Is Frank Warren’s Queensberry boxing off the back foot?

Frank Warren is one of the stalwarts of boxing, a throwback to the old cloth. Rising out of the rough and tumble world of 1970s east London unlicensed fighting, he first came to prominence when he promoted a fight by one of his relatives, the legendary “Guv’nor” Lenny McLean.

He came to dominate British boxing over the following half century and has had some of the greatest names in boxing history under his Queensberry banner over the years. Great champions like Joe “the Pride of Wales” Calzaghe, Ricky “the Hitman” Hatton, “Prince” Naseem Hamed, Frank Bruno, Josh Warrington, Nigel Benn, Billy Joe Saunders, Chris Eubank, Amir Khan, and lately Tyson “the Gypsy King” Fury.

In boxing, you make a few friends, a few enemies, and a lot of rivalries. Perhaps Warren’s biggest rival is another east London boy, Barry Hearn. Coming out of the same cauldron that produced Warren, Hearn was perhaps the yin to Warren’s yang. Not so rough and tumble, Hearn was an accountant by trade who saw a business opportunity and took it. Along the way, some of the greatest fights in living memory were either Warren’s Queensberry, or Hearn’s Matchroom, rarely both at the same time.

That is why this 5v5 is so important. It is a throwback event to the days when differences were settled in the parking lot. It is almost Shakespearean. Montague vs Capulet, Hearn vs Warren. Two houses, both alike in dignity, in London where we lay our scene.

But Queensberry’s fortunes have been on the wane of recent years. Nobody will admit it of course, just as nobody wants to say that a formerly great champion is not what he used to be. Take Canelo Álvarez for example. He is still the king of the super middleweights, and is capable of mixing it with, and even outboxing, the biggest names in the division. But there are signs that his reign may not be eternal. Even those who soar with eagles must take heed of their waxy wings. And so it is with Frank Warren.

Tyson Fury has been a great name for Warren, but his inactivity has marred his legacy, and left him vulnerable to claims of a manicured record. Joe Joyce is another fighter who was meant to be the saviour of the Queensberry brand, the heir apparent to Fury’s crown. But two heavy knockout losses to Zhilei Zhang have seen him dropped to the second tier of world contenders.

Ever an astute promoter, Warren represents Zhang as well, and while Big Bang is definitely a huge jewel in the Queensberry crown, his advanced years means that his time in the spotlight will be short lived.

Perhaps the best hope for a future on the top stage for Queensberry is Joseph Parker, who has reinvented himself, the resurrected world champion who looks better with age.

And while the stable of Matchroom fighters looks to be deeper than Queensberry’s, there have been moves to indicate that the tide may be turning. Former undisputed super lightweight champion Chantelle Cameron fell out with the Hearns and defected to Warren’s ranks just weeks ago.

But as the 5v5 event nears, and old grudges bring about new mutinies, it would look like Queensberry may just be boxing off the back foot. For a wily champion like Frank Warren, however, that may turn out to be exactly where he wants to be.