Australia's Michael Katsidis celebrates after beating Great Britain's Kevin Mitchell during the WBO interim lightweight title at Upton Park, London.

Devoted Arsenal fan Frank Warren prefers to stage his big open air shows at Upton Park, so it’s back to the Boleyn Ground on Saturday night for his controversial clash between heavyweights David Haye and Dereck Chisora.

Devoted Arsenal fan Frank Warren prefers to stage his big open air shows at Upton Park, so it’s back to the Boleyn Ground on Saturday night for his controversial clash between heavyweights David Haye and Dereck Chisora.

It’s two years since Warren staged the lightweight title clash between Aussie Michael Katsidis and local favourite Kevin Mitchell, which attracted almost 20,000 fans to the home of the Hammers – but not the result they had come to see as Katsidis won in three rounds.

Now, after the ugly scenes involving Haye and Chisora at a press conference in Germany earlier this year, Warren insists the fans want to see their fight and is anticipating a record crowd.

The British Boxing Board of Control predictably refused to sanction the clash, but Warren, who battled against the powers controlling boxing 30 years ago, long before he became the top promoter in the land, came out fighting.

He stages the fight under the banner of the Luxembourg Federation – with his BoxNation TV channel who will screen the fight – the official promoters.

Warren insists: “The Board have done everything to throw a spanner in the works for the show, including writing to Newham Council to warn them of crowd trouble at the event. However, the Metropolitan Police later stated that ‘they have no concerns with WHU stewards or boxing security inside the stadium and felt there was no risks inside’.”

It’s no secret that threats of action by the Board have been enough for some of Warren’s local fighters to withdraw from the show, but it goes ahead with supporting contests.

Matthew Hall and Gary O’Sullivan stage their vacant WBO international middleweight title clash and Liam Walsh and Domenic Urbano contest the vacant WBO European lightweight championship on a bill that also includes Ronnie Heffron, Bradley Saunders and Sergej Rozvadovsky.

It could be a night to remember – if the Boleyn battles match the pre-fight furore.