Frank Warren, Moses Itauma and the art of making the right fights at the right time

Now the dust has settled on Moses Itauma’s spectacular first round blowout of Dillian Whyte, it’s time to give Frank Warren his props.

The International Boxing Hall of Fame promoter - who has guided over 150 fighters to world title triumphs over a career spanning more than 40 years - joined DAZN in April and has an impressive roster of stars (particularly at heavyweight).

Itauma vs Whyte was genius matchmaking from Warren, the founder of Queensberry Promotions and a man who is acutely aware that there is an art to building champions.

The best understands the inner workings of the sport. It’s not as straightforward as throwing a young lion in with an old lion. As sometimes the old lion is still seriously dangerous.

When the job is done correctly, opponents with different styles are found. Generally, the aim is to make the prospect go rounds, something those in the Itauma business have been unable to do in recent times due to their man’s dazzling array of skill and power.

It’s all about balancing a fighter's strengths and weaknesses with appropriate opponents. Ensure they have experience boxing southpaws, right-handed fighters, tall and small opponents before they are moved into championship level class. Ticking off fights with boxers who are aggressive and also counterpunchers who can box off the back foot.

Warren is an old master in the art. Drawing on years of experience of working with proper boxing men such as the late Dennie Mancini and Ernie Fossey, he has a tight team of matchmakers with him currently who are dedicated to the job 24/7.

It can’t go right all the time of course. Few will forget Warren’s face at ringside in 2008 when Breidis Prescott wrecked Amir Khan in 51 seconds.

Yet for the most part – and largely through his connections and encyclopaedic knowledge of the sport – Warren does know when to take a risk and press ‘Go’ with a prospect.

Here DAZN News look at three other occasions from history when Warren’s judgement was spot on.

Steve Robinson vs Naseem Hamed

Retrospectively this result may have looked pretty obvious, but Naz and his backers were taking a risk by agreeing to this WBO word featherweight title shot at Cardiff Arms Park on a cold September night back in 1995. 

On paper the odds were stacked in favour of the Welshman with seemingly unlimited stamina. Robinson had size and durability on his side, and the small matter of 16,000 rabid Welshman cheering his every move.

Naz – the phenom from Sheffield - was fighting a respected champion in his own backyard, stepping up in weight (this was his first fight at featherweight) and challenging for a world title for the first time. If Warren was nervous, he didn’t show it from ringside as Naz entered the ring with an unmistakable swagger.

Hindsight is all well and good in sport, but Warren and his team had the foresight to see this as a gamble with taking. Robinson had a spotty 21-9-1 record but was known as ‘The Cinderella Man’ after coming in at ridiculously short notice to beat John Davison for the WBO world title in 1993. Hamed was 19-0 and while those in the trade knew all about his potential, this was his coming out party.

In what proved a one-sided contest Hamed quietened the crowd as he taunted, toyed with and eventually took apart an always game Robinson to score a TKO win in round eight. When ref Ismael Fernandez called a halt to proceedings, at that moment a torch was passed from one era to the next.

Naz would go on to become a British boxing icon and transcend the sport, changing the pay structures for world champions operating in the lower weight divisions forever.  

Kostya Tszyu vs Ricky Hatton

Whether matchmakers are selecting the right opponents to develop the prospect at the right time there will always come a point – in the careers of the most successful – when risks must be taken. Sink or swim time.

Hatton's Waterloo arrived in June 2005 when he fought the dominant IBF light-welterweight world champion, Kostya Tszyu. While Warren, Hatton and trainer Billy Graham were confident, the bookies weren’t with Tszyu as short as 4/9 in places to claim victory. 

As calculated gambles go this one was right up there from Warren. Tszyu was well inside the top five in most serious ‘pound-for-pound’ ratings in the summer of 2005. He was the proud owner of a devastating right hand, a wicked left hook to the body and a stoic temperament which meant he could keep his cool when others were panicking.

In a 2001 unification fight he hit Zab ‘Super’ Judah so hard to the jaw the Brooklyn stylist bounced straight back up and began doing a chicken dance. ‘The Thunder from Down Under’ was no joke, and this fight was a battle for the ages. Against the odds and fighting like a man possessed at a packed-out MEN Arena, Hatton stood in the pocket and took the huge punching Russian-born Australian's best shots, before turning the screw amid a cauldron of noise at well past 2am in the morning UK time.

Tszyu had lost just once in a distinguished career going in, a fighter who had the respect of the boxing cognoscenti. However, he was also 35 by the time he faced Hatton, and youth would not be denied.

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Hatton took his licks - his face was a pattern of bruises afterwards after sampling that long, lethal right of Tszyu several times – and in truth it was the type of contest that shortens careers.

However, ‘The Hitman’ was at the top of his game that night in Manchester and in the end, he beat up a modern legend with Tszyu retiring on his stool after 11 rounds.

It would the be the last act of a Hall-of-Fame career for Tszyu. For Hatton, it was validation that he was genuine world class. He had built a 38-0 record before that fight, and a legion of UK fans.

However, some had questioned the logic of staying loyal to the WBU title and been heavily critical of Warren for the quality of some of Hatton’s opponents leading to that point. What happened against Tszyu silenced the critics and launched Hatton on the world stage proper.

Marco Antonio Barrera vs Amir Khan

Two fights removed from that shocking stoppage loss to Prescott, Amir was on the hunt for respect and to elevate himself back into world title class by beating Barrera.

‘The Baby-Faced Assassin’ was a legendary former three-weight world champion going in but was also 65-6 with most of his big wins taking place at least two weight classes down from the lightweight limit this fight was agreed at.

Khan was bigger and younger - he was 22 in this fight – and boxing an opponent who was 35 and who had looked over the hill and below-par in his past two contests.

From memory the bookmakers had this close, with Khan chalked up at 8/11 (equivalent to -135 in American odds) with the Mexican legend around the 11/8 mark (or +105 in American punting parlance).

To his credit, the 19-1 Khan fought a disciplined and careful fight, and was helped by a clash of heads in the first round that opened up a naughty cut high on Barrera's forehead that leaked gloriously for the rest of the contest.

Khan was with Freddie Roach by then and boxed to orders, moving smartly behind a jab and keeping well away from Barrera's trademark hook to the liver. When the doctor waved it off in round five, Barrera had few complaints, and Khan had sensationally resurrected his world title hopes at 135.

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