found that middle ground. I've found that comfort zone. I think this is now me in the position I need to be in."
Finding a ring identity is key for any fighter, and Conlan says of this: "The boxing style is the one I wanted to choose, so I feel the experience of getting that Mexican-style and mixing it with the boxing style, that would be the best for me."
Late into his first year as a professional, as his wife Shauna became pregnant with their second child, Conlan made the move back to the U.K., to be closer to his family and friends. And the decision was made to work with Booth, who in the past has trained former two division world titleholder David Haye and currently has the likes of George Groves, Ryan Burnett and Josh Kelly in his stable.
"I think it's going really well, I think Adam is making me more of a complete fighter. We're working on all aspects of my game and trying to improve everything all the time but not forgetting what I've learned already in my pro career from my stay with Manny," said Conlan, who is scheduled to once again headline at MSG on St. Patrick's Day weekend, as he has the past two years, if he comes out relatively unscathed on Saturday night.
Most of his time is now spent in London and on certain weekends he goes back to Ireland to see his kids and wife. So even now, he's still learning the game away from home.
So, does he miss Los Angeles?
"The thing I miss most is the weather. The weather was beautiful," Conlan said with a laugh. He noted that though traffic is an issue out there, it's really not that much different than the traffic in London. In England, he said, "the weather is terrible, the only thing is I'm closer to home.
"But I miss sunny L.A. a lot."