Frank Warren Q&A: A HEAVY HEART
“... after 45 years as a licensed promoter, I can honestly say that this era is as good as any in the past.”
can’t make people fight. It is a choice. Time will tell on this.
journey with him. He has got so much enthusiasm and crossover stardom qualities. Yes, he’s still got a black dog that can be there sometimes, but boxing’s been a savior for him. He’s also got a good family behind him.
Obviously, I’ve got my son George as the CEO, Francis working as a manager and looking to provide us with a conveyor belt of talent. We always pride ourselves on building fighters properly. We’re doing really well, and we’re good at what we do. There is never an easy day either, no extraordinary days – they are all normal days, because the problems come and you get on with it. I suppose I’m conditioned to it now, if truth be told, and after 45 years as a licensed promoter, I can honestly say that this era is as good as any in the past. People are going to the stadiums for big fights. But you can watch so much of it online. Boxing, in my opinion, is on a massive, massive high. The Ring: Will the conveyor belt of talent continue for the next decade? FW: The boxers coming
The Ring: Can you sum up for me how extraordinary that period has been, from Dusseldorf to the trilogy of fights in America with Deontay Wilder, and then the journey to the Middle East which has shaped the heavyweight division and this era?
The Ring: But there has been no letting up, with a raft of other
We had 270,000 people in an online queue wanting tickets for Wembley Stadium when he fought Dillian Whyte – in other words, we could have sold it out three times over. There was a record-breaking gate in Las Vegas for his fight with Wilder. People might like you or not as a sports person, but with Tyson, the public buys into his story in many ways. His backstory, the life in there, is perhaps even bigger than the boxing. He has become an ambassador for mental health issues, and [people] can identify. The changes have been huge, and the public has been on that
heavyweights coming through, as well as Joshua on his concurrent journey and ups and downs. Could you ever have envisaged when Fury first won the belt that you were going to be in this position? And how have you got here? FW: Did I think I’d be in this position? No, I didn’t. How have I – or we – got here? Through work, hard work. We have a good team around us.
FW: Fury always had the potential to become a global superstar, both inside and outside the sport. The extra things with award-winning books and his own brand and two Netflix series are part of how he has developed and what he has about him. You can never finally envisage things. He’s got a great personality. You know, he’s a funny guy. He’s captured interest in the heavyweight division. He has set records, because there is massive interest in him, as much as a human being as a fighter.
Fabio Wardley has broken free of the pack and now holds a world title.
For many, Moses Itauma is the British boxing superstar of the future.
through have elevated the division behind Tyson. Fabio Wardley, Moses Itauma, Lawrence Okolie and others; Joseph Parker, Agit Kabayel. There is almost an embarrassment of riches right now in the heavyweight division, and we are making bloody good heavyweight fights. Look at what Fabio has achieved, for example. And all of these heavyweights will go on to fight each other in the next two or three years. Some have been on Riyadh Season events, where there have been some great fights. And we’ve done some great fights ourselves. Look at the fights in the U.K. – Usyk-Dubois, Dubois- Joshua; they were massive events. The Ring: So, to the prodigy in your Queensberry Promotions stable. Do you believe Moses is going to win a world title in 2026? How talented is this guy, and is he a gift to the British sporting
public and to heavyweight boxing? FW: Moses has gone from junior boxing straight into fighting men. That’s what’s happened with him. That’s the bottom line of all of it. That’s what he’s done. I can’t even think of a 20-year-old in my time in boxing who has fought the quality of opposition that he has, apart from Mike Tyson. Moses is a prodigy. As a person, he is mature for his age. He’s got a good head on his shoulders. The Ring: So is he a guy that could go on to achieve great things in your view in the sport? Is he good enough to unify or become an undisputed heavyweight champion? FW: Again, as I have said, we will test Moses fight by fight. We believe we have a very special talent, and given what he has learned already from the experience he has, he has the capability to become a great boxer. But again,
fight by fight, year by year.
The Ring: Finally, Frank, if you had a magic wand to cast over the heavyweight division, what would you do? FW: We don’t need a magic wand. We are in rude health. All we need to do is to keep the best fighting the best. And we do our utmost every day to make that happen. The heavyweight division is in the best place it has been for a very long time. The public are interested, and it’s very exciting.
Gareth A Davies is boxing correspondent for The London Telegraph and Talksport.
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