Frank Warren said bouts between influencers and real boxers were ‘s***’ and disrespected the sport – and the rookies would not have lasted ‘five minutes’ even against old amateurs
Big fight promoter Frank Warren says he ‘can’t stand’ social media influencers who box.
He said fights involving them were ‘s***’, disrespected the sport and were ‘not boxing’ matches. Frank, 74, said ‘these guys wouldn’t have lasted five minutes’ even with amateurs when he first got into the sport.
‘Influencer boxing’ is a new trend in which social media personalities try their hand. But it has drawn criticism because they often lack training and discipline compared to professionals.
In 2025 American YouTuber Jake Paul was hospitalised by Brit former world heavyweight champion boxer Anthony Joshua. Warren said the rookies deserve ‘respect’ for getting into the ring but it was ‘not boxing’.
He told the Great Company podcast: “I can’t stand all that s***. It’s not boxing. They’re not professional boxers.
“Look, if somebody’s going to go to a gym and two guys are going to fight each other, I get it. I’ve been on both sides of the fence.
“But these guys wouldn’t have lasted five minutes when I was doing this stuff, I’m telling you.
“They go and do their best, they go and train, and anybody who gets in the ring you have to respect them for that, it’s a brave thing to do.
“But that’s not boxing. That’s not boxing.
“All of it, the whole thing, I’m watching people running at people and rugby diving.
“I think anybody who thinks it’s boxing is a disrespect to the sport.
“What I worry about is that the influencers, or whatever they call them, wherever they are they have a following and people think this is boxing.
“If you look at that and then look at the show the week before…it’s not chalk and cheese because it doesn’t even make the chalk.
“But good luck to them.
“I don’t blame them if they want to make a living, stay alive. If people want to pay for it then God bless them, that’s their thing.
“But for me, don’t call it boxing.”