Islington light-welterweight Charlie Rice has gone back to his roots after linking up with two trainers from his amateur days at Times ABC.

Rice began his professional career in 2012 under the guidance of Times coach Colin Wilson, but moved on to work with Barry O’Connell when Wilson’s other commitments increased.

However, the 21-year-old has now severed his ties with O’Connell – who also works with world super-middleweight title contender George Groves as strength and conditioning coach.

Now Rice is training with Times duo Alan Kean and Dave Streatfield as he prepares to box for only the second time in six months on Mickey Helliet’s May 30 show at the Camden Centre, King’s Cross.

It had been rumoured that the Islington fighter was considering retirement and he told the Gazette: “I did have a lot of stuff going on outside boxing, but that’s all sorted out now.

“Everything’s fine and hopefully I’ll be doing a six or eight-rounder next month. I wasn’t really happy with my style and the decision to move on was all about changing that.

“Now I’m back with two of my old amateur trainers and it feels a bit like coming home. Obviously I’ve worked with them before and it also helps that the gym’s only two minutes from my house.”

Rice has won eight of his nine paid contests so far, with the only blemish on that record coming last summer, when he was narrowly defeated by Cassius Connor in the Prizefighter quarter-final.

He outpointed Lubos Priehradnik to win the International Masters bronze light-welterweight championship in November, but has fought just once since then – a sluggish four-round victory over Pavels Senkovs at the Millennium Hotel, Mayfair.