Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe's Parenting Hell - S10 EP40: Frank Warren

Episode Date: July 10, 2025

Joining us this episode to discuss the highs and lows of parenting (and life) is the legendary boxing manager and promoter - Frank Warren. You can watch the upcoming Heavyweight world title fight between Dubois and Usyk on DAZN pay per view HERE Parenting Hell is a Spotify Podcast, available everywhere every Tuesday and Friday. Please subscribe and leave a rating and review you filthy street dogs... xx If you want to get in touch with the show with any correspondence, kids intro audio clips, small business shout outs, and more.... here's how: EMAIL: [e-mail] Follow us on instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@parentinghell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Join the mailing list to be first to hear about live show dates and tickets, Parenting Hell merch and any other exciting news... MAILING LIST: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠parentinghellpodcast.mailchimpsites.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ A 'Keep It Light Media' Production  Sales, advertising, and general enquiries: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Hello, I'm Rob Beckett. And I'm Josh Willicombe. Welcome to Parenting Hell, the show in which Josh and I discuss what it's really like to be a parent, which I would say can be a little tricky. So to make ourselves and hopefully you feel better about the trials and tribulations of modern day parenting, each week we'll be chatting to a famous parent

about how they're coping. Or hopefully how they're not coping. And we'll also be hearing from you, the listener, with your tips, advice, and of course, tales of parenting woe. Because let's be honest, there are plenty of times where none of us know what we're doing. ["The Star Spangled Banner"] Hello, you're listening to Parenting Hell with... there are plenty of times where none of us know what we're doing.

Hello, you're listening to Parenting Hell with... Noah, can you say Rob Beckett? Or Rocket. Can you say Josh Widdecombe? Doug Rican. Okay, can you say Producer Michael? Michael. Well done. Michael!

Oh, is he your favourite? Yeah. Big Michael fan, hit with the kids. Michael. Oh, is he your favorite? Big Michael fan, hit with the kids. I'm willing to say the word producer though, not not not given the respect. Is he a producer savant sort of, you know, circuit with ringmaster? What do you call yourself Michael producer? I consider myself to have a light touch. You know how they'd say about Miles Davies, it's it's a note so he doesn't play that makes me great. It's the producing I don't do that makes me great.

You're a manager of energy and vibes. It's the producing you don't do. Like Carlo Ancelotti, just let the players play. Yeah, when there's talent and ego is as big as yours, you're unmanageable, you're unproducible. We can't put us in a system. These little content machines just pumping it out. This is my daughter Noah, AKA Baby No-No. 23 months, I've been waiting for this day. That's two years of age.

Yeah, I've been waiting for this day for a long time, being an avid listener from the start when I didn't even have a kid yet. We love the show so much, and Noah often has a little dance when she hears the intro. How's Noah been spelled? N-O-A. Talia, Alex, and Noah, crouch the intro. Has Noah been spelt? N-O-A. Talia, Alex and Noah.

Crouch end. Is Noah short for something? No. Ah. Ah. There we go. Come on, look at that. Popping around.

Yeah, he can't fucking produce that. Imagine producing that. Imagine trying to produce that. What the thing is, the reason we don't need to produce it is like no one could come up with for some reason the banal back and forth that we have. It's almost like ultra realism, isn't it? Exactly. Yeah. Real life playing out.

Kitchen sink podcast. Kitchen sink podcast. That's what it is. But there we go. Right. That's the life of this. Shall we do a couple of emails? Let's do an email before we bring on Frank Warren. I'm quite excited about this. It's quite a stressful interview this, though, because I'm a big boxing fan.

This is recorded literally before Frank Warren. Yeah, we're about to talk to him five minutes. So why don't we actually, rather than the emails, which we always push back, how are you feeling about this interview ahead of time? Well, I'm a huge boxing fan, big fan of Frank Warren's work. Explain to Frank Warren who he is if people aren't boxing fans explained to Frank Warren who he is explain to people who Frank Warren is He's very intimidating boxing promote

I have everyone we've ever interviewed. He'd be the last person I want to tell who he is I've struggled with Robbie Williams. Frank Warren is a boxing promoter legend and he's promoted from Prince and Zim, Hammeh, Joe Calzaghe and now Tyson, U-Bank. He's been involved in everything in boxing for years and years. So he's about 73 I think now and he's got I think two or three children and I know that one of his kids, George, works for him in the family boxing company. He's very family-run business but also his biggest rival in boxing is the Hearns. So Eddie Hearn who's the younger one and then Barry Hearn. So Barry Hearn and Frank Warren, bowed it out. The really family thing.

Yes. So there's a bit of a father, child narrative through this. And he's still going strong, still pretty one of the biggest boxing promoters in the world. And are you nervous? A little, a little bit. I want him to like me. Do you know what I mean? But does like you, we know this. He's good value, he doesn't hold back, he says what he thinks. Oh, that's the last thing we want.

Can do with a few more people these days holding back and not saying what they think. No, can you hear that dog barking? Yeah, of course I can, it's fucking really loud. You don't need to shut it down. That dog will shut it down. What are you going to say to a dog? I can't leave you, Frank Warren, with a dog in the background. You can't. What are you going to say to the dog? Sorry, I'm about to interview Frank Warren.

I don't want to lower my screen so he can see the towel I've got around my microphone for sound. Oh my God. And I've got a weird yoga frog in the background. Yeah. I should have put, should I go and should get some get some boxing paraphernalia. A glove there. I've got a box. I'll just go get a big boxing post. It's a bit behind. I don't think it'll be more than 10 minutes before you've brought out that glove.

Oh, no, that's a weird glove to bring. Oh, no, it's promoting the store. I've got two minutes. It's the robot law merman. Oh, God. Here we go. Yeah. Go get the van. I've got two minutes, it's the robot lawnmower man. Oh God, here we go. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go get the robot. I've got a van installing a robot lawnmower. Have I got time to speak to the robot lawnmower man? It's up to you.

I'm not producing this shit show. Is Lou in? Michael's just letting us play. Yeah. Lou is in. So can't Lou speak to the robot lawnmower man? He sort of can, but I've been the main contact and there's a lot of questions that need to come my way.

What are they? I'm panicking. I'm on. Where's the lawn? I've got Frank Warren in two minutes. Where's the lawn? Also, install it. Come on, mate.

I've seen one of them. You put it down and it just goes around. No, you've got a map here. It's got AI. It's got Chinese AI. What does that mean? It just can see what's in front of it. It's not doing it from a satellite.

It is. I don't think I've got enough phone signal for it to be installed. But they said, we'll come and install it. If it don't work, they can take it back for refund, Josh. Well, I reckon I'm from Lincoln. They come from Lincoln. Yeah. Lincoln China. Lincoln, Gangzow.

Beijing, the flattest land of them all. That's what I thought when they said they're basically Lincoln, I thought it's a great place to be a robot lawnmower man. So much flat isn't there? Yeah. Do you think they came down on the robot lawnmower? It just navigated his way down? Well, yeah, it's basically such a lot. I think just gonna open the boot and it's just gonna It's basically such a lot. I think it's just gonna open the boot and it's just gonna move out.

No, you've got to install it. You've got to find the power. Tell me! You've got to like connect it to all the Wi-Fi. You've got to put all the stuff in. My phone's going. My phone's going. Who's ringing you? I don't know. No, answer it. Hello?

This is Michael. I think you need to start producing. I think we need to produce. to be joking at the start. This is not acceptable. Okay. Let me go. Freedom. You've given us too much freedom to play. All right.

Brilliant. I'll speak to Rose now. Okay. Well, no, not to speak to Rose. I speak to Rob now, please on the yeah. Yeah. Totally understand. Totally understand.

Brilliant. Okay. Weekdays. That's weekly shit. Someone's fat. Someone's canceled on what's that? What's happening? Get sweet to Rose. What about this is this is like realm of dread when they saw McAleally. This is this is a nice day. This is El Galactic. The Galactic period. There's too much going on. Isn't there? There's too much going on. What was that phone call about? Oh, boring house stuff. It was meant to be tomorrow. But now it's

got to be today because they haven't got a gap tomorrow. Right, okay. Whatever that is. Fair enough. Right. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much. Thank God he's late. What's that on your left? Is that a dolphin? Yep. I know what that is because I'm a boxing nerd.

Of course you do. What is it Rob? It's a Muhammad Ali book from Tashan and it's got that Jeff, is it called Jeff Koons? Jeff Koons. Yeah, Jeff Koons, he's an artist and he works with inflatable stuff so it's an inflatable dolphin over a boxing stool with a rubber ring around it. That's it, you've got it. Fucking hell Rob.

That's an hell of a quote. I don't quite know how much it costs so I'm very impressed. It was a present. I was it. Lovely. I'm too distracted by your office to talk to you Frank to be honest. Let's start you can ask him about three things about his office when we start Rob. That's a good way to start the interview. Well the belts behind you Frank, whose belts are they? There's an IBF one was given to me by this Mike Tys. The other one, I'm not sure. I've got so many of them. One of them is a bloody place. I'm not sure which one is.

They've been up there for ages. But I know one of them is Mike Tyson's belt. Anyway, we'll get into more boxing in a bit, I'm sure. But we're here to chat kids, Frank. Welcome to the show. I'm a big fan of yours. Josh also a big, not as big a fan of boxing, but still a big fan. I'm a big fan of Josh and I'm a big fan of Rob.

I mean, I'm big fans of you guys. So first of all, how many kids have you got, Frank? I've got six kids. Blimey. Fair play. Yeah, I've got two from previous relationships and marriage and relationship and four from my wife, Susan. I think we've been married now for, well, we've been together now for 40, I think it was 45 years. Oh wow.

And what ages are they? Your kids, I'll say kids, they're all grownups, aren't they? 50, 49, 50. And I'm terrible on this. 30. Got to remember that. It's like interviewing my dad. He's got five kids. I'm a great dad.

I'm used to this on the birthdays as well. They're all in my phone. I won't do birthdays, but let's try and get ages in. We've got one who's 50. 150, 49, a 34-year-old, a 35-year-old, a 37-year-old and a 40-year-old. Oh my God, you went round in different orders then. I thought we were going down and up again. It was like a rollercoaster that.

And I've got 12 grandchildren. Splimey. No wonder you're still promoting. They were all around yesterday. They were all over yesterday. They all came over as like the Walton's. Amazing. Are they all kind of local to you? Yeah, they do actually. They all came over as like the Walton's. Amazing.

Are they all kind of local to you? Yeah, they do actually. They all live in Hertfordshire, which is nice. It's nice. Yeah, it's amazing. My youngest, he's in Australia at the moment. He's working out there. And how many of your kids work with you? Because I know there's George Warren. He's the CEO.

He's the CEO of your boxing company, Queensbury. Yeah, let me get this right. Another son called Francis. That's right. And he's management. Francis, he's the eldest of Susan and Mike and Ag. He's a manager. He manages Moses Itama. He manages Sam Oakes.

Quite a few decent fighters. So does he have to negotiate with you? So like, obviously, so George runs the business with you, and then you've got your son who's a manager of a boxer. So if he's looking after Moses Itamama and there's a fight coming up will you be negotiating with your own son? Yeah he comes in with their team which is one of Moses or couple of Moses brothers. It's hard work really because he's my son so I want to do better by him. People think it works the other way but it

doesn't because you want to you know you want to make it better for them so yeah we have our moments. Did you get them into the game early like were they kind of around it no i didn't want them in it i did not want them really no look i lived on the fourth floor of a block of flats just off pentville road in islington prior to green estate and i was a like you guys a massive sports fan watched everything and i've got involved in boxing purely by accident. But I got bitten by the bug and you know you come from that sort of working class background and it was great and I've been lucky over my time in boxing to have done fairly well and my ambition was to get my kids really good education so they went to very good schools, they went to uni and I didn't for

one minute think they'd become involved in boxing but obviously that most of their shows are on a Saturday night they were the youngest four all went to um boarding schools and they come on weekends Saturdays I've only got a show on so I don't get to see them until probably Sunday when they're going back and you miss quite a bit of it and obviously they're bitten by the bug they're watching all the fights and whatever. And then the next minute they're in the business and I really did not want it. I thought, cause I didn't feel that it would be, I don't know, I just want them to do something else,

but they're in it and they're very good at what they do. They're better at it than I am, that's for sure. More sensible. Just two of them were in the business or are there others as well? No, just two of them. Two of them, yeah. And so they went, that's quite a jump though,

to go from that sort of, you know, very humble beginnings, working class kid, to then having his kids in bald in school. Is that a difficult decision to send them there? Because it's sort of, you know, it's such a jump in one generation. It is. I mean, you know, we, the baldie school I went to, my wife, she made sure we lived like five minutes from it. So we moved house to be near it.

I mean, she was up there more, probably seeing them more than when they were at home But it was good for them and they enjoyed it and it was you know It's not like the old Tom Brown school days, you know being roasted by the fire and all that sort of stuff Yeah First quarter went to receive Matt then they all went to Halebury and my daughter went to Princess Grace Then she did her sixth former Halebury and do they speak like you or do they speak like people that have been to boarding school? They're more eloquent than I am. But they're the gang everybody is. I mean Danny Dyer's more eloquent than I am. No, you can have your moments Frank. Have you mellowed a bit would you say? As you're getting older you're slightly more mellow but I've seen you on the TV when a decision's not gone your way or you think someone's been hard done by, you've still got that bite. You know, it's only about a year ago

you were pushing and shoving other promoters on the stage with Ben Shalom. No, I'm competitive. I've always been competitive and it's just how you are. I'm 73 now, so I've got to be a bit careful in case someone gives me a right handers. But no, it's I'm with somebody, I'm with them, you know, and I'll go and fight for them there. And I believe in that. I believe that, you know, when you are in this, you're in it together. Through the bad times and the good times.

You hope that people think the same way as you do. You treat them how you'd like to be treated. Sometimes it doesn't happen. And you know what this business is like. There's always a different side to the story. You know, he's a bastard, no, this one's all right. And it's how it is. And it's just, it all walks life, by the way, you know, he's a bastard, no, this one's all right. And yeah, it's how it is. And it's a normal walks

life, by the way, not just boxing. Do you think that fire in your belly that you've you've still got is a product of your like tough upbringing? And whereas your kids have had a very proliferated upbringing? Do you still see the same fire in their belly? Or is it a different type? You know, they, you had to earn money because you had nothing and that was driving you. So can you see the same fire in the belly? Or is it different? I think it's different. I think they've got that drive

For me, it was when I was a kid, you know where I come from an easeling to my dad my uncles They were quite well known family there and they were pretty tough guys and it was a bit of a macho Environment so you grew up in now. that's the best way of putting it. I think you did that really well actually Frank. But it's great fun, I mean when you're a kid you don't know any different, the environment you're in is the environment you're in, what you're being brought up in and for my kids you know we made a decision to move out of London, it was at the time which I think was a good decision but yeah I like to think they're pretty well grounded. They're not precocious kids. I mean, they're not anything like that. I mean, they're not kids, they're men now. Women,

you know, and got their own families. I think they've done really good and I'm quite proud of all of them. Oh, that's amazing. Did they ever show an interest in boxing themselves? One of them did, but I told him if he keeps on, I'll break his hands. They got no need to box, you know. Most kids who box, they do it for a reason. Mind you, I'll change my view, I suppose, a bit on that as well, because it's in you, isn't it? If you're a fighting man, you're a fighting man. People express themselves with the talent that they've got.

Be an artist, be a ballet dancer, be a poet and you can be a boxer. Some people, you know, the exponents of the noble art are, you know, it's brilliant. You know, big fights and great fighters at their best are, for me, are a joy to watch. I had to promote, how did you deal with like family? Like, you know, boxers bringing their kids to watch the fights. Did you feel uncomfortable without or you just, that was their decision? I don't particularly like that because it depends what age you are. I don't like young kids coming along. I really do not like that.

I don't think the environment, especially if it gets a bit heated and you get that sort of, which you can get out fights. I don't say it's a good place for kids, but you know, my kids didn't go, I think the one of them, first time he come is probably probably about 13 which I still weren't too comfortable with. What about the other way as well? Do you have boxers that come to you and their parents are quite heavily involved like how do you kind of manage that kind of relationship? It's really difficult Josh because what happens is you've got look all people are different you've got some parents who are brilliant parents you've got all people are different. You've got some parents who are brilliant parents.

You've got some, they've got other ideas and, you know, there's some public falling out of boxes with their parents, which is quite sad. And I've always done it. I've deal, if it's the parents involved, and a couple of the parents have been the managers, I deal with them. I don't deal with a fighter.

I deal with them. So you negotiate and you only hope that the message you are giving them goes back in the way you say it to the boxer. Yeah. And big falling out I had years ago was with not with Ricky, but it was with Ricky but we never had an argument. It was all over money. And I'd for the life of me couldn't understand what that was all about and cut long story short years later he was complaining never had enough money to buy a house and I got quite pissed off of it so I just said right this is how much I've paid him and I

just put it out there I don't know what happened between him and his manager who was his dad at the time and then there was a court case not involving me involving their former his former trainer and in court a couple of purses came out which he was told were far less than what were paid and they had a massive fallout. There's a documentary about that on Sky isn't there with called Hatton about that? Yeah and it's very sad because I mean you can't trust your dad who can you trust you know it's a pretty awful thing and I know it gave him a lot of problems obviously mentally and you know he started boozing and doing other things he shouldn't be doing.

And it was sad. And it took him a long time to come to terms with it. If indeed he has come to terms, he's a great fellow, Ricky. And him and I, we got together a few years later. It was just sad. It was very sad because, you know, I'm pleased to say, he says, the best night you ever had in boxing is when he fought Kostasu in Manchester, which is a fight I put on for him. And he said that was a great night. He said it all went for him felt it went downhill after that.

It was very, very sad time for him. And he's a lovely bloke. You know, what you see is what you get with Ricky. Yeah, he's a really good guy. But you get a lot of that in boxing with trainers as well as managers. So like Joe Kalzacki, who you work with for years, his dad Enzo managed him and trained him. So like, you know, you've got the dad in the corner. Like, how do you feel about dads training their sons? Because it's again, it's difficult. They're good trainers. They're good trainers. I mean, Alex Arthur up in Scotland, former world

champion, he's got two kids, one's an amateur, one's a pro. He trains them both. And his boy just had his debut with me. And I think Alex is a good trainer. Enzo was a good trainer in as much that, I think he got more out of Joe than any trainer would have done in as much that, because it's his dad. And as his dad, get more out.

You wanna do it for your dad, don't you? So you're in there and you do it. And that can happen sometimes. And another thing we had, well, at the trainers, when Daniel Duvall, when he had that fight against Bay Miller, he was coming off the loss against Usyk, that first loss, and a lot of people said he didn't have the heart and so forth.

And I watched the Usyk fight back, the first one, and going to the ring, all he was doing was looking around as he was going to the ring. And I knew he was looking for his father, because they're very close. Got quite a Slingali type of relationship. You know, the dad just said, you're going to be boxers when you're young.

And that's how they were, him and his sister and everybody come through. I don't know if you're aware Josh, but his dad, Daniel Dubar, who's fighting Usyk again in the rematch at Wembley on the 19th of July, which we're all getting excited for. I'll see you there, Frank. His dad took all the kids out of school to homeschool them and basically train them all as boxers. Wow. Like kind of Richard Williams, Serena Williams, the world heavyweight champion.

And then his sister Caroline is a, well, I don't know if she's a world champion. She's world champion. Yeah. So two world champions. And then I went to interview Daniel Dubar recently, which is quite a task. He doesn't open up, does he? I wouldn't say it's a free wheeling. Did you say a crowbar wheel?

You've got to have balls of steel when you sort of ask good questions as nothing comes back, but he's so focused. You're good at filling space, Rob. If I've ever met anyone that can feel some silence. Well, do you know what though? What's interesting was because his dad's been so involved in his career, he's always been around Daniel's dad and Daniel started really young, he's always felt like this sort of giant, almost like super kid, like wonder kid, giant child. But when I went to interview him, it does feel like something's changed in his head because I went there and his dad weren't even there. His dad was out in a Mercedes Vito thing, just watching the telly in the airconcon and I went into the gym and it's just like metal

Yes, sir. I've done Charles up in North London It's like a big old metal barn and it was about 30 degrees outside about 40 degrees in there and Daniel Debarz in there Just going mad like hitting stuff and I've never seen anyone so focused and so up for it I thought his dad would be there telling do this do that That was my impression but I got there and he's become his own man now. And honestly, I Frank I went there, I felt like I've been dropped into a line enclosure. It was like being next to a wild animal that can't be contained. It was really interesting though to see him step away almost it felt like from his dad's influence and become a sort of his own man. I don't know if you've noticed that

or if he's always trained like that. I have he's matured mentally now, but his's parenting is, as you say, it wasn't from home and so forth. And he looks to his dad. It was when I first met him, I never knew this at the time, but when he signed with us and he'd look at his dad before he said something. And it was quite that sort of dynamic between the two of them. And when he came off that loss against Usyk, it's about the third round of the fight against Bay Miller in Saudi and Riyadh. And I was watching, I see him, he started looking outside the ring and he went back to the corner and Don was talking to him.

I could just see what weren't listening to him. So I said, get his dad. We went and pulled him out of the crowd. Oh wow. Pulled someone out the corner, sat his dad on the stall and was telling his dad, you know, saying, right, tell him what we're going to do is just double jab, let the right hand go. And suddenly it all happened.

It was like a penny dropping moment. So the dad works in the corner. right, tend to go out and do it, just double jab, let the right hand go. And suddenly it all happened. It was like a penny dropping moment. So the dad works in the corner. Don's a fabulous trainer, great trainer, gets the best out of him. But you know, if that's the voice you're hearing, that's the voice you're hearing. So channel all the instructions. Right, especially in a time of stress, that voice cuts through. So it's really, really interesting. And he's got a younger brother there called Solomon, I think. Solomon, yes. Solomon. And then Solomon's there and he was like, oh yeah, I'm Daniel's brother. And he's

at the gym all the time being homeschooled. A lot of homeschooling is boxing, I found. I don't know if you're submitting a lot of exam results at Ofsted. And it's getting him to learn Mandarin because he wants him to fight in China. Oh really? He was doing gymnastics next to me, but like they're all like unbelievably fit and trained and focused. It's mad. And I always think with things like this, and you've obviously seen it closer up, and being in sport, you know more about this than us.

How much of that can be taught by just kind of almost schooling these kids from a young age? Like, if Richard Williams has done that to Serena and Venus, how much of it is talent? And how many of these stories are people who've done that and it's gone nowhere? Do you know what I mean?

Like, is it possible to do that with a child? Do you know what I mean? It has happened, but I also think, you know, all kids eventually leave the nest. That's human nature, of course, of their lives. It's where they go from there. And I've seen kids who have been with their fathers in boxing, who've done extremely well. And I've seen other kids where it's been an impediment to them.

Yeah. You know, where the father gets involved, he knows it and he doesn't know it. You know, it's a business that we know it's a business, but it's also, you know, a way of life and things that you have to do. And you can't just pick it up like that just because you've got a talented job. Yeah. This is my 48th year. You know, I've been doing it a long time and if I don't know now I'm never going to know but you know you sort of see these things and you listen to them you know you've got this sort of radar now which you pick up on when somebody comes in with their parents

and nearly all the youngsters come in with their parents as they should do and you pick up on it and you can you know you get that sort of sort of feeling probably 90% of the time you get it right where you know there's going to be a problem. Talking of problems, what's it like when you've dealt in the past with the most famous dad and son in boxing at the moment, the Chris Eubanks senior and junior? How are they to deal with you? I mean, because there's a difference between an overprotective dad, but then when you're dealing with someone like Eubanks senior... And a lunatic. then when you're dealing with someone like Hugh Banks senior. And the lunatic. Yeah. Well, early days, because we had a couple of fights for us, Chris Jr. and Chris Sr.

fought for me. He was originally with Barry Hurn, then he came with me. And I think he had five or six fights with me. And I think he got beat in four or five of them. Joe Kalczak, he beat him, I think. Cole Thompson beat him. four or five of them. Joe Cazac, he beat him, I think. Cole Thompson beat him, Steve Collins. So, you know, all those are very valiant fighters that he got beat.

Then Chris Jr. come and he had a couple of fights with us and then he fought Billy Joe Saunders and Bill beat him. Then he went off and did his own thing. And then I had a couple of run-ins with him. Later Chris Jr., which was hard work, but we resolved our differences. That's all been sorted now. There's a bit of an outburst at a press conference that's been sorted now, hasn't it?

It's been sorted to everybody's satisfaction, especially. That's more fun. And so when you say your son is the CEO or COO? Well, I call him CEO. I don't even know what the bloody... he runs it. Yeah. Is he your boss? He's the day to day boss and I mean I do my day's work but he's on there. What's your title then? They call me Chairman, I can't even find anywhere to sit. How much do you kind of butt heads with your son? Like because that's an interesting working

relationship because it's like obviously the thing you think of is like succession or something but in succession he never steps aside for his kids but you've done that you've stepped aside to an extent i know you're German but like you've handed it over to him how is that i mean i'm pretty much hands-on or was really hands-on with everything yeah as far as the business side it, I'm very good at going out and generating business and selling the business and promoting it and that. The backroom stuff, I've had a couple of people who have given positions in the company, given them shares, especially one of them,

it didn't work out in a big way. And sometimes I don't wanna wish my son's life away, I wish he'd been my partner years ago, it'd have made a lot of difference. Yeah, it is different. It is difficult sometimes, but first of all, he's my son, so I want him to be successful. lot of different, it's different. Oh, it is difficult sometimes, but first of all, he's my son, so I want him to be successful. And most importantly, he's competent.

I know we all sat back, kids, but he's very smart and he's very well respected in the business. Anybody who deals with him, they're quite impressed with him. So, you know, he's doing a great job. So that suits me down to the ground. I get on doing what I do. And I like sort of developing the fighters and bringing the ones through I think are going to be, are

going to do the business, going to be become stars and so forth. And then we just got an understanding. There's a couple of times where it gets frustrating. I know you get frustrated me a few times. I can just sit so I just bite my tongue, have a little smile and let go. Because every father son dynamic can frustrate each other. Has anything personal life spilled over into professional life where you've had a row on holiday and then you turn up on a Monday morning and have to square it out? I've got to say, I like to think we've, you know, all of us, we

all got fairly good relationship. But I've got to be honest, at their age, they are now bite the tongue. Years ago, I put me in their place, but they put me in my place now. George has been really influential recently within the business where when the Saudi and Turkey Al-Asheq come in with some money and wanted to put on fights in Saudi Arabia he won in all the best boxers and obviously all the best boxers in the UK have split between Queensbury your company and then Barry and Eddie Hearn's company Matrim and you were fierce rivals, never really worked together. You hadn't even sort of spoken or

met with Eddie Hearn, who was your sort of rival promoter at that point. And then but George got you and Eddie in a room together, sort of go look, let's squash this because there's a lot of business to be done here. There's a lot of money, a lot of good fights we can put on, we need to put our personal beef aside for good business relations. So you've had to have your sons come in. That's sort of be the peacemaker. How did that feel? Like did you want to squash things with Matt Trimble? Did he have to sweet

talk you? Barry and I were partners years ago for a short period in snooker business, very short period. And we've always been rivals and we were always the sort of, you know, he's very good at what he does in snooker and darts and we were the more successful boxing company then. We, meaning Queensbury, we left Sky and started our own channel, Box Nation, which we ran for quite a few years. In the meantime, Sky got their hunger back for boxing and invested quite a bit in it. Plus they had AJ, which was a big thing. So there was a lot of rivalry and Turkey then suggested that we do this 5v5 and that was the first time I met Eddie because I'd never met him before.

So we, he was in the dressing room at one of the Wembley shows, he came in, we shook hands. Because this had been 10 years of back and forth slacking each other off really, you know. Well, a lot longer than that. Yeah, well, 15. It's always the young buck comes in and he's always the way they do it's old you know we've got a new way of doing it so all people want to see the fights they don't care all that crap on the outside is just what it is it's just dressing and then we got the 5v5 going which was uh But when George first come to you and said right I'm going to set up a meeting with you and Eddie did you was you open to it? I didn't really care about it to be honest. I didn't one way. I mean it wasn't nothing

that I was sort of either thought about. The only time I ever talk about them or our competitors is in these interviews outside of that. We just get on with our business because that's what we focus on and we you know we worked very hard over the last six years with the model that we had which was developing the talent here which we're now expanding. We're starting to do some shows in America and Europe now. And going back to it, I already did that years ago. And I think the thing with I suppose this thing with Riyadh season and with H.E. his excellency, as we call him, it was the catalyst for all this to happen.

And I'll get on quite well with Eddie now. Yeah, it's mad, though, isn't it? Me and Eddie, we ain't got a good word to say for George. But it's so bad that like your old rival's son who became your rival, it took your son, it's a mad father son dynamic. Yeah, they get on quite well together. So it's nice. And then and it's funny, you sit back and you look at it and you just think of things, you know, over the years, I find it quite, I have a

little right smile when I see it, because I just thinking what it was and what it is now. I mean, obviously, over the years, I find it quite, I have a little wry smile when I see it, because I just think of what it was and what it is now. I mean, obviously the rivalry is still there and we have the, in a way, we had the five of you, we had a few fighters and obviously when Daniel Duboff or Ajay Wembley, that was again match against Queensbury and we came through on that. So got a hot run of form. Yeah. we came through on that. So a hot run of form. Yeah. When you say like you said on Sunday, like yesterday, this has been recorded on Monday, you had all the family around and it was like the Walton's. How much are you like, right? We're not

talking boxing. Is it delineated? Like this is family time. And then when we're at work, we're at work or does it is it impossible not to find yourselves talking business? When we're all together like that, we don't, unless there's a real something, there's an issue that we got, then we just like a couple of us just gone have sort of 10 minutes, you know, to one side of the soap, we got a soap. But no, I mean, yesterday was all about, it was a belated birthday party for my oldest daughter.

I mean, the weather was a bit crappy, but it weren't the point. It was just really good to get everyone together, some nice food, you know, and I like a glass of wine. And it was just lovely. It was just a lovely day seeing the grandkids. I mean, sometimes I step back and look at that. Look at them all in there. I mean, there was Jesse with my one son was,

as I say, was in Australia. There was 26 of them there all together. And I'm still thinking. How do you keep track? Like, do you know birthdays and stuff like that? They're all in my phone. They're all in my phone. Every one of them. So how much, you know, because when you have, you know, you've got six kids,

when you have kids like me and Josh at our age, you think, oh, hopefully Nan and Granddad will be around to have them for the weekend and stuff like that. But obviously at the weekend, you're normally away at a fire. How much babysitting are you doing as Frank War and the granddad? Well the night before my wife had uh France's and Sam's three children because he went off to see the Oasis thing at Cardiff, he's a massive Oasis fan, but she went and stayed there and I stayed at home because of the dogs so. You've got the better side of the deal there. She I was babysat the kids and the dog babysat me.

Right. Okay. So she normally takes the hit and you're there with the dogs. Actually, I love it when the grandkids come around because they're good fun. I mean, they're, they're good kids and they're, they're all different little personalities as well. It's amazing when you see and you see the similarities with them and my mom's off that Warren side of it. It's quite interesting. Do you ever go away for a big family holiday? All of them, all the six kids? We used

to do that quite a bit, but now obviously they've got in-laws, so sometimes they go away. Christmas, we used to all of us get together at Christmas, but now that, that's sort of every other year sort of thing because there's a, they have to obviously share, share the thing with their other in-laws. Am I right in saying you holiday with Jim Rosenthal and then his son Tom Rosenthal has become a comedian because he was telling me he used to go on holiday with you is that right? Jim's a very good friend of mine Jimmy Christie he's wife of Christie and Tom sounds good son. Have you ever seen Tom? I've never actually seen him live I've seen him you know in the plebs and the various shows he's and he's he comes to Arsenal sometimes with us I've got him live, I've seen him in the plebs and the various shows. He comes to Arsenal sometimes with us, I've got a box at the Arsenal, we're all Arsenal

nuts and all my kids are all Arsenal nuts. As soon as they were born, got them the shirts, all my grandkids are all Arsenal support. As soon as that before any of the in-laws and two of the in-laws, I think it's George and Francis, then the other side's Spurs fans. So as soon as they were born, I had their little kits ready for them. Got them to play in the hospital. They're our store and that's it. So they're all on, that's how it's been.

I think if someone said to me, the most scary potential father-in-law to go back to, if I was dating your daughter, I think you'd be in the top five people I'd be scared of as a father-in-law. What were you like when you first met your son-in-law? How many daughters have you got? I've got two. My eldest daughter, she's backing singer and a music teacher. She teaches music and her husband is a drummer. He used to be in the National Jazz Youth Orchestra,

Blashton, who was my form master by the, when I was at school. So that's a small world and he was in there and he works on a lot of shows and things. He's lovely, Neil, he's a lovely guy. And was you protective when they first started bringing boyfriends home? Was you quite standoffish? What was your approach? Well, as I said, that was a relationship where I wasn't with the mother, but we sort of got together and it's all great. It's fantastic. And he's a lovely guy, Neil. Going back to with the kids, I mean, six of them and the boarding school.

How did you find it sending them to boarding school? Did you like, was it difficult? What age did they go? And that because... Before I went to boarding school, that's Susan's and my first wife, Barbara, Jamie went to, he went to go to a central St. Martin's. He went there. Oh yeah.

But he dropped out and Louise, she done stage stuff, stage school and all that. But the ones who went to boarding school, the four that went, Henry, Bay, George and Frances went to boarding school. I was a bit wary about it at first to be quite honest, but my wife, you know, she was quite on it and she went and looked at school and I said, we bought a a house near the school but it was great and I used to love it. I'd like that, you know, mid-week I'd try and get along to the football matches. So they'd basically, they'd come home for weekends, is that right? Yeah.

So it was basically you drop them off on a Monday morning, pick them up Friday afternoon but then you were in and out. Well it was Saturday afternoon in those days because I used to go to school on a Saturday morning. Oh my word. I like that. Imagine that, going to school on a Saturday morning, I'd have been livid. Yeah, but I used to get a bowl of gruel at the end of the day. But then you'd be able to see it with a week though, if you were at football matches or

music shows and all that kind of stuff. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, because I don't know if I could, the people that, when they drop them off at like seven, don't come back for six weeks. And then pick them up again at Christmas for six weeks away. Yeah, but that's the old thing, weren't it? In those days, you know, you come in. Haylebury school was, uh, I think that was part of the West East India company.

So that's probably people who were working out there, sent their kids there and they see them in sort of two years or three years later or whatever it was. No, we've, we sit and got there and see them and go and watch them play a bit of football and all that. I'll get to the matches and Sundays. If, you know, especially it was great if we had shows in London Sunday morning, I'll go and watch them play a bit of football and all that I'll get to the matches and Sundays if you know especially it was great if we had shows in London Sunday morning I'd go and watch and play football the local football team where we live which was at that time was in Chewy Wood, they used to play like around there. And did you feel like your parenting was quite

soft but obviously compared to like you had a very tough upbringing so like you know when you were trying to like tell them off or they were being naughty and you were like, and well, how do I need to do this? Because you don't want to be as full on as you was getting it. But then trying to find the mid, like mediated, did you find that a challenge or did it just come naturally being a bit calmer with them? No, I think I could sort of get their attention just with the tone of my voice. Right. Especially I had a megaphone.

They were good kids. They were all really good kids. I suppose in some ways, I don't know what you're like with your kids, but you spoil them if you can because- Yeah, very difficult not to, isn't it? Yeah, and I think the other thing is, people have got a few quid, when you die, you're gonna leave in the money.

And my thing is, give it with a warm hand. I wanna see them enjoy. I'd get more pleasure, rather than're being shoved, put behind the curtains and on the conveyor belt. You want to see them enjoy it, don't you? Yeah. That's how I am anyway. So they're good kids. I think everybody who meets them, you know, likes them. My daughters are really lovely and good kids. It is a different side to Frank Warren that you see when he's talking about his kids. Yeah, you're a bit of a softy actually Frank, the guard's coming down. Is this how you feel

about your fighters as well? Because I think that's part of it, isn't it? Is that you feel a deep loyalty to your fighter. Like that's what makes a good promoter is that you're absolutely, you do anything for your fighter if you know what I mean. You've got to be in the trenches. Yeah. You're in the trenches. A lot of fighters, fighters, they're in the toughest of all sports. They're in a sport where, you know, that bill goes, you're in the ring on your own and that's it. You get on with it. You wake up in the morning if you're playing football or cricket on a day of a fight,

you wake up and you're going to fight whatever happens, however you feel. And that's what they do. They say afterwards, maybe I've got a headache or where, but they'll go and fight. You know, football, oh, put a sub on, or we're playing next week, don't worry. Boxers are tough, tough, unique people. But they are human as well, so they will have those down moments. And do you ever see that in the dressing room where you have to sort of be a father figure to them and help them with that? Or is that more of the trainer's role? You get some of them. I remember, I'm not going to say he's known as one fighter in particular, he lost this fight and both the fighters were on the Queensbury books

and it was an ordered fight. He lost the fight and he lost it by a couple of rounds and because he asked me and people with him, a couple of trainers asked me, they said, he said, I won that, I won that. He said, didn't I? I won that. I said, no you didn't. He went, what? I said, no. I said, the other fellow. I said, it was even money going into the 10th round and he won those last couple of rounds. That's how I see it. And he went off alarming. I said, what you asking me for?

What you been doing? Lying to you? I said, it's what it is. I said, but we'll do a rematch and we'll find out. But it was really, really tough. But again, as I say, everybody's different. You know, they've got different things and different ways about it. You actually fought the guy a few years later and beat him. That's the part, you know, like if you are being a father figure or with kids, you've

got to be honest when it's the truth. You can't lie and be a yes man. What you think of your business? I mean, if you have a dodgy night on the stage or it's just not quite well, you don't want to be someone dragging you down. You want to be lifted, don't you? That's what people around you are to do. You know, to encourage you. You don't want to lose your confidence you down. You want to be lifted, don't you? That's what people around you are to do, you know, to encourage you. You don't want to lose your confidence.

You want, and you want to be appreciated and felt that people are there battling for you. I think that comes through your sort of affection towards Tyson Fury and the sort of, you know, as a friend and a father figure way, where people always go, oh, is Tyson coming back? Is Tyson coming back?

And you never egg it up or try and convince him. I really appreciate the way you always say, he's the best place he can be, which is happy and healthy. And that's all I want from him. But if him being happy and healthy involves him fighting, I'll help him with that. But as long as he's happy and healthy, I don't care if he fights or not. And it does feel authentic, you know, cause for you, if you're just a shark business mind, you are on him every day to get him because he is just pure money to you

In that regard but it's more to you than that I think is the I'll see people do that Rob over the years with guys not this dreadful I mean I was reading today that Ricky's coming back in a fight for a life of me and me come on He shouldn't be fighting again doesn't need to be doing that. It's 46 now. He doesn't need to be doing that I mean, this has got off parenting. But what do you think of the need to be doing that. I mean this has got off parenting but what do you think of the um the kind of rise of the influencer boxing world? Is that good for boxing because it's making it more visible or do you think it undermines it as a sport? I think it's a bit of both but what I look they're not kids are they they're not like yeah they're not 15 year old kids they're educated

people or smart people so they build up their fan base of him online and they're finding a way if they want to fight like what's his name? KSI and a few of these other guys Jake Paul to monetize it. Yeah, Jake Paul's actually is fighting fighters now I mean, you know what great fighters be fighting fighters They can find a way to monetize it as long as the health aspect the doctors are there It's not gonna be licensed by the British Boxing Board of Control. But as long as they've got the right, you know, that they're fit to fight, that's their choice. It's like if I want to go and climb Mount Everest, that's my choice. Yeah.

You know what the risks are and so forth. That's your choice. What I don't like about it is people think that is boxing. They are fighting. They're not trained as a fighter given those years maybe as an amateur or in other sports. It is what it is. And as long as people understand that and understand it. I mean, we did a show with Jake Paul in America quite the very first time for about three, four years ago. In fact, Daniel DuBois fought on it. We took him out there. The place was rammed out from six o'clock at night. Really young audience all sitting there watching it all getting into this. And there's some really

good fights with proper licensed and trained fighters on there. And then on came Jake and he thought this guy was pretty old. This is the early days and he beat him. It was an eight rounder. And then he's given a speech in the ring afterwards. And it was like, it was a world title fight. And the crowd were going berserk and I'm looking around and I remember another old guy like me sitting there from New York I said where do we go wrong? They were going mad but they sat there and they loved it and they cheered him on and he's found an audience and actually Jake's quite a nice fellow if you meet him he's good fun. What do you chat to Jake Paul about? Boxing! He made his name through basically his version of Candid Camera, wasn't it?

Yes. William and his brother. I like Jake and his business partner, Nikis, is a very smart guy. They found a niche and they've exploited it and they're doing well at it. But I mean him fighting Mike Tyson for me was, I mean, what's Mike Tyson doing in getting in the ring at 58? He's nuts. Well, he wants to fight Anthony Joshua, doesn't he next? Which I'm not sure how that ends up. We'll see.

Frank, so July 19th, Daniel Dubar's fine Usyk, you can watch it. Where can I watch? On the zone, pay per view? On the zone, on the zone pay per view. It's the first pay per view they've ever done. That's going to be interesting. It's a first pay-per-view they've ever done. So that's going to be interesting. It's a great fight. We sold, I think we're up to about 88,000 tickets now.

So there's still tickets available to watch it in Wembley? Yeah, there's still some available from Ticketmaster. Yeah, you know, it's going to be a great fight. I mean, you know, it's Daniel, I think his management said it, U6 manager, he's a great fighter, by the way. He's probably the best heavyweight of the 21st century. He's undefeated, four time world champion at heavyweight and cruiserweight and in Olympic gold medalist, undefeated.

And the Brit basher, he's beaten them all. So he's with Daniel, he's already had that controversial fight with, but this is a different Daniel Dubois and his management said, last time we fought Daniel Dubois, this time we're fighting Daniel the man and I think that's where it's going to be. That's exactly the feeling I got when I saw him. And are you going Rob? Yeah I'm going yeah I'm going to bring my dad actually. Oh yeah. Yeah that'll be nice he's not been to a big fight for years. Do you know that Rob's dad used to make them box in the living room Frank? There's photos of us at Christmas with gloves on fighting, me and my brothers yeah.

Oh correct, where'd you get one of those punch ball things? Yeah but we had like two sets of little red gloves. Well I'm older than you, I used to have to stand on it. Exactly. And try and hit. Bashed about, yeah so my dad's coming along so, yeah no I think it's gonna be a great fight. Also like Daniel's definitely got better

and more switched on mentally and the confidence from beating Ajax Wembley He's done it before he's been in that environment and then Uzi is a freak and he's unbelievable But he's definitely not getting quicker and better. You just can't have that age. I hope so, you know So I think he's still unbelievable But he's at a level where Daniel's definitely getting better and he's so powerful and so strongly so his confidence He's got so it's gonna be amazing fight that really got me excited for it by going to see him train. He knows he can hurt him because he hurt him, didn't he? He had that four minute break.

He hit him on the belt and some said it was a low blow, some said it was on the belt and then either way Usyk basically took five minutes to recover which was a bit of an old man's trick. The referee helped him as well, Ric. And Wadi kept saying it was a low blow, I don't know. Next, this one, by the way, we got sponsored by Specsavers. Also, he's split with his manager, isn't he? That Crassock, he's split with, well, I thought that was quite strange. Yeah, he's split with him, with Alex.

Yeah, Alex Crassock, he's split with his manager that he's been with for years and years, and it seems a very strange time to break up. I don't know what has gone on there. Do you know what's gone on there, Frank? No. If you do,'s gone on there, Frank? No. If you do, you're not telling us now.

I see it very clearly. How nervous do you get, Frank? Because obviously with football and stuff, they'll say actually it's worse if you're like the manager rather than the players because you're just watching helpless. Is that the same with boxing? I don't think it's getting nervous. You can get frustrated when you know that a guy can be doing something or tactically you see what he's not doing. Over the years you become conditioned to it. So for me, I'll go to the fights.

The fights for me is all the hard work's been done from my perspective. Now two guys are in there, we're going to hopefully enjoy this and hopefully get the result. It's all about judgment and timing. The best punches in boxing, the knockout punches are the best time punches and the best matchmaking is about timing too. We like to think we're the best at that game and we've done it over the years with lots of fighters. I've mentioned Ricky Hatton earlier, Joe Kalzacki, Frank Bruno when he finally won a world title against Solomon McCall, you know, even the fight we did for the world title with AJ.

I mean, Daniel was a big underdog guy in that fight. Yeah. But this fight, this is going to be a, I think it's going to be a great fight. Yeah. You know that Usyk's a competitor. And do you think you'll ever stop? Could I ever stop? There's times I think to myself, Sud, this, but they keep pulling me back.

They keep trying to get me back. Just one more fight. Just one more fight. We always have finished with the final question, Frank. Thanks giving us your time. I really appreciate it. Thank you. It's been a real joy.

So this is a question about Susan. What's the one thing she does as a parent that you go, oh my God, she's amazing. What a woman and what a mother. And then what's the one thing she does that frustrates you slightly? And if she was listening and she heard you say it she might go oh he's got a point there is there something that frustrates you as well as the positive when things sometimes if they hide things

from me oh really i don't mean like young little things maybe going on and then i find out after so why didn't you tell me we can you know that happens. So she holds information back in case you react to it and that's for a normal. I knew you would react like that. And then what's the one thing she does that makes you go, oh she's amazing, what a mum. Patience and she's done a great job of them because basically, I mean she started off with this you know I did a lot traveling, I was away a lot and she was the glue that held it all together. She was brilliant. Oh amazing, thanks Frank and I'll see you at Wembley. Fingers crossed for a British

win. What's the date again and how do they sign up for pay-per-view etc? It's the 19th of July at Wembley Stadium. Some tickets still available on Ticketmaster and it's on Dazon pay-per-view. So you can get it through the app and on your telly as well on Skyler's little Dazon app you can get through it there. I know you're coming along to it Rob, if you want to come along Josh you know you're more than welcome. Yeah I'd love that. That'd be great. You're going to be like a rabbit in the headlights Josh. I love that. I'd have night of my life. You'll be in a headlock within two minutes. If anybody pulls out and bring your bag with you because if anybody pulls out. Yeah yeah yeah I've

done a few bits of boxing training don't worry about that Frank. Cheers Frank. Cheers Frank, thank you. Thanks a lot fellas. Frank Warren, what a lovely bloke. Lovely isn't it? There's a much bigger heart there than you imagine from the outside of boxing promoting. Well do you know what, like I've watched a lot of Frank Warren because as much as I've been boxing I love the soap opera of it so I'm actually a bit annoyed that he gets on with Matrim now because back in the day, there'll be an interview with Frank going Eddie earned said this and he's into wrestling Rob. Well, that's basically what it was. And then Eddie would do a video going off Frank Ron said this and it

will be like two men bicker is great fun. It's almost like big brother. But now they get on but like that was definitely different side to him because normally in the interviews, he seemed going off send the offer. He's not come back to me. That was bang out when all that sort of you know, macho promoter aggression, but that was great. Six kids, blimey. Loved it. Well, I'll see you next week.

See ya. Cheers.