Joe Gallagher credits Peter Fury and other UK trainers after nominations

Joe Gallagher says he is honoured to be nominated for two prestigious Trainer of the Year awards, but credits British boxing as a whole.

The Mancunian has been named in the top five for the iconic Ring Magazine award and the American Boxing Writers award, following a 2015 that saw Liam Smith and Anthony Crolla join stablemate Scott Quigg in becoming world champions.

Gallagher will take on up-and-coming Shane McGuigan when Quigg and Carl Frampton put their world super-bantamweight titles on the line live on Sky Sports Box Office in February, but is more concerned with ensuring that British trainers are not over-looked when it comes to winning global awards.

"I feel if you look over to America they always celebrate the success of the fighter and the coaching team," he told Sky Sports.

The amount of trainers from here that are doing well all over the world shows there are so many who are good quality who are always learning and I don't think they get recognition.

"That's why the people before like Floyd Mayweather, Emanuel Steward a few years ago, god bless him, Angelo Dundee, celebrate success because it's very much a team success. Over here they are not as quick to acknowledge the success of the work us trainers have done.

"The amount of trainers from here that are doing well all over the world shows there are so many who are good quality who are always learning and I don't think they get recognition - they just get the stick when the fighter loses.

"We've got so many up-and-coming ones like Steve Maylett, Gary Lockett - some really good trainers coming through in that."

Gallagher is joined by fellow Mancunian Peter Fury, who guided his nephew Tyson Fury to a stunning heavyweight world title win over Wladimir Klitschko in November.

Fury is set for a rematch with the Ukrainian in the next few months, while Gallagher could claim a fourth world champion when Stephen Smith takes on IBF super-featherwight champion Jose Pedraza out in America in the spring.

And even though he refused to pick a winner of the two trainer awards, he is delighted that two men are representing the north-west of England, never mind British boxing.

Gallagher added: "Everyone's got a good case and just to be nominated is an award itself.

"The funny thing is me and Peter's gyms are about a mile apart in Bolton and who'd have thought two trainers from the same part of the world are in the top five in the American writers and Ring nominations. How funny is that?

"I get on really well with Peter. Sometimes he comes into our gym with lads for sparring and sometimes I see him because we don't live too far apart either."

Here are Joe's verdicts on the other four in the running:

"Abel Sanchez has had a great year with Golovkin and a few other fighrers. But he's still got big fights with Canelo, possibly Andre Ward or whoever is still to come."

"Floyd Mayweather Snr has obviously steered young Floyd into a win over Manny Pacquiao which was made much easier than everyone expected."

"Peter Fury has had a fantastic year. Obviously we are talking about the main prize in the sport, the world heavyweight titles, so it's very, very hard. I think whoever wins is a worthy winner. It's hard to say who did better than the other because they've all done fantastically."

"As for Arnulfo Obando, look at what he's done with Gonzalez, you can see why he's nominated as well. I've not met him but look at his - and everyone else's - achievements. Look at everyone's achievements this year."