With boxing enjoying a surge in popularity, the likes of Tyson Fury, Joe Joyce, Daniel Dubois and Anthony Yarde are household names. But what about the person behind the fighters, the person that works tirelessly to bring fans the fights they want?
Featuring rare archive and new interviews with those closest to him, Make It Or Die Trying: The Frank Warren Story is a unique biopic which reveals how the eponymous promoter rose from humble beginnings in North London to multimillion pound deals in Las Vegas. It is the story of how Warren became one of the biggest names in British sport, managing some of the most colourful figures from across the worlds of entertainment and sport such as Mike Tyson, Frank Sinatra, Marco Antonio Barrera, Naseem Hamed and Joe Calzaghe. Make It Or Die trying: The Frank Warren Story takes viewers on the journey of Warren surviving a shooting to becoming one of boxing’s lead faces, of his partnership and subsequent falling out with Don King, on to his role in the return of Tyson Fury.
The documentary will lay bare the ups and downs of his career, with contributions from Mike Tyson, Bob Arum, Tyson Fury, Frank Bruno, Anthony Yarde, Daniel Dubois and Ricky Hatton, as well as Warren’s friends and family. It also features archive contributions from Lenny Mclean, Mickey Duff and Joe Bugner.
Warren said: “I am delighted BT have decided to share my story. My 40 years in boxing have been nothing short of a rollercoaster but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. I am thankful to everyone involved in the production and hope the fans, the very people that keep boxing alive, find it interesting and enjoy the film.”
Sally Brown, executive producer BT Sport Films, said: “While sports fans will be familiar with the fighters in Warren’s stable, the story that surrounds the promoter behind them makes for compelling viewing. Make It Or Die trying: The Frank Warren Story will take viewers on a journey across decades of changing times in British boxing and give fans an intimate insight into the man behind some of the greatest British athletes in history and how, from humble beginnings, Warren rose to leave a legacy in his wake.”
The documentary covers aspects of Warren’s career including:
- Warren’s view of the world of boxing and his role in it as a promoter
- Bob Arum, Nick Pitt and Frank Bruno discuss Warren’s strengths as a promoter and his natural understanding of what it takes to make your mark in the sport
- Steve Bunce looks at how Warren took Anthony Yarde and Daniel Dubois under his wing while Ricky Hatton discusses Warren’s role in Tyson Fury’s comeback
- Warren’s role in promoting an infamous unlicensed boxing fight between his cousin Lenny McClean and Roy Shaw which was seen as a direct challenge to the British Boxing Board of Control at the time
- In 1989 Warren was shot leaving a fight in London. He and others discuss the incident, how close he came to dying and how it affected him and his family.
- The McClellan v Benn fight and the impact the fight had on the boxing world
- Warren’s relationship with Don King
Directed and produced by Daryl Goodrich, with executive producer for BT Sport Sally Brown, Make It Or Die trying: The Frank Warren Story is the latest in the award-winning BT Sport Films series:
- Proud To Be Town: the story of Harrogate Town fighting their way through a global pandemic, battling for survival and promotion to the football league for the first time.
- Greavsie: the tale of the rise, fall and rise again of Jimmy Greaves one of the finest footballers in British history.
- Bosman – The Player Who Changed Football: looks into the story of Jean-Marc Bosman and how the Belgian footballer took on European football’s governing bodies to redefine the game.
- Too Good To Go Down: rarely told story of how relegation in the mid-1970s enabled the modern-day Manchester United to emerge
Customers can watch the film in more ways than ever before, on TV, online or via the BT Sport App, with customers also able to sign up contract free with the BT Sport Monthly Pass. For more information on BT Sport visit www.bt.com/sport