Boxing Books That Would Never Sell

[Britkid]

Frank Warren - How I saved British Boxing

Actually his breaking of the British Boxing cartel in the early 1980s is a very good read, and an exceptionally important moment in the history of the sport in the UK. Warren did almost single handily, tongue not in cheek, save British Boxing in that period, as the sport was on the verge of being banned thanks in no small part to Duff, Astaire et al...

I was there, one of Warrens first on his mailing list, dutifully posting his A5 flyers at work, attending shows and hoping he would bust the old Jewish Mafia cartel. Subsequent years have shown me he didn't really turn out any different to his predecessors. The only thing that has changed is that promoters don't have an exclusive on a venue, like Levine at Wembley, Duff at the Albert Hall etc.... They now get a monopoly on the few television channels that are still interested in boxing (albeit only for a year), small hall promoters are restricted to Eurosport and thats it.

It is good to know you remember the period. So will also remember Warren standing up to BBB of C and getting them to recognize WBA title fights, thus giving the British boxer another way to get a purse. And then the stand to make sure IBF title fights were allowed as well.


Yes, as Warren became the new 'establishment' he disappointed a lot of us, but as there is little disputing his 'staleness' now, there can be no denying his positive and game changing influence in the 80s and for a lot of the 90s.