Frank Warren exclusive on Fury vs Whyte: it’s the biggest show we’ve ever done

The days, hours and minutes are ticking by until Tyson Fury defends his WBC title and reputation as the best heavyweight in the world against Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium. Fury vs Whyte is sponsored by 32Red – for the latest fight odds, visit our sportsbook.

A heavyweight title fight always has a special feel to it. But when two unpredictable, explosive British heavyweights fight for the most prestigious title in sport in front of a record crowd, well, boxing doesn’t get much bigger.

Frank Warren has been in the business for over 40 years and has staged some of the most high profile fights in British boxing history but an event of this Saturday’s scale still gets the pulse racing.

“This is a massive, massive event”

“It does. It’s the biggest show we’ve ever done as far as the gate’s concerned and it’s a massive, massive event,” Warren told 32Red. “I worked with Don King when we did Frank Bruno and Mike Tyson in Vegas and that was a massive fight. I’ve been involved with quite a few different heavyweights and guys like Naseem Hamed, Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton but this is by far the biggest.

“I get involved in everything. We’ve got a really good team but, listen, I can’t help it. I just end up naturally doing it. It’s how I am.

“How can people say boxing isn’t what it used to be? It’s not just us, look at Anthony Joshua. They’re right; at the top we’re getting more people going now.”

Warren has worked with British boxing’s most popular names. Naseem Hamed was the ultimate showman, coupling explosive power with flamboyance. Ricky Hatton had a unique connection with the fans and genuine world class talent. Frank Bruno was the nation’s sweetheart, a big punching heavyweight with an equally booming laugh.

“The way he prepares, he’s a thorough professional”

Fury’s exploits in America have launched him to superstardom. He hasn’t boxed in Britain since 2018 but boxing fans who followed him from the beginning until he unseated Wladimir Klitschko have been joined by those drawn in by his battle against depression and substance abuse and casual fans who loved the Rocky-esque violence of his trilogy with Deontay Wilder. He has become one of the biggest figures in the sporting world.

“Tyson is like all of them mixed into one,” Warren said. “But a mature version. He’s had the ups and downs and he’s been around the block. He knows now exactly what it takes to make it work and he gets it. He’s a thorough professional in the way he prepares for his fights. And he’s a big enough personality that he could carry that first press conference on his own.

“When he came back from where he was, was he promotable? BT and us have taken the risk on it and proven that we can build a major star. The same as we did on BoxNation actually. It’s about promotion and as a result of that this will be the highest selling boxing event to ever take place in Europe.

“He’s done it – and done it in style”

“That’s the bottom line of it. He’s done it and he’s done it in style. That trilogy of fights [with Wilder] is the best I’ve seen. Ali and Frazier had a trilogy of fights. Two of them were magnificent but one of them wasn’t all that. Every one of those fights was great and they were all different. He’s a joy to work with.”

Fury’s achievements hold even more weight considering his best and most meaningful victories have taken place in his opponents back yards, a rare feat these days. Fury has loved his time in America and seems at home under the neon glare of Las Vegas but looks to have enjoyed preparing for this fight at home in Morecambe Bay.

“Fury’s beaten the best boxer of his generation”

Warren shares promotional duties with Top Rank and as one of the biggest stars in boxing, Bob Arum would obviously love to take Fury back across the Atlantic but the lack of a viable American challenger might mean that Fury can take advantage of home comforts for a little while longer. If he continues to fight, that is.

“I’ve gotta be honest, if he continues to fight I think he’s gotta be here for a while,” Warren said. “There’s nobody for him to fight in America. I think the commercial sense is for him to stay put at the moment.

“I know Wladimir Klitschko’s Ukrainian but he was based in Germany at the time and the home fighter. Then he went to the States and fought Wilder three times there. How many British fighters do that? He’s beaten the best boxer of his generation in Klitschko and he’s beaten the hardest punching heavyweight of the past 30-40 years and done a real job on him. It’s amazing what he’s done and he just seems to get better and better.”

“It’s amazing what he’s done”

The general opinion is that Fury should be too big, too strong, too quick and too slick for Whyte and that if he turns up at his best he could have a relatively comfortable night’s work. However, Fury is a born entertainer. It would be no surprise if the adrenaline surge created by the sight and sound of over 90,000 fans resulted in him fighting a crowd-pleasing fight rather than a smart one.

Whyte has absolutely no quit in him and could find himself eight rounds down and continue to wing away but he would surely welcome the opportunity to get involved in a shoot out. If that is how the fight pans out, Warren will remain comfortably in his seat. He believes Fury is so well rounded these days the he will prevail whichever route he decides to take.

“Whyte’s got a set of balls, for sure”

“The only way he [Whyte] can beat him is to try what Wilder did in that first round [of the third fight]. He’s gonna be coming forward letting those shots go and Wilder was letting body shots go and getting underneath. That’s what you’ve gotta try and do. Get under the big man’s jab. It’s gonna be interesting to see if he can do that.

“He’s got a set of balls, that’s for sure. He isn’t gonna lie down.

“The first fight he had with Wilder, I wanted him to have the fight. I told him, ‘You can beat this guy.’ I know he’d only had six months back and he’d had to get a chunk of weight off but I thought his style would do it,” Warren said. “My only concern was how he’d be after ten rounds or so. He demonstrated in that fight that he has a magnificent chin and he came back at the end of the last round and was on top.

“The next fight was – to me – what Tyson’s all about. Tyson obviously knows what he’s doing but I told him that if he went forward and put this fella on the back foot, he would stop him. That’s what he did. Tyson took a couple of heavy shots in that second fight and this fallacy that he’s a one trick pony who will move and hold, he put all that to bed. He’s got plan A, B and C now.”

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