Speaker 1: Well, it's my great pleasure to welcome to our podcast
for the very first time. But a man I've known
for I don't know, Frank, about twenty five years or so.
It is the Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren from
Preensburry Promotions. Frank, we got a lot to talk about
after all the events you've been involved with recently, a
lot of stuff coming up, So thank you very much
for doing this with me. Toda, I appreciate it.
Speaker 2: I'll tell us a pleasure that Well.
Speaker 1: Let's get into it, Frank. I mean we're about a
little bit, a little bit less than a week removed.
By the time people hear this, it'll be about a
week removed from that massive event that you know you
were involved with co promoting in Wembley Stadium where your
man Daniel duwascort a spectacular victory, massive knockout against Anthony
Joshua to retain the IBF heavyweight title. Just a terrific fight,
all but one sided. And so I think the question
a lot of boxing fans have, Frank is after that
kind of victory, what is next for Daniel Dubois.
Speaker 2: Well, he actually, excuse me, Dan, He went on. He
went on dec to day. We're going to sit down
when he comes back and look at the options. But
obviously the big fights taking place on the twenty first
of December in react part of the read season, which
is the rematch between Busik and Tyson, So we've got
an eye on that and there's been a lot of
We've had quite a few approaches from aj Seen asking
about rematch, which you know, I wouldn't have a problem
with that because I think I think Dan will deal
with the rematch the same way as the last fight.
And we also look after quite a few other good heavyweys,
like saying Parker, so there's some good fights there to
be made against some good heavyweights.
Speaker 1: So, as a person like yourself that's been involved with
the biggest events for decades, which do you think from
a financial point of view, from a fan interest point
of view, which is the biggest one in your mind?
Speaker 2: I think the biggest one would be would be the
winner of the fight in December for obvious reasons. I
think you know that the four belts would be on
the line, and it would be and it would be
an interesting scenario because you know, if it's Tyson that
it put me in a pretty awkward position both the guys,
and I'm quite close to them, but this is a
business at the end of the day, and the guys
if you have to, if they went in that direction,
then it's something we'd do because we've done it in
the past with guys that we you know, two guys
that we are we haven't you know, we work with
the other. I believe Tyson will wind a fight, but
if it were to be sick, what a great rematch
that would be between him and Daniel because it was
quite controversial last time round, and certainly from my perspective,
and I've got my views on whether it was a
low blow or not, I think it was a legism
of punch. But anyway, he's grown up a lots. I mean,
he's probably when you look at Daniel, he's had four
fights in twelve months, which was against Lusik, who was
the undefeated heavyweight four belt champion at the time, three.
Speaker 1: Free belt but still still a type evyweight obviously.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Yeah, he had who was undefeated and he went
in there as an underdog. He then thought Babe Miller
who came back, who was undefeated, who was a top
ten ranked fighter. He then fought Hergovich for the interim title,
who was also undefeated, and again he when he's an
underdog in that fight and done a job on her
diddition obviously with a j two time world champion, Olympic
gold medalist. I can't think of many heavyweights at this
stage of the stage of the career. He's at a
fourth literally first of all fault four times in a
year against such good quality fighters.
Speaker 1: Well. Also, Frank, think about it like this. When he
fought it was he got the opportunity he he you know,
and you and I certainly had a public disagreement about
our thoughts on that, and I'm glad we can put
that aside. Uh, But he didn't win the fight, and
it was kind of a low point for him, and
then for him to bounce back from that in the
manner in which he did, uh, and to dust himself
off and not just win the fights like you mentioned
against Jerald Miller and then in the fight after that, uh,
against Philip Perkovic and then obviously Joshua. To me anyway,
as an observer of boxing for you know, decades, myself
here covering it, writing about it, et cetera, like to
see a guy go from being basically on the scrap
heap to a lot of people to winning very impressively
and then again against Joshua. What does that tell you
about like his mentality, that he could kind of recover
from what had to be a very difficult time after
the USIK loss.
Speaker 2: Well, he had, I mean a lot of people, let's
say it was people said they basically, you know, he
didn't have out and some people even said, you know,
said things like Quita, I'll never agreed with that. So
and I felt that, you know, since the music fight
done him a favor in many ways, you know, because
he had to get he grew up after that fight.
I said to him, Look, you knew you had the
power to hit, to hurt him, and you allowed your
frustration with a referee to get into your mind. And
that's not what it's about. You know, you have to
be your own referee. You've got you're very capable, we
got a very good job. You're very fast on your feet,
and you've got and you're very powerful puncher with both
hands and that. And we sat and talked about it,
and he watched the fight back, and we watched it
back a few times and I think that's been the
making of him. I think he's at the grittiest teeth.
I think he's matured mentally because he's he's quite you know,
he's a very introverted guy. I mean, even after this fight,
the last fight, he didn't want to do the press
come for us. He said, don't want to go home,
and that's I mean, that's serious. He just wanted the
guy he doesn't like, you know, the publicity side of
the sport, he has no time for. It's once you
get him there, you know, you're talk and so forth.
But getting him there is hard work. And you know,
as I say, he mentally, he's really he's really really
has matured. And physically he's got stronger, and he's I
mean he's only twenty seven a couple of weeks ago,
and that's quite younger, you know for a heavyweight. And
and you know, I just feel he can go from
strength to shrimps now. I mean, this is exciting times
for him and for the heavyweight division, because one thing's
for sure, whether you like him or you don't, you've
never seen him in a boring fight.
Speaker 1: That's true enough. And as you mentioned, at age twenty seven,
He's basically the youngest of the top contenders and champions
there in the sport, in the division right now. And
you know, look Tyson Fury and Joshua and who was sick.
I mean, they're also outstanding fighters, but they're not getting
any younger. I mean, Dani or maybe around for a
number of years once those guys, you know, exit the stage.
But you know, one thing I got to say, I
respect a lot, is that when he lost the fight
the way he did against against Joe Joyce a few
years ago, and then the way he lost against Usik,
Frank Warren never waivered. You stuck by him. You always,
at least publicly spoke very highly of him, and you know,
never seemed to back away from keeping him, you know,
in the spylight and putting him back in fights and
building him back up. What was it that you saw
about him? Where in my experience anyway, after the second
loss to Usik, the way that that happened, a lot
of promoters might have, like you know, distanced themselves to
some degree or not made him a priority. But that's
not what you did, No.
Speaker 2: Because I genuinely believe them that. You know, sometimes it
takes but you can be mature physically and not mature,
you know, mentally fight wise. And I just felt that
I just thought it was there. I think I think
he allowed. He allowed in the fight with Usik, he
allowed the referee to get him. I thought the referee
was very fussy. He kept stop stopping the fight, you know,
at the low blow stuff. I mean, even when wanted
to continue, he said no, no, take more time, and
went nonsense. And it was nearly it was nearly four minutes.
And there was a couple other moments in the fight
which I weren't happy with, and the referee didn't give
the correct instructions at the beginning. But that that that
happens in boxing. We've all been there, We've seen things
like that over the years. But you got to have
if you're a fighter, you've got to have a mindset
that you know you're in the other guy's backyard. I
know the fight was in Poland, but the majority of
the I think it's forty seven thousand crowd, you know,
probably ninety percent of them were Ukrainians. So you're in
the other guy's backyard. And if you want the title,
you've got to go and get it. You've got to
go and fight for it and rip it off of him.
And he just he just allowed allowed the referee the
fussiness at times of the referee allowed that to get
to him. And that's not acceptable and it's not good enough.
And as I say, you know, you know when he
looked back at the fight, I know he thought hisself
and we had the discussion about this, is that you
know I should have won this. I had the palats
to do it. I could hurt him. I gave him
up until the tires and unification fight. He gave Usik
He's toughest fight, no doubt about that. He did see
him what nobody else has done, which would really hurt
the man and those Sick's a great fighter, by the way,
but it's it was the making of him. And you know,
for me, it's not the end of the world when
a fight gets beat and it's how you get beaten
the more importantly, how you deal with it and come back.
Speaker 1: So when you made the fight with Joshua, I know
you were supportive of Daniel. You thought he had a
great chance to win, that he would win, he had
the power uh to do. Maybe what he did. We've
seen Anthony Joshua had been stopped before when he had
to fight with in Deuries. But Frank, let's be honest here,
I don't think anybody, even if you were a Daniel
Dubois supporter, thought that he was going to go in
the ring and get ten a ten nine, ten eight
and then knock him out clean with one shot. Like
nobody thought it would be that easy. You couldn't have
thought it was going.
Speaker 2: To be like that. Now. I felt, I genuinely felt,
and I said before the fight same as I said
before the Hurgovich fight. I know he's got the power
to if he catches you, you're in trouble. He's a
good finisher. But I felt for the Joshua. Certainly, with
a Joshua fight, it was it was going to be
whoever went on the back foot was going to struggle
because they're both offensive fighters. And for Daniel, he's got
a superb jab and what he was lacking certainly in
the Hurgovich for that fight, was a lot of head movement.
But if you look in that fight, he was three
his jab and he was moving he said, like little shimmy,
so you know, he was just rolling working his way in.
But the first meaningful jab that he hit AJ with
his head snapped back. That was that was for me,
was the most meaningful moment in the fight because once
he did that, he was I knew that AJ would
go on his back foot. And after that, as you say,
I mean, he managed to put him down on the floor.
And that was a ten eight round and same in
the neck round. But then if you look at the
penultimate round, a J H were a really good up
upper cut. He caught him with a good upper cut
and he greatly see from come through that. And then
the fifth round he's corner. They used the words they said,
you know they're going to come out now and roll
the dice, basically go for it, and that that that
for me, was his downfall.
Speaker 1: That was a bad mistake.
Speaker 2: Well I think for them at that stage. So you know,
if you look at the scoring of the rounds, what
was he must have been about five rounds behind.
Speaker 1: I know he had lost. He had had three ten
eight rounds against him in a ten nine round where
you know, even though he did get dropped, he still
lost the round. So the wires way ahead.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so seven seven rounds up. But the thing and
that means that at that stage that a J's got
to stop him to win. But what when he did that?
And again I said it before the fight, it's going
to be about it's about the counter punch when they
when he lets his right hand go, he leaves himself
very vulnerable. He leaves hisself vulnerable. The chin's out. And
then and he counted and caught him after a J
caught him with a tremendous shop by the week and
and you know, for me, again it was not just
about who's the biggest puncher, who's got the best chin,
and Daniel's got a big, a good chin. I mean
there's one a chin, one a chim. Problem with the
fight with Joe Joyce, I mean he had four fractures
of his of his of the orbital bone.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I was a guy. I may have given him
a lot of grief after the USIG fight, but I
was like, you know, anybody given Daniel grief for what
happened in the Joys fight doesn't understand how hard that
injury is. That's a legit injury.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's a life and you know it's a
career ending injury because he's he's he's retinam was was
was coming away. As the doctor said, it was you know,
if it had gone on any longer, it would detached completely.
And and you know, and as I say in and
again in the other fight, I mean, he got caught
with jab in that fight, and it was just like,
you know, it's a peculiar. It's a very peculiar situation.
It's not like he's taken you know what we was
saying boxing, you know, a belting or anything. He's not
had a good he's not been hurt badly in any fight,
and he has got a good chin. I mean, she
must have caught him with a good I would say
good fifteen jam for sure, fifteen right hands in the
first couple of rounds, which is which I didn't like
by the way they absorbed them. And he gritted his
safe and come through. So you know, he's grown up now,
and uh, and he's on a high and he's got
and he's got a lot of confidence. And you don't
brow his confidences.
Speaker 1: He looked that way. And I don't make a lot
of the body language when a guy's coming into the ring,
but it was very noticeable watching the broadcast. Did he
didn't look like he had a care in the world
coming to the ring, like no nerves, just cool and poised,
like he's just going out for a nice launch with
his pals or something like that. And then, uh, you know,
in that kind of atmosphere ninety something that ninety eight
thousand people you know hit the home stadium. Uh, you know,
most the Anthony Joshua fans, although I'm sure because he's
also British was definitely were You're right, So can you
just speak to like the atmosphere of that night and
how he handled that spotlight.
Speaker 2: We again when we made the fight, the fight was
made that the winner of Ergovich and Daniel would would
fight Joshua, and Joshua's the attraction. He's the more well
known fighter out of them all and it was his
and the part of the deal was and I wanted
the fight, so I believe he'd beat both of them.
It was that the winner would have sort of the
winner of that fight would ring walk would be first.
Even though you know it's for the interest. It then
became for the interim title, and then it was upgraded
after Usik vake cases the titled to a four IBS.
So he walks in as the world champion. Second, that
he was focused. You know, he was on it, as
you quite rightly say. And the crowd, the majority of
the crowd, I would say probably you know, ninety percent
of the crowd were behind a j because let's get
it right, for the Brits, he was a gold Medacine Olympics,
two time world.
Speaker 1: Champions, a superstar. That's the bottom moment.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, he's not. He's not just a boxing a champion.
He's a sports star over it. You know, he's crossed
over to the general public. And but I said, they'll
cheer him going in, but I promise you to cheer
cheer Daniel going out because I know the performancey have
put in and that's exactly what happened with him.
Speaker 1: If you do a rematch is they're going to be Duir,
Joshua and Jubai walk. Second, this time, he's.
Speaker 2: The champion, he's the boss. Now, don't worry. I mean,
I've got to say if he was, if he was
to fight the winner of Tyson and Alexandra of then
obviously they're they've got.
Speaker 1: The three one of the round, the three belt.
Speaker 2: You know, that is what it is, and that's the
courtesy of it all then, but look, at the end
of the day, it was about having getting your getting
the fight, getting that opportunity and showing what he was
all about, and him demonstrating as I say that you know,
he deserved to be there and he's certainly done it
in Stall he'd done it better, stole and authority with
that was for sure.
Speaker 1: Well, the one thing I countented about Frank is when
he beat Joshua the way he did, he beat him
way easier and way more decisively, frankly than Alexander Russik
did in two fights.
Speaker 2: Without doubt, I mean, without a doubt, he absolutely done
a jobble on him. I mean he destroyed him. He
absolutely destroyed him. There was you know that was he
just you know, as I say, he showed these boxing
goodies in boxing, and what impressed me in that flight
was the head movement because that was lacking in the
Herviivic flight.
Speaker 1: Well, you've mentioned a few times about the upcoming fight
December twenty first that you know you're obviously heavily involved
with that will take place in read the rematch between
Alexander Russik and Tyson Fury for the belts that Usak
has and I'm curious if you could just just give
me your take on I know you you know, I
saw Tyson was at the fight between Joshua and Dubois.
Anything that that's interesting or notable about his preparation for
this fight as he goes into a rematch coming off
of what was the first defeat of his career.
Speaker 2: Well, he'd be going to camp next month ocs till
she's probably in a bit about the second week of October.
He's in. He's in a very good frame of mind,
good condition. And I think this the fight between Lusik
and Tyson's who what who did it take the most
out of because it was quite a grueling fight for
both of them. I mean I went to the bread
dressing room arf was to contract congratulate Usik, And I'll
tell you what you know, you knew, he knew, and
I certainly knew looking at and he'd been in a fight,
and certainly with Tyson. You see that ninth round, I mean,
it was quite a devastating ninth round, but he manages
to keep himself up with it. Probably would have helped
of his heart on the ropes that he did do
and came through, came through a very tough time to win.
He certainly won the last round, but it was a
fight to Halves and for coming away from that fight
and having spoken with him, it's how he How can
I put it, you know, is if he can do
which I believe he can do what he did in
the first half of the fight, because going into that
it was the eighth round, it was Jake frown. Going
into the eighth round. Seventh round, Tyson caught him with
a really good uppercut and his legs went, I mean,
and everybody around me all said the same thing is
stopping him in the next round. But he came out
was sick, and I mean, he came out like a
like a great hand coming out of the traps, and
he caught him. He caught Tyson with a shot on
it's like on the tip of his nose. And for
some reason Tyson lost all his composure of everything. And
if you watched the fight back, he keeps touching his
nose on the top of his head. And he told
me afterwards when we talked about it, he said, for
some reason he had he caught him. It was like
a shot that hit him on the nose. He said
that the pain was very strange that it's shot up
into his into his forehead and that, and it just
he didn't look comfortable and obviously had that terrible round
in the ninth round and and managed to get through it.
So it's a fight at two ours at the end
of the day. And as I say, for me, I
feel Tyson as the I mean, they're both both got
great boxing brains, they go both got massive arts, as
can Tyson do what? Can Tyson do what he did
in the early part of the finance fight and sustain that?
And I believe he can do it, and I do
think he'll be well.
Speaker 1: I know a lot of people are very much looking
forward to the rematch given how outstanding the first fight was,
and I wonder, I mean, we've seen the types of
shows that that you and the Saudi's and the Turkey
al Chic and everybody involved in these big events have
put on these these wildly deep, excellent undercards. Nothing specific
that is there other than they've said that the junior
middleweight ser Boachoup will be on this undercard. But I
gotta figure if you're doing another big heavyweight championship fight,
knowing all the heavyweights you rattled off earlier. There's got
to be some other heavyweight action. It's going to be
on this card, whether it's Zang or Uh you know,
Joseph Parker in a fighter or whoever. Can you shed
any light on what we may see on this undercard.
I know a lot of people are instead of one
of their maybe fights will be on that shore, particularly
if they're heavyweight fights involved.
Speaker 2: There's going to be heavy there be heavyweight fights, and
there'll be another read season early in the new year
as well. So that we've been working on those cards,
there's still some things to be done. And you know
that sat down with with ag And and he's actually
he left he left the UK last night. We've had
had some quite serious meetings and good meetings regarding the
fights that we're putting together. So you're going to see
all the heavyweights and you know you've got uh Cab
or be out, You've got Babe Miller or be back
in action, I mean all of them. You know, all
these guys are going to be fights in various fights,
so six fights in times once and once we're in
a position that can be announced, I think everybody's going
to be over the moon with it.
Speaker 1: So you're talking about. This would be either for either
for December twenty first or for their first card in
the next year, you know early, Well.
Speaker 2: There'd bell be spread across the two dates. There'll be
a big, fabulous undercard for the twenty first, and there'll
be a great undercard for the show earlier in the
new year, and they will be there will be quote
always the only shows.
Speaker 1: Have been quality alled away from Yeah, for sure, and.
Speaker 2: Adie and I would probably do another another Queensbury b
Metrum show.
Speaker 1: Well, I'm glad you brought that up because that was
the next topic I wanted to ask you. With Daniel
dubir uh not only defeating Joshua but really knocking him
out basically cold. You just can't lose, your guys can't
lose against the Mattrum guys. I mean, I don't know
the exact number, but you won all five of the
fights in the five v five. You won the fight
between your side, won the fight between josh I'm sure
there's some other fights on. Not thinking about how how
many fights in a row has Queensberry fighters defeated matchroom
fighters and do you know the number off the top
of your head.
Speaker 2: Well, we've done fairly well. I mean Nick Ball, Nick
Catchy beat.
Speaker 1: Cardina, that's true. I forgot about that one.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Nick Ball came through. We've done. We and ca
Catchy one again against Josh Warrenton on the last show,
so we you know, we've done. Okay, we've got We've
got a couple of good fights coming up on the
show on October and twelfth. Got the first women's title
fights ever take place in the in the Kingdom, so
that's going to be interesting. It's quite historic as well
as far as women's popsy is concerned. And it's one
of this raven Chapman against guy that the Australian girls.
That's actually a good fight, yes, kind of. That's actually
a very very good fight. So there's some good fights
there's been, you know, I would say it's been for
we're delighted with the results that they have been meaningful fights,
all of them. They've been really good quality fights. And
it's been a bit of an eye opener to be honest,
working with working with Matra and Eddie, because you know,
we're all working hard to make this thing a success.
Speaker 1: But you gotta love kicking his asny fights, don't you.
I mean you know you you're your competitor. You guys
are better than business as well as your guys in
the ring.
Speaker 2: Well, I always want my guys to win. And you know,
let's say, when we make the five B five, it
wasn't about you know, their five against our five. It
was about when we picked the wakes, picking a guy
for each of the wakes to win the fights. And
we were and I was asked before the fight and
what was our best chance of winning? And I said
at the time, I think all my guys can win
each of their fights. We've we've picked a team to
win each fight. And you know Amsa Sharans Sharaz, who's
come through a good game, won a game on Saturday.
I mean, he's he's becoming him.
Speaker 1: Definitely going to ask you about him before I get
the sazo. Frank, you gotta love kind of maybe, I
don't know, maybe occasionally rub it into Eddi a little
bit because he talks so much shit, let's be honest,
much more shit than you talked about that.
Speaker 2: Well, we have a bit of fun. We have a
bit of fun between us, and it's good. Yeah, it's
it's big, it's big good. And he's you know, to
be honest, he's he's he's he's been quite he's taking
it well. And look, it's I just like what's going
on in boxing at the moment. It's taken a long
time for something like this to happen, and it's it's
just great for everybody involved. Of course, we're all professionals
and we're in it to make money, but you know,
we actually do it do love the sport like yourself
as well, and and more importantly, the fighters are earning
tremendous percy from this real season and he's revitalized the
sport in a big, big, big way, certainly in the UK.
And I hope that show don't do out in the
read season show they did in LA that was.
Speaker 1: That was a that was a really good cut that
I was at that card and that was great. I
loved that. I mean, listen, it's one thing from to
do the big events in Saudi Arabia, and I get that,
but it would be wonderful if they can you know,
they'll do their fair share of shows there, but if
they can at least do some regular shows here in America,
do some regular shows in the UK, that would be
I think even better. You think they'll come back to America,
come back to the UK.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean they've had a great response to it,
and I'm sure down the road that that happened at
the moment that you know, up until the end of
Read Season, it's going to be all about Read for
obvious reasons, because that's that's that's how this all came about.
I mean Read Season. The Read Seasons is a multicultural event.
Is from It's much just about boxing. It's about all
different sports. I mean they have tennis tournaments and they
have equestrians right the UFC. You know, various very sports,
soccer and and also music, dance, poetry from not just
from Western Europe, the west of the Western world, also
from the Far East to the Middle East. It's a
multi cultural event and it's the good thing about it
is his excellency is a complete boxing junkie, a boxing nut,
and he's made this a major part of the season.
So you know, it's been fabulous. So the next runner
show we'll be in READONEMA. We'll see what happens after that,
you know, and they want to move forward in Dose
shows around the rest of the world. But it's it's
just been it's been phenomenal. It's been a phenomenal situation
and it's been quite an eye open and as I say, everybody, everybody,
but everybody's been working together on this and that's that's
refreshing to see.
Speaker 1: I want to ask you about Hamza Sharaza. You mentioned,
I mean, he looked absolutely phenomenal. He blew away Tyler
Denny to win the European title only two rounds to
get rid of him. That was on the undercard of
Daniel Dubois against Anthony Joshua. Before that, you mentioned the
five v five. He had a very very impressive eleventh
round knockout against Austin M l williams uh in a
in a fight where I think a lot of people
weren't really sure, you know, because that was sort of
like an even fight on paper. It seemed to me
he gets to win. And now you know, he seems
to be like near the top of a middleweight division
that you know, understandably at this moment in time is
you know, it's not making anybody remember the days of
Marvin Hagler, even Bernard Hopkins, but uh, he seems like
a guy that can go an off the long way
where do you see him going in his next you know,
a couple of fights as it on to a potential
world championship opportunity. You got a unified champion in Jannebec
who's got a defense coming up. You got Carlos A
Damas who's with PBC. You got Arizoni Laar who just
recently defended his title. What do you think for Hamsa
down the road in the next fight or two?
Speaker 2: Hink his next flot will be for a world tisle
looking a young man and that fot that flat Gangs
Sama was quite interesting. You'll clips a couple of times
in that fight he dealt with it will and coming
back and big what he had to do that he's
an extremely extremely good fighter, and he's not he didn't
come into the boxing with a massive amateur Pedy Bree
as such. He's done it. He's done it the hard way.
You know, we had every faith in him, kind of
guided him through to where he's at and there and
he's he's obviously done the business in the ring. But
I generally feel that he'll be Yeah, I think he'll
be around for a long time and it get better
and better. He does remind me of that Tommy. I
know we're speaking of Tommy Holmes, who one of our
certainly one of my heroes in boxing. But he's got
that sort of look of him that rangy long. No,
he's very loose, lind got long jab and quite tall
and for a big you know, for one of those
sort of mostly tall guys, they they sort of keep
it long for him. When he gets inside, it gets
real good upper cuts off a bit like Tommy used
to do, and it's you know, he's an exciting fighter.
He'll be in the exciting fights and I'm hoping that
same bloody end of the year he'd be fighting one
of these girls guys for the world title.
Speaker 1: So you mentioned you brought him along from the beginning.
Another guy that you've had I think his entire career.
I'm not mistaking his nick Ball, who you mentioned earlier,
is now got the WBA featherweight title. I want to
ask you a little bit about him because he has
a fight coming up against the veteran Ronnie Rios, who's
challenged for world titles in the past. Always given a
good effort when he's been in the ring, even if
he hasn't won the fight. He fights November the fifth
in that fight against Ronnie Rios, and just tell me
your thoughts. I know, you know you thought that he
he got the draw against ray Vargas. You thought he
won the fight. A lot of people thought he won
the fight. He looked absolutely tremendous in an excellent fight
when he took the title off of ray Ford in
June in one of the five on five wins. What's
what's the ceiling for nick Ball? Because to me, he's
one of the most exciting fighters in boxing.
Speaker 2: I absolutely agree with it. I mean, he's just he's
like a Dyna bo. I mean, everything is all action.
You know, you think he was Mexican Robert Well, he
walks forward, he's just let's he should us go. He's exciting.
He's hurtful, but he's but he's also a good box
and he's quite hard to hit. He's quite He's not
a very tall, not very tall fighter, but he you know,
he's got very good defense. And I thought, I mean
that that first title fight that he had against Vargas,
I thought he won that and I thought as a
bad decision certain from one of the judges score him
as atrocious and and obviously he won the next one.
He should really be the two times to to to
belt or two time world champion. I feel, you know,
he's got the homecoming fight in Neverpool. Tickets have gone
extremely well, that's gonna be a good night on the fifth,
that's next Saturday, the fight takes place. He's fight and
that's gonna been very, very exciting. It's gonna be a
great night. We've got some really good young fighters from
that area northwest of in the UK up in Liverpool
and Andrew Kanes on there, got a young Cuban on
there and he's gonna be a fabulous, fabulous night we've got.
I mean, we're blessed the talent. We made a big
decision as regarding what we've been doing in the last
sort of six years, and that was, you know, to
focus on British talent. That we've done that, and we've
done even Stalin. I think we've got probably the best
group of young fighters now, certainly in Europe, may in
America as the amount of them, and we will be
promoting shows America next year. We're coming to the States
to do some shows.
Speaker 1: Well, I'm only disappointed unless you tell me otherwise. I
don't think that that fight between Nick Ball and Ronny
Rios is on any American outlet unless you tell me otherwise.
Speaker 2: I'll have to check that with that, guys, I mean,
I hope he is, or someone's going to be in trouble.
Speaker 1: Well, if you need anybody's number at top rank to
get it on ESPN Plus, let me know. But you
mentioned about the American talent this. I want to wrap
up with this because I think this is very interesting.
You mentioned about your talent base. You have obviously a
vast amount of quality in your stable of fighters from
Europe and the UK, but recently you started to kind
of quietly if if it seems to me signing some
non Brits and including a couple of Americans, You've never
really been a guy to sign Americans. You signed the
one hundred and forty pound unbeaten contender Brandon Lee, who's
I think right on the verge of fighting for a
world title. You signed the excellent amateur who's only I
think had one fight when you signed in al he's
two and oh. You signed the super middleweight Nathan Lugo,
and then recently you signed again not an American, but
the Ukrainian heavyweight who's now based out I guess in
the United States six foot four, two hundred and fifty
pounds Vladislav Sirenko, who's twenty one to oh with eighteen knockouts.
I'm wondering from your perspective, I mean, since most of
the shows you do are UK based, even with the
fights you're doing with the folks in read, what was
the sort of the reason to go and pursue non Brits,
non Europeans, bringing you know, the American fighters to your.
Speaker 2: Stable all of a sudden, jewels to see the baser
and the view is we've done. We've done what we've
done in the UK, and we're now have an extend America.
You know, I came out to I've done quite a
few shows in America years ago, when we we did
with Jay Lark in the late Jaylark did the show
show Box series. We've worked with certainly with with Showtime,
you know, very close to all that, a lot of
British fighters and in fact, I remember Barrera. We've you know,
we signed Antonio Barrera, he won the world title, as
we've done Journey Johnny Tapia. We did a show back
up and down in Texas with him, so we've you know,
we've we look revisit and all that.
Speaker 1: Now, so that's that's like twenty that's like twenty twenty
five years ago. It's been a while as the.
Speaker 2: Point, Yeah, absolutely, as you know, because we we we
we we you know, we've we've changed the direction we
was going in. But that's what we're doing that. So
we signed these guys, and these guys will be on
Queens Rey shows in the US.
Speaker 1: Do you have an idea of when you'll do your
first American show and that's sort of where you'll do it.
Speaker 2: I'm not sure yet, but it'll probably be in in
the spring.
Speaker 1: I'll look forward to that. I mean, I've I've followed
Brandon Lee pretty much since he turned pro, and uh,
you know I was there. You know Nathan had his
uh his second fight. You know you were there also
the fighter he had on the Santa Monica up here
a few nights before the Terrence Crawford Madromov card that
was the read season card in Los Angeles. He looked
good in that fight. So I'm looking forward to seeing, uh,
what what you're gonna do with these guys? Is the
plan now to maybe sign a few more Americans. If
it's guys that you think have the talent.
Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, I mean, we don't want to overload it.
So if we want to, you know, what we want
to do is to be able to you know, if
we sign them and make sure that we can service
the contracts and give them the right files and that
it was not about once a quantity, It's about quality
and that's that's where we're and you know, and I
also want to do with some of that farers. Bring
them over there. Let the Americans sim you know, we've
got fans. France has managed as far as he's got
Moses A. Ta it was an unbelievably teenage heavyweight project.
Yeah yeah, I mean his kid is unbelievable. I mean,
he's very exciting. And then we've you know, he's got
he's got quite a few other fighters. Sat Young Sam
is a good fighter. So we've got quite you know,
we've got quite a good group of fighters that I'll
feel that we can bring out there. They're exciting. I'd
like to see Nick Bull make his debut there as well.
You know, he's the guys that I know that you know,
boxing fans will take to because they're exciting.
Speaker 1: I'd have to think if you're going to do shows
in America, you're going to need some kind of outlet
in terms of for a broadcast in America. I mean,
I know you've done shows, uh in conjunction with Top Rank.
They've put some of your events, even if they weren't involved,
to work with you to bring the fight into ESPN plus.
Are you Is there some kind of broadcast deal brewing
for for Queensberry's shows in America or U to have
a deal where you we know, we can see your
shows regularly in the United States.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Well, work with with talking about to a couple
of outlets and I'll think, I hope by the end
of the year with being a position to announce who
it's going to be with and then we can go
from now.
Speaker 1: Well, look forward to it. You don't work, you can
always you always call me and drop the news.
Speaker 2: Frank, we will do it. But we've we've definitely been
doing it, man. I mean that that is a guy
to happen. There you go.
Speaker 1: I look forward to that. Frank has been a very
informative interview, very covering a lot of topics. I appreciate
your time very much. Thank you so much and good
luck with what's coming up in your big shows with
Nick Ball coming up next week with obviously what's going
to go down in Rea December twenty first, thank you
very much for your time.
Speaker 2: Thank you, I appreciate it and I's told to seeing
you in this spoint, if not before