Frank Warren - "On Boxingtalk.com yesterday there was an article dealing with two issues that I'd like to speak about. The first was that I'm being sued by Chris Webb and the second was concerning Danny Williams. I'd like to deal with the Danny Williams issue first."

"As far as Danny is concerned there's a comment in the article that states 'Team Williams' as saying that Danny is basically not going to be fighting Oleg Maskaev. I don't know who the source 'Team Williams' is but they're aren't entitled to speak on behalf on Danny Williams. Other than Danny, his trainer Jim MacDonald and myself, there is no one else on Team Williams. We had a press conference last week announcing the fight and Danny was there. As far as I understand, Danny is fighting Maskaev, and I thought it would be appropriate if he gets on the line and verifies that. As a result of today's article, I've had Sky TV coming to me and asking if this fight is on or isn't it, and if it's not, they're going to move on to other things. There's too much at stake here and it needs to be cleared up. Since Danny is here on the conference call, he'll tell you himself about these claims that yesterday's article made."

BT - Danny, are you going to be fighting Oleg Maskaev as arranged by Frank Warren and Sports Network?

Danny Williams - "One hundred percent yes and I was shocked when I heard that someone from my team said that I was not going to be fighting. I was shocked because I'm really excited to be getting into the ring again and Oleg Maskaev is a good name to get in there with."

BT - Who is your promoter for your next three fights?

Danny Williams - "I've signed a contract with Frank Warren and he is my promoter."

BT - Do you know why Straight Out Promotions would be claiming that they have options to promote your next three fights?

Danny Williams - "Frank Warren is my promoter and I don't know anything about what anyone is saying otherwise."

Frank Warren - "And that is the end of it. There isn't any Straight Ahead Promotions involved. The most important thing for both Danny and myself is that we dispel all these ridiculous rumors because it's unsettling for everybody involved and creates alot of confusion that shouldn't be there. And I've got to tell you something Curtis, you write for Boxingtalk.com, and I'm pissed off that they keep doing these things without picking up the telephone to us. Who is 'Team Williams' and who is the spokesman for 'Team Williams' that was referred to in Scott Shaffer's article? It's just bullshit. All it takes is a phone call. I don't understand why we don't get called because all these writers, they can reverse the charges if they like. All we want is the truth."

"It's very damaging for a show when things like that are written. It's not unlike someone putting on a Broadway production with top Broadway stars appearing in it and then an article is published featuring those stars saying they won't be participating in the production. Liken that to the article that appeared on Boxingtalk.com and the Danny Williams - Oleg Maskaev fight I'm putting on. How are we supposed to sell tickets for that event? It's unfair and it's stupid and it's ridiculous that these people are spouting their mouths off. People who weren't there in the beginning when we made the Danny Williams - Mike Tyson fight, which I'd like to start talking specifically about now because I'd really like to nail this issue down once and for all."

"The Tyson camp were talking about fighting, well they had actually agreed to a deal with Kevin McBride where the Irishman was to receive half a million dollars. We undercut that amount after we worked out what we could do it for, have Danny fight Tyson, which was $350,000. $100,000 went to my guy in America with the remaining $250,000 was to be paid to Danny, his purse for the fight. I would have liked to have seen Danny get more than that but we got our heads together and agreed that this was an opportunity we should take. Me personally, I didn't take a penny out of it because I believed that Danny would win the fight and I was ready to roll the dice."

"When we signed the deal with Chris Webb, he was supposed to send some up front money for Danny's training expenses. I had to fund those training expenses myself, as that money was never paid. It never came through. Coming up to a day or two before the fight, there was supposed to be some money lodged. It was not lodged. Andy Ailing was out there in the States on my behalf because I was representing Danny and to cut a long story short Straight Out Promotions couldn't come up with Danny's purse. Subsequently, I think they found about $70,000 from the box office receipts, but there was a shortfall and there was also some money to be paid to the IRS That was all done but there was a shortfall eventually of $170,000 in regards to Danny's purse. We haven't gotten that from Webb so I'm paying that to Danny, and Danny does not have to worry about that $170,000."

"Yesterday's article claimed that Chris Webb is saying he has a promotional deal with Danny. He has nothing and if he wants to take me to court like he says that he's doing, I haven't got a problem with that. But the bottom line is that Chris Webb, Danny Williams and myself have no deal whatsoever. And I want to make this perfectly clear; Chris Webb gave Sterling McPherson, as I understand it, a check for $100,000 and that check bounced. And that is a criminal offense in the United States. He bounced the check and you can pick up the phone and speak with Sterling. He bounced that check for $100,000 and that $100,000 was a kickback to someone in the Tyson camp so that we could get Danny into the fight."

"The facts of the matter are, there is no Chris Webb in regards to Danny's career and Danny will fight in October. We're very close to doing something big that we're not going to announce just yet and when we do, Danny will be the first person to know about it. I believe that next week we'll be in a position where we can announce something huge."

"The fight with Mike Tyson was negotiated by me, done by me via use of a third party. That was the game plan and the game plan has worked out. Danny Williams has the heavyweight division by the neck. When he retires from boxing, hopefully with a major world title, he'll certainly have his family's future secured. Danny and I go back a long way. He started his career with me and we parted company for a period of about eighteen months, during which Danny was made a lot of promises that were all broken. We however have delivered for Danny and all I want to say is that these distractions, these ridiculous comments, make things very, very difficult to make these fights."

"All we want to do now is to get on with our business and that's the Danny Williams business. I've said to Danny for a long, long time now that I'm not in the heavyweight business, I'm in the Danny Williams business. That's the way forward for us and we're going to deliver on this. It's a big fight coming up for Danny and I know that if he fights the way we know he can, then he will do to any heavyweight in the world exactly what he did to Mike Tyson. Danny knows it and for him that is the best thing we could hope for because now he knows what he is capable of doing."

 
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Boxingtalk.com would like to thank Danny Williams, Frank Warren and Richard Maynard for making this article possible.

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