BoxRec

Press Release

With boxing enjoying a surge in popularity, the likes of Tyson Fury, Joe Joyce, Daniel Dubois and Anthony Yarde are household names. But what about the person behind the fighters, the person that works tirelessly to bring fans the fights they want?

Featuring rare archive and new interviews with those closest to him, Make It Or Die Trying: The Frank .Warren Story is a unique biopic which reveals how the eponymous promoter rose from humble beginnings in North London to multimillion pound deals in Las Vegas. It is the story of how Warren became one of the biggest names in British sport, managing some of the most colourful figures from across the worlds of entertainment and sport such as Mike Tyson, Frank Sinatra, Marco Antonio Barrera, Naseem Hamed and Joe Calzaghe. Make It Or Die trying: The Frank .Warren Story takes viewers on the journey of Warren surviving a shooting to becoming one of boxing’s lead faces, of his partnership and subsequent falling out with Don King, on to his role in the return of Tyson Fury.

The documentary will lay bare the ups and downs of his career, with contributions from Mike Tyson, Bob Arum, Tyson Fury, Frank Bruno, Anthony Yarde, Daniel Dubois and Ricky Hatton, as well as Warren’s friends and family. It also features archive contributions from Lenny Mclean, Mickey Duff and Joe Bugner.

Warren said: “I am delighted BT have decided to share my story. My 40 years in boxing have been nothing short of a rollercoaster but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. I am thankful to everyone involved in the production and hope the fans, the very people that keep boxing alive, find it interesting and enjoy the film.”

Sally Brown, executive producer BT Sport Films, said: “While sports fans will be familiar with the fighters in Warren’s stable, the story that surrounds the promoter behind them makes for compelling viewing. Make It Or Die trying: The Frank .Warren Story will take viewers on a journey across decades of changing times in British boxing and give fans an intimate insight into the man behind some of the greatest British athletes in history and how, from humble beginnings, Warren rose to leave a legacy in his wake.”

The documentary covers aspects of Warren’s career including:

• Warren’s view of the world of boxing and his role in it as a promoter

• Bob Arum, Nick Pitt and Frank Bruno discuss Warren’s strengths as a promoter and his natural understanding of what it takes to make your mark in the sport

• Steve Bunce looks at how Warren took Anthony Yarde and Daniel Dubois under his wing while Ricky Hatton discusses Warren’s role in Tyson Fury’s comeback

• Warren’s role in promoting an infamous unlicensed boxing fight between his cousin Lenny McClean and Roy Shaw which was seen as a direct challenge to the British Boxing Board of Control at the time

• In 1989 Warren was shot leaving a fight in London. He and others discuss the incident, how close he came to dying and how it affected him and his family.

• The McClellan v Benn fight and the impact the fight had on the boxing world

• Warren’s relationship with Don King

Directed and produced by Daryl Goodrich, with executive producer for BT Sport Sally Brown, Make It Or Die trying: The Frank .Warren Story is the latest in the award-winning BT Sport Films series:

• Proud To Be Town: the story of Harrogate Town fighting their way through a global pandemic, battling for survival and promotion to the football league for the first time.

• Greavsie: the tale of the rise, fall and rise again of Jimmy Greaves one of the finest footballers in British history.

• Bosman – The Player Who Changed Football: looks into the story of Jean-Marc Bosman and how the Belgian footballer took on European football’s governing bodies to redefine the game.

• Too Good To Go Down: rarely told story of how relegation in the mid-1970s enabled the modern-day Manchester United to emerge

Customers can watch the film in more ways than ever before, on TV, online or via the BT Sport App, with customers also able to sign up contract free with the BT Sport Monthly Pass. For more information on BT Sport visit www.bt.com/sport

Be still my beating heart.

oogiebe wrote: ↑25 Mar 2021, 10:34 Be still my beating heart.

50 Cent might sue him..

Not sure I’d agree that Joyce, Dubois and Yarde are household names!

Is is really still necessary to sensor Franks name on this site?
None of the other forums do, and he’s not likely to to go after the site anymore.

Anyways, I look forward to watching this - it should be compelling viewing.

edster gotta be a bit jealous

maverick23 wrote: ↑25 Mar 2021, 10:39 Not sure I’d agree that Joyce, Dubois and Yarde are household names!

They are in their own households tho so legally we're covered.

Very much looking forward to this.

Like him or dislike him, F rank has seen it all

It would be really interested if it was made by a unbiased production crew, but this is going to be very much in-house BT Frank propaganda: produced by Sally and Daryl of BT productions no less LOL

Watched and listened to plenty of interviews/podcasts with FW over the years, but you always feel he's holding the really interesting stuff back.

I would certainly like to watch it ,, regardless what you think the guys a legend and will continue to be one ,, he's disapointed a lot of boxers ,, but he's made many very rich , , he's getting on now but jeez he's lived a full life and will have some storys to tell

Black Sam Bellamy wrote: ↑26 Mar 2021, 03:54 Watched and listened to plenty of interviews/podcasts with FW over the years, but you always feel he's holding the really interesting stuff back.

Like who shot him?

I'm old enough to remember F rank Warren's first ever licenced show. He brought over two American light-heavies, Jerry "The Bull" Martin and Otis Gordon, to square off at the Bloomsbury Crest Hotel in London in December 1980. Martin won in seven rounds but it was a lousy fight.

bennie wrote: ↑26 Mar 2021, 06:42 I'm old enough to remember F rank Warren's first ever licenced show. He brought over two American light-heavies, Jerry "The Bull" Martin and Otis Gordon, to square off at the Bloomsbury Crest Hotel in London in December 1980. Martin won in seven rounds but it was a lousy fight.

https://boxrec.com/en/event/186523

That hotel still standing?

margaret thatcher wrote: ↑25 Mar 2021, 20:44 edster gotta be a bit jealous

Ed wouldn’t settle for a mere documentary. He’ll produce some lavish big budget drama doc with Hollywood A listers playing him and his dad

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑26 Mar 2021, 06:47

bennie wrote: ↑26 Mar 2021, 06:42 I'm old enough to remember F rank Warren's first ever licenced show. He brought over two American light-heavies, Jerry "The Bull" Martin and Otis Gordon, to square off at the Bloomsbury Crest Hotel in London in December 1980. Martin won in seven rounds but it was a lousy fight.

https://boxrec.com/en/event/186523

That hotel still standing?

Yeah, it's still there. Warren was based there for several years and all his early fighters fought there, including Terry Marsh (his first signing), Keith Wallace and Joe Bugner.

coneye wrote: ↑26 Mar 2021, 04:11 I would certainly like to watch it ,, regardless what you think the guys a legend and will continue to be one ,, he's disapointed a lot of boxers ,, but he's made many very rich , , he's getting on now but jeez he's lived a full life and will have some storys to tell

I’ve been to more FW shows than other promoter but I’ve struggled to have much respect for him after the Ricky Burns case. Burns was awarded over £100k which was the unpaid purse for his fight with Kevin Mitchell. FW liquidated the promotional company to avoid paying it whilst Burns had to bankrupt himself due to the judge awarding FW through a different company £72k (plus legal fees) for unpaid management fees. Some of those fees related to the unpaid Mitchell purse I think.

Also the last show of his I went to was the Billy Joe/Eubank Jr show at the Excel which was a joke of live show given the timings of things and lack of toilets!

I bet he has got some good stories though.

bennie wrote: ↑26 Mar 2021, 06:53

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑26 Mar 2021, 06:47

bennie wrote: ↑26 Mar 2021, 06:42 I'm old enough to remember F rank Warren's first ever licenced show. He brought over two American light-heavies, Jerry "The Bull" Martin and Otis Gordon, to square off at the Bloomsbury Crest Hotel in London in December 1980. Martin won in seven rounds but it was a lousy fight.

https://boxrec.com/en/event/186523

That hotel still standing?

Yeah, it's still there. Warren was based there for several years and all his early fighters fought there, including Terry Marsh (his first signing), Keith Wallace and Joe Bugner.

Used to have the shows on Wednesday night on Midweek Sports Special. They had some good stuff on in those days

It'll be the most entertaining thing that he's been involved in that been on BT

maverick23 wrote: ↑26 Mar 2021, 06:58

coneye wrote: ↑26 Mar 2021, 04:11 I would certainly like to watch it ,, regardless what you think the guys a legend and will continue to be one ,, he's disapointed a lot of boxers ,, but he's made many very rich , , he's getting on now but jeez he's lived a full life and will have some storys to tell

I’ve been to more FW shows than other promoter but I’ve struggled to have much respect for him after the Ricky Burns case. Burns was awarded over £100k which was the unpaid purse for his fight with Kevin Mitchell. FW liquidated the promotional company to avoid paying it whilst Burns had to bankrupt himself due to the judge awarding FW through a different company £72k (plus legal fees) for unpaid management fees. Some of those fees related to the unpaid Mitchell purse I think.

Also the last show of his I went to was the Billy Joe/Eubank Jr show at the Excel which was a joke of live show given the timings of things and lack of toilets!

I bet he has got some good stories though.

I bet everyone was pissing up against the walls

He’s BT shows have been turgid. Almost every one of them is guaranteed to be trash.

i would of liked to of seen where he grew up and the people he grew up with more interesting

brilo33 wrote: ↑26 Mar 2021, 18:09 i would of liked to of seen where he grew up and the people he grew up with more interesting

I’d say there was a fair bit of ducking and diving.

high tower 1 wrote: ↑26 Mar 2021, 18:15

brilo33 wrote: ↑26 Mar 2021, 18:09 i would of liked to of seen where he grew up and the people he grew up with more interesting

I’d say there was a fair bit of ducking and diving.

i dont mined frank from the same gaf , but aint most of which he is showing been said before

I enjoyed it, nothing new really but a good watch. Plenty of archive footage which was good , the bit about Noel Quarless and the injunction I remembered but not the details. Was he signed to the cartel ?