Lucas Roehrig is adapting to life in the pros and loving every minute.

As one might hope with any young prospect, he is surrounding himself within the sport, learning its history, the business, while honing his craft inside the ropes.

“It [being a pro]’s definitely what I would have expected. I’ve been watching 24/7s [the classic HBO build-up shows], all boxing documentaries and seeing pro boxing training regimes. And I’m definitely enjoying it. It’s hard. It’s not easy, especially with how active we’re being but I’m definitely enjoying it.”

Roehrig, trained and managed by former super middleweight champion George Groves, boxes for the fifth time on Friday, having turned pro back in December, and he is happy with the activity. He is 4-0 (2 KOs).

“I had my first two fights; first against Joel McIntyre, two-time English champion. I thought I dealt with that well with my debut. And then my second [stopping Miloslav Savic], I thought I had a good performance. Went six rounds in both of my last fights [against Camilo Castagno and Brian Jones]. I felt I handled going the distance well. And now I have my fifth fight [against France’s Sofiane Quoit in Newcastle on Friday], and I believe it should be my most well put together performance as we’ve kind of ticked most boxes, even after four fights… Boxer… southpaw… going six rounds… box someone who comes forward; box someone who moves. So now, especially in my fifth fight, the experience is really picking up.”

Roehrig is a keen learner. Groves has always described him as very coachable, and Roehrig wants to travel far and wide as he continues his education.

“I would love to box in as many different countries, as many different parts of the world as possible,” he added. “So America, anywhere in the world, South America, anywhere in Europe. For me, that’s just something personally I would love for my job and my sport to take me around the world, to travel, to experience new cultures, new environments and create those experiences that are interconnected with boxing.”

Roehrig, despite living and breathing the sport, also finds it a great stress-reliever. It takes his mind off things, while allowing him to focus on his ambitions and aspirations. To that extent, there are not many off switches.

“Boxing, when I was younger, that was also my time, that was like my therapy in a way, I used it to switch off. But now, when I do have the time away from boxing, that couple of weeks, it goes very quick. But I do try to see family, be around some friends and just slow everything down a little bit. But for the moment, I feel like I do have tunnel vision where we’re getting started and I’m young, I have energy. I’m healthy. So we’re making the most of everything. And that’s why I’m not feeling overwhelmed by the activity or anything like that.”

Although Roehrig put pen to paper with promoters Wasserman, there were other offers on the table. Groves fought under the Wasserman banner, and Roehrig joined the likes of Josh Kelly, Harlem Eubank, and Michael Conlan in the stable. Wasserman guaranteed him two fights back-to-back in the summer, and that lined up well for Team Roehrig.

“So it just made sense for us over for the summer, get us to 7-0 and then see where we go from there,” said the fighter.

Groves was a fiercely independent deal-maker when he fought and would not conform to boxing’s status quo. With that in mind, he is also coaching Roehrig outside the ropes. Although Roehrig wants Groves to take care of the admin work, the former champion is showing him how the business operates, too, and highlighting its pitfalls. 

“Obviously, he’s a great manager where everything is handled,” Roehrig added.

“But also on the other side, he does sit me down and he does explain things to me. And I do think I have the capacity to take in what he’s trying to explain to me. Because boxing, there’s that business side. There’s you as an athlete where you just want to focus on the fight, focus on training, focus on everything. But then you do realize that this is what’s being put on paper and put in contracts has a big effect on your life. And financially, emotionally, everything. So he sits me down, explain to me. And I think the more I’m embedded and involved in these talks, and these sit downs, I’ll understand it more. I’ve already started to understand it through the help of George.

“And, it’s eye opening where you realize you’re not just an athlete, you need to realize that. Boxing is a short career. And you need to try and look after yourself, your body physically. And also the money you do make, you need to be careful. Because when you retire, you’re not sure what you’re going to do. So you need that money to hold you over for the future as well.”

But, for now, Roehrig is immersing himself in the sport. He enjoys watching Naoya Inoue, and is frustrated that casual fans neglect the lower weight classes, but he also enjoys Gervonta Davis, and Shakur Stevenson, although he watches the likes of Shane Mosley, and Evander Holyfield, too.

He has also learned from other trainers. Groves used to be trained by Shane McGuigan, and McGuigan coaches former WBO cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith, and Roehrig has visited McGuigan’s Gym to spar.

“George has obviously had that relationship with Shane, so we’ve gone to his gym multiple times to get rounds in with Chris Billam-Smith, when he had Craig Richards, Karol Itauma. So he was very handy where we had that link-up where we get some rounds in. But I believe for my whole career, I’ll be with George as my trainer. George is a great trainer and has so much knowledge and has helped me grow leaps and bounds. And it’s only the beginning. I’ve only felt like I’ve taken 5-10 per cent of what he can teach me. I feel like for the whole of my duration of my career, however long that is, I’ll be staying with George.”

Of course, Groves is someone Roehrig knows so well. He came through the same amateur club, Dale Youth, that Groves did.

Groves had a bitter rivalry with another product from the same gym, James DeGale, but it was his stunning KO of Francisco Sierra in San Jose that really caught Roehrig’s eye, with Groves concluding matters with a wonderful and typically spiteful combination.

That was Roehrig’s favorite Groves KO.

“But I would say my favorite full fight from George was probably him Chris Eubank Jnr, where he had won the world title, was still pretty much in the prime of his career, where he was fully experienced, fully developed as a man. And I think he just put on a great performance, especially now where you see Chris Eubank Jnr is a superstar in his own right. And George just completely outboxed him. And even in that 12th round, where his [Groves’] shoulder popped out, he still managed to finish the fight, showed great heart.”

Of course, seasoned boxing movie watchers will have seen this story unfold before; former fighter takes on encouraging pupil, but the pupil remains firmly in the shadow of the famous star. It was the plot for Rocky V, with Sylvester Stallone and the late Tommy Morrison, with Morrison resentful of Rocky sharing the limelight.

Despite being released years before Roehrig was born, he has seen that film. Morrison and Rocky end up fighting in the street in the film’s climax. 

“George and me and my career will forever be interlinked, because he’s the one who’s given me the opportunity, invested his time, made me part of his family. So that will never bother me. I have my own identity as a fighter, and me being successful, both of our successes is intertwined because he wants me to be as successful as I can be, and as happy as I can be. And that leads to both of us… me having a great career as a fighter, and him having his career as a coach. It [being asked about Groves and sharing the spotlight] doesn’t bother me at all. But now you mentioned that, I do remember Rocky V, and I think Tommy Morrison, he ends up leaving Rocky, and he goes with like Don King, and then he gets all the fame, and everything kind of gets to him, the money, and he ends up crashing, and yeah, he ends up losing, right? They have that street fight. I don’t think that's going to end up happening with me and George,” Roehrig laughs.

On Friday night in Newcastle, Groves and Roehrig will be side by side and in the trenches together, sharing the spotlight, as they continue their journey.

Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, is on The Ring ratings panel and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.