Nothing felt right for new pro Lauren Price apart from sticking with the formula that brought her Olympic gold.
When the 27-year-old and partner Karris Artingstall signed professional terms in January, they were whisked around new gyms and prospective trainers.
They didn't sit well with the Welshwoman, who wanted to stay at her GB Boxing base in Sheffield by any means necessary.
“It’s home to me,” says Price. “There’s no better place.
“After the Olympics, a lot of people jumped at us and offered us the dream. It was all new to us and we didn’t know what was going on.
“When coaches heard about us turning professional and leaving the programme, I don’t think they wanted us to be thrown to the sharks that we all know there are in pro boxing.
“I trust everyone at GB Boxing. It’s like one big family.”
The result is a first of its kind agreement, Podium2Pro, under which fighters will continue to be coached, cornered and managed by GB Boxing in return for a cut of their earnings.
The scheme, supported by UK Sport, will be initially capped at three boxers.
They will not receive any funding, with their earnings cut destined to be reinvested in the World Class Programme (WCP).
The primary focus for GB Boxing remains athletes on the WCP and a clause in the contracts outlines that amateur fighters will take priority in the event of a clash.
Boxers will have the opportunity to privately pay for services from other WCP staff including physios and strength and conditioning coaches.
Price said: “I’ve gone to training camps all over the world and I think we’ve got the best facilities in the world here.
“The coaches know us and we know them. They know our style, they can help us add little things to our game and settle down a little bit.
“We were over the moon when they offered us the chance to stay.”
The agreement is new but the practice of pro boxers training at the English Institute of Sport facility is anything but.
Performance Director Rob McCracken has long been privately training fighters like 2012 Olympic champion Anthony Joshua and 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Joshua Buatsi.
Price has seen first hand the impact of cross-code sparring and the value of amateurs and pros rubbing shoulders.
“You look up to the likes of AJ and Buatsi because of what they’ve done at the Olympics,” she said.
“We know that the next generation will be looking up to us and it’s great.
"We’ll spar with them and it works both ways, they help us and we help the next team come through.”
Team GB won six Olympic medals at Tokyo 2020, including two golds, the nation’s best performance at the Games for a century.
Podium2Pro is indicative of the increasing closeness between the two codes, which allows professionals to compete at the Olympic Games.
GB Boxing say that if there is no ‘medal competitive boxer’ in Price or Artingstall’s weight categories they would be able to go to the Games.
On the prospect, Price said: “I’m not going to stand in anyone’s way because I’m starting off my career as a professional.
“The girls coming through are very talented, they will pick up experience and will be more than ready for Paris.
“The option is there if they need us but I wouldn’t want to take that opportunity away from anyone.”
Sportsbeat 2022