Jamie Moore’s training career began as a favour to Tommy Coyle.

A four-rounder against Jay Morris in Blackpool that came just over three years after Moore decided to hang up his own boxing gloves following a loss to Sergey Khomitsky, a Belarussian who became something of a bogeyman for British fighters between middleweight and super-middleweight.

As we begin a new year, a new decade, Moore finds himself with one of the most talented stables that British boxing has to offer. The VIP Gym in Astley is one that includes former world champions such as Carl Frampton and Rocky Fielding, world title contenders like Jack Catterall and Chantelle Cameron and emerging prospects in the shape of Marc Leach and Aqib Fiaz (Frampton’s main sparring partner for the Josh Warrington fight). The bulging stable certainly wasn’t the long-term plan for the 41-year-old who won British, Commonwealth and European honours in an action-packed career spanning ten and a half years.

“I’ve got to be honest, Tommy [Coyle] was sort of talking about retiring a couple of years ago and I remember having a conversation with Nigel Travis [a fellow coach who is part of Moore’s training team] saying we’ll see this through with Tommy, and soon as he’s retired: f--- this training I’m not doing it.”

Moore’s coaching credentials were given a stern test when Coyle fought Derry Matthews just a few months later, a fight that Coyle dominated before being put down by Matthews reputed power in the tenth round. That was one memorable night in Hull but then later that year Moore would cross the Atlantic to take up the corner of old foe Matthew Macklin who successfully took on then unbeaten American Lamar Russ. The learning plates were firmly off, but it would be an illness to Moore’s former trainer that would begin a flurry of fighters wanting to work with the former TV pundit. Oliver Harrison was quietly battling cancer and the disease would sadly take the life of the 59-year-old in April 2019.

Harrison, one of Britain’s most underrated trainers in recent years had trained the likes of Amir Khan, Anthony Farnell, Martin Murray and Rocky Fielding. He was like a father figure to the men he worked with and left a gaping hole in British boxing which has been filled successfully by Moore.

“I’ve got to be honest, the reason we’ve ended up in this situation really is - Carl [Frampton] -  didn’t even know this at the time, Oliver was poorly and no-one knew about it, so the only reason I ended up training Martin [Murray] and Rocky [Fielding] was because Oliver was poorly and I’d started doing it on the quiet, just to help him out,” said Moore. “He’d said, ‘Listen. Help me out while I’m not doing too well and once I’m back on my feet I’ll take back over’. I was doing that when Carl rang me to ask if I were still training fighters. I said, ‘Between you and me, at the moment, I am but I’ve only trained Tommy for the four years’. When Carl came, Steven Ward came, then Conrad [Cummings] then early in that New Year Jack Catterall came, Chantelle came and it snowballed from there and do you know what, I’m glad. Everything happens for a reason, I’m a firm believer of that.

“I’m gutted in one sense in the manner that it came about because I’d have loved nothing more to do this alongside Oliver. I’d have loved to have him there by my side in the corner giving me advice but I’m just so fortunate to have spent all my fighting career and my time as a coach early on, stood by his side, learning from what I believe is one of the best coaches this country has ever produced. And I think he’s getting more credit after his career. I’m happy for the fact that he’s getting it now. I feel blessed that I’ve been able to learn from him.”

Since then Moore has found himself working in Madison Square Garden, Las Vegas and at some of the biggest indoor venues in the U.K. It’s a far cry from that four round debut in Blackpool. His name has been catapulted into the minds and hearts of fans and fighters thanks to his down to earth manner, positive approach and the experience that only an ex-fighter can bring to a current one who sometimes guidance from someone who knows exactly what they are going through day in, day out.

Moore knows exactly what needs to be said and isn’t afraid to dish it out, even if it ends up in the ears of an established fighter and two-weight world champion such as Carl Frampton. Their relationship has been a successful one minus the loss to Featherweight powerhouse Josh Warrington when the two bumped horns in December 2018. The first three rounds were sensational, the stuff of legend and nine minutes that only the fans can enjoy while the fighter fights fire with fire and the trainer wonders why he is fighting with his heart rather than his head.

“He [Frampton] got his first bollocking in the corner that night,” said Moore looking back on that 2018 fight of the year contender.

“He kicks himself about it to this day. It’s not as raw with him as it was but he understands the mistakes he made and I believe the lessons he’s took from that fight will help him.”

And Moore firmly believes that experience will stand him in good stead in a potential fight against WBO Super Featherweight champion Jamel Herring later this year. The fight looks likely for Belfast in the summer and it would present Frampton the opportunity to become a three-weight world champion.

“In a fight with Herring it’ll probably put him in a better position to win in that fight because he went through that experience,” says Moore. “It was all a lesson. It’s alright sounding like an expert afterwards but all the way through the camp for the Warrington fight I kept saying this can’t ever be an easy fight for him. Don’t go in there and think you can out box him and it’ll be easy. Even if you out box him and win it twelve rounds to nil you’re going to be absolutely exhausted after it. The Herring fight, for me, is a tough and a close fight and I’m thinking the lessons he’s learned from the Warrington fight and other fights will take him on to the positive side of a decision because of the negatives he’s taken on board.”

While Moore believes Frampton is entering the final chapter of a memorable storybook career, there is plenty of life in ‘The Jackal’ yet who looked in good form last time out against Tyler McCreary.

The Frampton name carries weight throughout the boxing world and there may be two years left in his career, says Moore.

“He’s fresh enough and young enough to do that. Carl doesn’t live for boxing. You talk about some fighters and they live and breathe boxing. Carl loves boxing but he doesn’t live and breathe it, he’s very much a family man. He likes spending time with his wife and kids. He’s a pretty sensible guy as well. So, financially he’s done very well out of the sport. His achievements have been fantastic. I’ve had this conversation for him. There will always be big fights for Carl. There will always be a load of money to be made, but forget the money there’s more to life and boxing. I’d love nothing more than for him to finish on a high. If he wins the Herring fight I think there’s a couple of fights I think he’d want. I think he’d want the Warrington fight, maybe. Maybe a Santa Cruz fight.

“If he did beat Herring and walk away as a three-weight world champion I’d be over the moon for him. I’d be happy for him to do that. If the Warrington rematch was there, or a unification fight and he wanted to do that then yeah, but I’d like him to have no more than 12 months in the sport and then I’d love nothing more for him to walk away with a healthy bank balance, a healthy body and into the sunset with his family.”