PROMOTER Frank Warren expects to make a rematch between Liam Smith and Liam Williams after the controversial conclusion to their bout, an exciting fight, at the Manchester Arena on Saturday (April 8).
โIโm sure it will make a good rematch on the strength of that,โ Warren told Boxing News.
Overall he was delighted with his latest show, which opened the promoterโs new deal with BT Sport. โI think itโs a significant night for boxing in as much that thereโs now competition between the two big TV players. This show we did really well with tickets considering that it wasnโt a date we really wanted to go on, the Grand Nationalโs on, Augustaโs on and because this was the date we could get to promote here we had to come in a couple of weeks after the [Anthony] Crolla fight which was announced a good six, seven weeks before ours so it took a lot of money out of the market. That being said, they were good fights and they fought well,โ Frank continued.
โI know itโs a clichรฉ about the new era but it is a new era. From my point of view, Iโve really got the bit between my teeth to go out now and make some bigger and better shows. Weโre in a position to do that because weโve got a bigger audience, that means weโve got more cash to come in for us to invest in bigger fights. So weโll be doing that. Weโve got some good fights, some good shows coming up. Weโve got a couple of new guys that are going to sign with us that weโll hopefully announce in the next couple of weeksโฆ Oneโs quite established and hopefully we get that over the line. Weโve got some good things happening. Itโs a bit like the old days. When Ricky Hatton started out with me, people think we sold out all the time and we didnโt. It took a long time to sell out this [the Manchester Arena]. In fact we never sold out until we fought Kostya Tszyu. With Terry [Flanagan] weโve got a chance of doing the same thing. Heโs got a couple of habits I donโt like, looking down when he goes back to corner [looking frustrated] when itโs not gone wrongโฆ I think the crowd are really going to take to him. Heโs a hard fighter and hopefully heโs going to be part of the long term with BT.โ