Frank Warren is keen to work with fellow promoter Eddie Hearn, but explained the difficulties of the pair doing business.
Speaking to Boxing News, the Queensberry Promotions head explained that he and Matchroom Boxing are in competition, which means there is little room for friendly cooperation.
“We’re competitive but so are Sky and so are BT, so are ITV and so are BBC, so are Virgin Atlantic and so are BA, so are Ryanair and so are EasyJet,” Warren said.
“That’s the world. Grow up everybody, what do you think this is?
“We are rivals in a small market but we’re no different to any other industry. Look at football clubs, the way they fight over players and so forth, what’s different? Sometimes I find it quite pathetic people even think that way. What do they think we’re going to do, all hold hands there and have some crumpets and teacakes? It’s not like that. We’re rivals in a very competitive industry.”
Warren suggested earlier in the summer that he had suggested to Eddie Hearn that the pair of them might work together to put on shows with both stable’s fighters, after a decade of sniping in the press.
But Warren says he believes Hearn is less keen to work with his rival.
“I won’t keep chasing people,” Warren commented on his offer of working with Matchroom.
“I put it out there. I picked up the phone, I initiated the conversation, he called me back, we exchanged a couple of brief emails, I want to get this meeting on. But I’m not sitting around waiting for it to happen. I want it to happen. I can’t do anymore than that. There’s willing on Queensberry’s side to make some of these fights.”
Warren noted that, in his opinion, he had been more willing to offer up his fighters for Matchroom events than the other way around.
“The only ones [Matchroom boxers] that have appeared on my shows have been when we’ve won the purse bids — like Lee Selby, like Kid Galahad, like John Ryder,” Warren claimed.