Frank Warren couldn’t have been happier. Headlined by the title fight between Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois, a brilliant show unfolded at the Co-OP LIVE Arena. While it lived up to the hype, reports indicate the DAZN-streamed card was a major financial success as well.

That detail quickly became a target for ridicule. Critics are taking aim at The Ring. The latest reports of Wardley vs. Dubois selling out starkly contrast with the narrative they pushed months ago when they blasted Frank Warren‘s Queensberry Promotions amid reports of a $1 billion lawsuit against Sela and TKO.

“Pepperidge Farm remembers…,” posting a screenshot of Ring Magazine’s tweet from February, well-known combat sports analyst Luke Thomas wrote.

His reaction came after Queensberry Promotions shared a major update about the event’s success.

“Having now fully sold out,” it read. “Don’t Blink” at the Co-op Live will become the highest-ever attended boxing event at any indoor arena in UK history, with an expected attendance of well over 18,000 in Manchester tonight.”

“The show will also have the biggest attendance for a combat sport event at Co-op Live since opening.”

Reports surrounding the event appeared to support that claim.

Ahead of the showdown between Wardley and Dubois, BBC Sport revealed the Co-OP LIVE Arena was already filled to 80% of its roughly 23,500 capacity.

“The 23,500-capacity Co-op Live Arena is a sell-out this evening, and the venue was around 80% full by 20:00 BST,” the report mentioned. “When you consider the main event ring walks aren’t scheduled until 10:30 or maybe even later, that’s some good going.”

That quickly fueled renewed criticism toward Ring Magazine and its backers.

Frank Warren’s bold move exposes flaws in Ring’s reporting

The criticism largely stemmed from a February 26 post that sparked widespread backlash after Ring Magazine mentioned Queensberry Promotions facing financial difficulties. For many fans, that’s where the reporting stopped adding up.

“Rumors are circulating in the boxing world,” it began, “that Queensberry is in financial trouble without a continued business relationship with Sela and TKO. The loss of those relationships has influenced Queensberry’s threat to sue Sela and TKO.”

That’s where the controversy intensified. It was the timing that raised eyebrows. The post surfaced around the same time Warren and his team were reportedly preparing a $1 billion lawsuit against TKO and Sela, both of which have close ties to Turki Alalshikh, the owner of Ring Magazine.

What drew even more scrutiny was the claim that the Wardley-Dubois bout was facing ticketing issues.

“Rumors indicate that their announcement to the media of legal action was timed before their Wardley v. Dubois press conference, which took place today, for an event which is struggling to sell tickets,” it read.

That claim clearly surprised many fans. Reports on February 10 indicated the Wardley-Dubois fight was close to being finalized. Since the official announcement came only a few days later, the event still had nearly three months before fight night.

So how could Ring project that the fight was “struggling to sell tickets,” some wondered?

The skepticism only grew after a community note on the post highlighted reports suggesting Queensberry Promotions registered a $15 million profit for the financial year ending March 2025.

“Tickets for Wardley vs. Dubois are not yet on sale,” it pointed out.

Earlier this month, speaking with Ariel Helwani about his terms with Turki Alalshikh, Frank Warren kept it brief regarding the lawsuit.

“I mean, it’s well documented,” he stated. “I sent a letter to him. That’s where it is at the moment. I can’t really comment on any of that at the moment. I don’t want to because, what, you know, whatever happens is I’d much rather keep my counsel to myself on.”

By fight night, the optics look dramatically different. The arena was sold out, criticism toward Ring Magazine had intensified, and fans were still debating how the original reporting gained traction in the first place.