By Dennis Hobson, co-promoter, Fight Academy:

“Some clichés are still useful and Frank Warren is proof that people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

 

“As most of you will know, Warren ran an constant campaign to try and belittle Ricky Hatton’s thrilling May 13 fight with defending WBA welterweight champion Luis Collazo. First Frankie was haranguing Fight Academy for not having the opponent in place soon enough, even though, despite an injury pull out of original opponent Juan Lazcano, we still had Collazo in place by March 16, over eight weeks before fight time.

 

“We also managed to secure yet another genuine, big three, world title opportunity for Ricky, making us two for two in our fights with the Hitman.

 

“And, despite Nip/Tuck’s very best efforts in the court room, the fight went ahead for the WBA just as we always said it would and Ricky achieved British boxing history by becoming the first man to win three world titles in as many fights - and the first to become a world champion at two weights within the span of 11 months.

 

“We also negotiated and signed a multi-year deal with HBO for actually far more money than has been reported, and certainly far more than Warren has got for Joe Calzaghe in his two fight deal with HBO. Warren couldn’t even strike a deal with HBO on his own, he needed Jay Larkin to hold his hand.

 

“After winning the IBF title from Jeff Lacy, Calzaghe is now in the same position as Ricky was when we took over his career last September. We’ve delivered two WBA world title belts to Ricky and made him the highest paid boxer in Europe. Meanwhile, the Joan Rivers of British boxing is screaming and crying about Ricky while poor Joe trains away for that old Warren favourite, Mr TBA.

 

“If he has any sense of shame - and maybe he doesn’t - Frankie would will feeling pretty stupid for slagging our handling of the May 13 fight now. Joe Calzaghe’s first defense of his IBF super-middleweight title is now SIX WEEKS away (July 8) and Warren has been unable to find an opponent worthy of HBO approval. Warren is getting so desperate, he’s even scraping around trying to get unknown fighters like Yusaf Mack for Joe or even trying to do non-title catch weight fights, which are a huge step backwards for Calzaghe.

 

“Maybe if Warren’s staff spent less time obsessing about what Fight Academy and Ricky Hatton are doing - trying and failing to throw a spanner in works at every turn - he’d have time enough to organise Calzaghe’s fight.

 

“A phrase Frank and his minions like to use is that opponents are ’pricing themselves out of the fight’, meaning that they are asking for more money than can reasonably be paid to make the fight. This can happen in boxing, but Frank has used this excuse not to make meaningful fights for years.

 

“That’s one of the reasons frustrated Ricky left him for Fight Academy last year.

 

“Frankie wrote in his newspaper column a few months ago that ‘HBO weren’t happy’ with Collazo as an opponent for Ricky. That was news to them, as HBO were the ones who first suggested Collazo’s name based on some great performances of his which HBO had on tape.

 

“HBO must be wondering what on Earth is going on with Calzaghe and this July date. Someone pointed out to me that HBO still haven’t put Joe on their list of HBO fighters on their website. Interesting…

 

“That sound in your ears Frank? That’s the sound of your own glass house falling down, felled by stone you decided to throw. Until you decide to step up to the plate and have Calzaghe come up to light heavyweight and fight Clinton Woods, I suggest you mind your own business and we will mind ours.”