What has people got against f Warren?

[lefty]

Lefty, I think it's really straightforward. I admire Warren's business acumen greatly, but over the years I've been astonished at how thin-skinned and petty he can appear to be.
As someone commented earlier on this thread, you'd think given his business success and wealth, he'd be able to laugh at some of the relatively trival things that come up rather than responding with heavy-handed measures such as litigation and banning journalists from his shows. Of course, his column also highlights this rather unappetising side to his character as well.
I also feel that he is also guilty of treating his paying customers pretty poorly on occasion, whether that's through a diet of mismatches, or through the lack of decent facilities at shows. I should point out that these are both boxing problems full stop rather than being specific to him - it's light years behind certain other sports in these regards.
Finally, while I also respect the fact that he pays his boxers well and has looked after many of them, the way he has acted over Calzaghe, Hatton etc, indicates a certain level of hypocrisy to me. As a businessman he is perfectly aware that those fighters were entitled to make decisions based on their own beliefs regarding their best interests - it's no different to the decisions that he makes regarding his own business day in, day out. However, when it's them opting to leave him, he prefers to characterise it as a personal betrayal rather than acknowledging it as a business decision.
So in summary, while I respect him greatly on a professional level, I find it hard to warm to him on a personal level. Of course all of this is based on perception as I don't actually know the man, and it might be the case that in person he's a different proposition. But if that is the case, he's got a serious public relations problem....

Thats fair enough,atleast you've explained your gripes with the man.I havent always been a big fan of his myself but to be fair over the few years the fights he has put on and the competitiveness of them has been alot better.When you say trivial things that have been said what kind of things are we talking about because whilst you should just laugh off certain things that are just peoples opinions obviously you have to defend yourself if accusations are made against you which could damage your business and also damage peoples view of you as a person (i know thats not great already though) Now regarding him feeling like certain fighters leaving him as being a betrayal rather than a business decision i agree on that although i do think the way khan left him after he brought him back after the prescott fight and got him a world title shot was pretty low in my opinion.Anyway finally I guess the reason why im defending him somewhat is that in the interviews ive seen of him and over the years ive seen quite a few he doesnt seem like a bad guy to me,not like a king or arum so to speak!Just my opinion though.

[Deserter]

Over the few years the fights he has put on and the competitiveness of them has been alot better.

I don't think that's been driven by altruism though mate, I think his hand has been forced to a degree by TV pressure and the need to step up in the face of competition from other areas like UFC

When you say trivial things that have been said what kind of things are we talking about because whilst you should just laugh off certain things that are just peoples opinions obviously you have to defend yourself if accusations are made against you which could damage your business and also damage peoples view of you as a person (i know thats not great already though).

Well, banning Mr McNeilly from Sports Network shows for the past few years for writing balanced, objective reports is just one example. Getting entire websites shut down in the past is another. I know exaxtly what you're saying regarding defamation, but he and his team are just too heavy-handed in this regard, in my opinion. Look at the way Frank Maloney deals with the criticism he gets by contrast - he comes on here and engages with fans and more often than not has turned critics into fans as a result. By contrast the SN team frequently give the impression they treat fans with contempt, despite those same people being their customers - name me anybody who regards that as best business practice?

Now regarding him feeling like certain fighters leaving him as being a betrayal rather than a business decision i agree on that although i do think the way khan left him after he brought him back after the prescott fight and got him a world title shot was pretty low in my opinion.

I couldn't agree more in the case of Khan, but again, I think FW's stock would rise if he was seen to be above it rather than resort to mud-slinging in the press. We're not stupid and I think the vast majority of here think Khan was wrong to do what he did, so don't need it shoved down our throats. He always focuses on how much money he's made for his fighters, which is a fair point, but then conveniently neglects to ever acknowledge that they've made him phenomenally wealthy by taking risks in the ring - it's a two-way relationship after all.

Anyway finally I guess the reason why im defending him somewhat is that in the interviews ive seen of him and over the years ive seen quite a few he doesnt seem like a bad guy to me,not like a king or arum so to speak!Just my opinion though.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think he's some kind of monster, but like all of us, I just think he's got some flaws. In his case, I'll always remained surprised that he can get riled by things like posters on the internet. If I was a multi-millionaire driving round in my Bentley and living in a mansion, I don't think I'd struggle to live with a couple of 'haters' on the internet - it's the equivalent of a toddler trying to kick your shins... you should be laughing at them rather than trying to punch them in the head!

[mickey1975]

I dont mind him.The best shows i have been to have been his and the few people i know who have had dealings with him speak highly of him.As for those who left him,Hamed and Benn both realised the grass was not greener.I also think he could have expected a bit more loyalty from Calzaghe,Khan and to a lesser extent Hatton.Joe went from a virtual unknown to Sports personality of the year defending in front of 50,000 people under FW and then left him?Khan wasnt even filling the lower tier at The M.E.N when he left FW yet he acts like he has got Hatton style pulling power.Im not saying what happened with Calzaghe in the end was right but the guy is a ruthless businessman,this sort of thing goes on every day.

[Deserter]

I dont mind him.The best shows i have been to have been his and the few people i know who have had dealings with him speak highly of him.As for those who left him,Hamed and Benn both realised the grass was not greener.I also think he could have expected a bit more loyalty from Calzaghe,Khan and to a lesser extent Hatton.Joe went from a virtual unknown to Sports personality of the year defending in front of 50,000 people under FW and then left him?Khan wasnt even filling the lower tier at The M.E.N when he left FW yet he acts like he has got Hatton style pulling power.Im not saying what happened with Calzaghe in the end was right but the guy is a ruthless businessman,this sort of thing goes on every day.

I completely hear what you're saying Mickey, but my point is simply that it works both ways - he makes decisions based on business rather than loyalty when he drops boxers etc so he can't complain when the same happens to him.
i think all those boxers were foolish to leave him, but they hadn't committed a sin by doing so, just exercising their rights, so to castigate them so fiercely was wrong IMO.

[johnnygreaves]

I have to speak as I find, & f w has always been polite , gave me a lot of fights which have put a lot of food on my table. Franks just a good business man,and good business don't always make friends! He personaly sounded me out last time for taking a late job just to say thanks & for that I have to respect the guy

[GlobalBox]

Don't think we can really argue with his position as head of the tree in Britain promotions wise. However, I have issues with his apparent two faced attitudes to people having an opinion of there own about one of his fighters or shows, or the manner in which he deals with these things

Frank can bad mouth and ridicule people in his column in the news of the world or Sun and does so frequently, rather than concentrate on boxing matters, of which he is a hugely knowledgedable individual.

Yet if someone does that to anything/anyone that he considers is his, the knifes are out and the calls are made and that article/articles are withdrawn and we all back down.

Another matter I find distasteful is the way his website (aka him) can still advertise boxers and fights that have been off the bill for a certain period of time and yet unless you come on the websites or are in the know, the average fan is still buying tickets for the advedrtised show, not knowing that fighter "a" is off the bill.

These are the reasons that Frank gets up the our boxing anorak noses, not because he does not do a great job in his boxers careers (financially) because he does, we would like more risks taken with some of them, but hey lets be fair, if we had paid Degale what he was paid, we would have taken our time and probably done a similar job to what has been done.

If you watch closely some of the things he does with his fighters may be due to his own lack of belief in them and therefore he is trying not just for himself but for them to inject longevitity into there careers and enable them and him to depart the scene with something behind them.

He ain't a bad guy but the shoulder chip is so evident that he needs to realise this fact and perhaps start thinking of the fan a little bit, not a lot, we know our place but credit us and the opposition pundits and promoters with some intelligence., we all have a voice to be heard and some of it actually makes sense.

[bennie]

Mr Warren once phoned Harry on deadline day (Tuesdays), and Harry politely informed him that it was not a good time to ring because he was up to his eyeballs.
Every Tuesday afternoon from then on, Frank would ring Harry. That's how he works.

[Deserter]

Mr Warren once phoned Harry on deadline day (Tuesdays), and Harry politely informed him that it was not a good time to ring because he was up to his eyeballs.
Every Tuesday afternoon from then on, Frank would ring Harry. That's how he works.

That is a priceless anecdote Bennie.

[WestEndRiot]

He's terrible for boxing in this country.

To sum up i'd say he's great for the boxer's because he gets them good pay days and title shots followed by easy defences. But in doing so, **** the fans of the best fights.

[Chambers2]

He's terrible for boxing in this country.

To sum up i'd say he's great for the boxer's because he gets them good pay days and undeserved title shots followed by easy defences. But in doing so, robs the fans of the best fights.

The British Don King??

Both have their good and bad points. Both have a great CV of fights that they've promoted, but both have stopped good fights happening if the deal doesn't totally suit them (that's business........ that's boxing)

[sweetscience]

does W arren BAN these internet journalists or just not give them free tickets ?

[THEBUTCH]

I love boxing and hate what Warren's style of promotion/management has done to the sport.

[Deserter]

does W arren BAN these internet journalists or just not give them free tickets ?

I'll let Ian answer definitively, but I believe he's banned full stop.

[WestEndRiot]

He's terrible for boxing in this country.

To sum up i'd say he's great for the boxer's because he gets them good pay days and undeserved title shots followed by easy defences. But in doing so, robs the fans of the best fights.

The British Don King??

Both have their good and bad points. Both have a great CV of fights that they've promoted, but both have stopped good fights happening if the deal doesn't totally suit them (that's business........ that's boxing)

Another example just today with the Groves - Degale purse bids, you can be 99.9% certain fwarren wont let Degale box on a Hayemaker show and will deprive us of one the most exciting domestic fights for years.

[THEBUTCH]

Well, this development (Groves' team winning purse bids) will be very interesting. I'll be dragging this post up again if Warren finds a way of pulling DeGale out of this Board ordered British title contest.

[Jeff Thomas]

Pro's-

Comes across very well on interviews.
Seems likable enough and knows his stuff.
Has delivered the fights that mattered in boxing for the last 20 years or so.
Clearly keeps a lot of people in work and has done great things for the sport in the UK.

Con's-

Padded records
WBU
His article in the SUN can be utterly annoying due to.........

His own struggle to deal with anything bad said about him

Its hard to work out Mr Warren, I'd be interested to read a biography or find out more about him. Would it be wrong to call him the Simon Cowell of British boxing?

[dondada]

does W arren BAN these internet journalists or just not give them free tickets ?

If I'm there as a journalist, it doesn't matter whether it's for the internet or not so I'm not really sure why you've mentioned that.

They aren't free tickets - it's press accreditation.

I can't tell you the ins and outs of what has gone on in the past, I'm afraid.

BBN in its last few years and now BoxRec News has no relationship whatsoever with Sports Network (formerly) and FWP.

[Tommy Gunn13]

does W arren BAN these internet journalists or just not give them free tickets ?

If I'm there as a journalist, it doesn't matter whether it's for the internet or not so I'm not really sure why you've mentioned that.

They aren't free tickets - it's press accreditation.

I can't tell you the ins and outs of what has gone on in the past, I'm afraid.

BBN in its last few years and now BoxRec News has no relationship whatsoever with Sports Network (formerly) and FWP.

The ins&outs is what us genral fans are after Ian

[sweetscience]

does W arren BAN these internet journalists or just not give them free tickets ?

If I'm there as a journalist, it doesn't matter whether it's for the internet or not so I'm not really sure why you've mentioned that.

They aren't free tickets - it's press accreditation.
.

its a valid Q.... i mentioned it because he might not see your 'organisation' as a valid 'Press' ... hense not giving you free tickets

[rhino222]

Why has everyone got against f Warren I think he's the best promoter in Britain and he's a decent bloke.

errrrrrrr....RPG?........

[palooka]

There's not that many really successful men who are right likeable. He is a proper success knows the ins and outs and doesn't give a rats arse about the lower orders (much like all the top businessmen).

[Spud]

Oh, oh - behave yourself chaps. I had to delete a couple of posts there as for the few seconds they were up they could have been 'legally sensitive'.

This is one of the many answers to the OP's question...

To answer the title of the thread:

I do not like Mr W arren very much personally thats merely stating my opinion - however there is very little doubt he is still by far the best promoter in this country and in Europe and I have stated that on a consistent basis for the last few years!!!!

I could state more but wont due to "In House" Lawyers coming in their pants in their pursuit of another libel cases.

[Bricks]

i forget to address his sun colums where yes he comes across as totally negative, low rent, bitter,spiteful and petty. But in interviews face to face during this his 30 year anniversary, he has praised calzaghe and naz the guys who left him......but i agree he has a real vindictive streak towards hatton, and disrespects froch..........audley? Well frank gave him a chance when aforce slumped after he lost his bbc contract.......
And harrison is fair game imo..............but agree these days warren has found a good balance of protecting the fighter but also making competitive fights
And him and sky arent as tight as the early 2000s when it was unholy trinity with the wbu resulting in some being forcefed thirs rate crap after crap for years dressed up as a world title fight

[Spud]

Whatever you lot state about Mr W arren as a person some of you simply cannot bring yourselves to say how good he is as a promoter - I thought some of you were knowledgable about the sport!!

[Dioufy]

Spud, you simply are the most patronising poster on here. Your "knowledgable" and "insider" posts make me sick, mate. Try to tone down the insulance, please.