Fearless Frank Warren has taken the title away from Don King and Bob Arum. I?ve no doubt of this after reading Donald McCrae?s scintillating piece on the English fight promoter in The Guardian.
And it?s a title which does not come with any sanctioning fee attached. What title?
The world?s most quotable boxing promoter, that?s what.
Warren delivered one unscripted verbal bomb after another in speaking to reporter McCrae, the biggest being his warning for Ricky Fatton to stop boxing. According to Warren, who had a nasty business split with father Ray and Ricky Hatton, Hatton is wealthy and has no need to keep on fighting.
Warren, as he has said before, sounds the alarm about Hatton?s well-chronicled dietary and booze habits.
?What will happen as he gets fatter and fatter and the booze does his brain? They?ll blame boxing for it. And it?s not boxing, it?s his lifestyle and his father should stop him from fighting, ?Warren said.
Warren, who also discussed being unceremoniously dumped after 12 prosperous years as Joe Calzaghe?s promoter, is resigned to the lack of loyalty.
?I am in the business of creating monsters. One day the monster is going to bite your arse. It happens almost every time and, sometimes like Calzaghe, it is very, very disappointing?
?It?s changed hasn?t it? Years ago it was the fighters getting fucked. But any decent boxer now has an adviser, a lawyer and an accountant.?
Meanwhile. Warren continues to make a monster out of Amir Khan, the unbeaten but ?chinny? prospect. Khan fights this week in Manchester against unbeaten Colombian banger Breidis Prescott and some boxing pundits envision an upset by the visitor.
The Guardian article also reports how an ex-Warren monster, Prince Naseem Hamed, had a friendly word or two with and about Warren at a recent soccer game.
?I should have never left Frank,? the now heavyset Hamed said. ?It was the worst thing I ever did.?
Take note, young boxers, take note. I know loyalty must be a two-way street but most fighters who cashed in big did their dancing with the promoter what brung them.
That will never translate to the Brits but you know what I mean.
