Welterweight champion Lewis Crocker has opened up on his decision to leave Billy Nelson just months after they won the IBF title together.

Crocker this week confirmed he has left Nelson’s gym in Glasgow, Scotland and relocated to Surrey, England to link up with Huzaifah ‘H’ Iqbal at Adam Booth’s gym.

The news came as a surprise to many given Nelson had helped steer Crocker (22-0, 11 KOs) to his upset victory over Paddy Donovan in September which gleaned the IBF welterweight belt.

Nelson has spoken of his disappointment in Crocker’s decision but the 29-year-old insists he did not make it lightly following their two successful years together.

“Look it was a very, very tough decision to make,” Crocker told The Ring’s Louis Hart on Thursday.

“I was very comfortable in Scotland and I have very, very good friends there and everything was sorted for me. By no way was it an easy decision for me to make.

“Maybe it was too comfortable and I needed to push myself out of my comfort zone and almost make a fresh start because I feel like I’ve got a lot to improve on and I could be better in a lot of aspects."

During an interview with Boxing Scene, Nelson revealed that he felt insulted by Crocker’s suggestion that he had taken him as far as he could. He suggested that Crocker’s decision was wrong and pointed out that Iqbal has not done ‘a fraction’ of what he’s done as a coach.

But Crocker says he has previously shown loyalty to Nelson despite people advising him to leave in the wake of his 2024 fight with Conah Walker and his first fight with Donovan in March.

On Nelson’s comments, Crocker added: “I’ve seen that he’s said things and he’s said that I’ve said things. But I’ve never said anything. People say things on Twitter and he bites. I think it’s quite silly.

“I love Billy, he’s a great guy and he did a lot for me as well but I’m a fighter and if I think I need to be better … I remember the first Walker fight, all I saw was about leaving Billy. The first Donovan fight, I didn’t see one comment telling me to stay with Billy and I stuck with Billy after that.

“It was a big decision to make and I stuck with him then. If I feel as a fighter that I can be better … I’m only going to be fighting world class fighters from now on and I don’t want to be going in there knowing I’m not a 100 per cent version of myself.

“No disrespect to Billy, I love Billy and I’ve never said a bad word about Billy at all. I don’t know where he’s getting that from and I think he should stop reading comments on Twitter.

“He’s a lovely fella and he took me in a couple of years ago in Scotland and it was a very hard decision to make. I could have sat there in Scotland comfortably but I have a new start here, a fresh gym, fresh house and everything’s different. It’s a big decision to make and as a world champion, if me and my team feel I can be better, I have to take those opportunities.

“Starting the new year as world champion, New year, new coach, fresh start. I have big plans ahead and I know I’m going to show the world how good a fighter I can be and will be. I have great confidence going into the next year.”

Crocker, who already knew Iqbal having spent time training under Booth, added: “I knew H prior as a person and he would do anything for you, a real gentleman. Extremely good coach, very tactical, pushes you very very hard so I’m excited about what’s to come going forward.

"Just working with H [so far] I can see and I can feel a lot of different things I need to work on.

“I’m very excited and I’m a good bit away from my next fight and I’m already being pushed hard.”