Adam smith

[ERIC GUY]

Adam has been with sky boxing for many years, working as a runner, then in the outside broadcast unit working with producers etc, then helped out on commentry, to where he is today, we would all love that job. but Adam has it,

[billy nelson]

He's a gormless buffoon who got the job as no doubt went to the right school, or same school as the rest of the top bods at Sky, also he's obviously a "very nice guy" ( AKA a consummate net worker and arse kisser )

He's clearly not up to the job, his ringside shows are major embarrassments, his editorial decisions are woeful, and the over all quality of Sky boxing out put is miserable - his position in such an important role for British boxing is a disaster.

Someone needs to get rid of this boneheaded lightweight ASAP

you have a choice not to watch you know?

[MightyWarrior]

I don't watch, I used to, but can't any longer, because it too piss poor, and it shouldn't be like that should it ?

And anyone who thinks otherwise is obviously a lover of car crash television

[MightyWarrior]

And before you ask, I do occasionally switch over to see if somehow, miraculously, it's got any better ie someone's kidnapped Adam Smith but oh no... There he is gurning away

I was horrified the other day to switch over and see Poor Joe Calzaghe perched awkwardly on a tiny stool in the middle of a studio, next to Smith & Nelson also perched on tiny stools gazing at Joe in awe and asking him fanboy questions ( Joe tell us again, how great were you? ) while a bunch of random blokes stood inside a ring on the other side of the studio staring at Joe and doing God knows what.

The whole format, structure and ideas is just so misguided and awkward it's untrue

[mickey1975]

On Ringside about a year ago, he mentioned about how watching the 'Fan-man' incident (Holyfield-Bowe 2) got him into Boxing.

He was there , working. He's been around a long time.

[Benelio]

On Ringside about a year ago, he mentioned about how watching the 'Fan-man' incident (Holyfield-Bowe 2) got him into Boxing.

He was there , working. He's been around a long time.

I'm aware of that, but according to him - that incident really got him hooked on Boxing. The fact he was already working in the sport makes this admission even more damning in my opinion.

[DavidPayne]

I've spoken to Adam once at some length and he was very generous and open with his time and what he was willing to say to someone he barely knew or was aware of.

He pushed very hard for Froch to take the Groves fight, vested yes, but as a boxing fan too.

I can't watch any sort of programme which places fighters like Calzaghe on a podium without challenging him on some of the gaps and lulls in his career. Just refused to.

And there are tweaks we'd all make to various formats etc but I genuinely believe he loves the sport and is doing his best. Personally, I don't like the single promoter mandate but then I didn't like it when they had 2 or 3 and couldn't make them work together.

[johnswan1]

What did you all think of Smith's commentary the other night? I thought it was absolutely shocking, he was like a teenage fan having a pint for his first time and getting overly excited and carried away. Coming out with things like "I wonder what Eddie Hearn is thinking"...

[Bricks]

Whatever people say about Smith being a gent etc., as a fan of boxing and subscriber to Sky Sports he has failed miserably in his role as far as I'm concerned. I do like Ringside, but Sky simply do not get enough fights on their network and getting things like Cleverly-Bellew with an undercard stacked full of mismatches on PPV, it's just completely taking the piss.

Smith has a very important role in British boxing. If he is hyping up a fight to sell it to the casuals, it's not just about money through Sky's coffers in the short term, he needs to be thinking more about what will increase interest in boxing in order to achieve more in the long term. These PPV's and constant mismatches on Sky are what turn people off boxing. The only winner from what Sky is doing is Matchroom.

For me, the most credible effort in British boxing of recent years is allegedly. For all the hatred towards FW, because of what he has done with BN we no longer miss any big international fights. No more staying up all night looking for poor quality streams that often get pulled when I can go to bed with allegedly on record and get up the next morning to watch in HD.

Unfortunately I think allegedly is a temporary thing. Long term they probably won't have the subscriber base necessary to keep it going and when it eventually gets pulled, I for one will be absolutely gutted. Really allegedly are doing what Sky should have been doing for years. We have five Sky Sports channels, but eff all boxing. This is all down to Smith and his failure in convincing the heads at Sky to invest properly to develop interest and increase coverage in the sport.

I see Smith as little more than a star struck autograph hunter.

That's exactly what he was.he just comes from the right part of north London .what ideas has he had to revamp boxing on sky? Well they stole my idea on here years ago for the gloves off specials ,down to the darkened room and spotlight on a table.any ppv event is a contrived grudge match.it's lazy promoting by Hearn.the Froch groves fight didn't need it.the old master- young pretender was enough with their respective styles.

[Bricks]

I've heard he's a hard man too though.that apparently in Miami he punched out a Hispanic guy in a bar with one left hook.irrespective I think Smith is a good man he does a competent job just not a great one

[Tomasino]

I've heard he's a hard man too though.that apparently in Miami he punched out a Hispanic guy in a bar with one left hook.irrespective I think Smith is a good man he does a competent job just not a great one

You are saying Adam Smith is a hard case? Am I just reading your post wrong??

[TheLeprechaun]

I've heard he's a hard man too though.that apparently in Miami he punched out a Hispanic guy in a bar with one left hook.

[banjo]

Well there's an interesting revelation, the plot thickens.

[Tomasino]

Well there's an interesting revelation, the plot thickens.

I can't imagine there is any truth to that although I've seen little idiots knock out people with crap punches before right enough so who knows. I'm honestly struggle to conjure up the image of Adam throwing a decent punch.

[gobbles]

Sky regularly show Gennady Golovkins fight and then when he faces a British boxer who himself is a analyst on Sky Sports they are not showing the bout.

I would be amazed if Adam was not being dragged across the coals for not delivering that one.

Barney Francis (head of sky sports) is a big pal of Adam and when the brilliant Chris Brown was removed Adam was next in line, Ed Robinson would have been a far far better choice.

"The brilliant Chris Brown". He was in charge of boxing at Sky at the time they dropped Ringside and had things like Khan v Prescott as PPV, while giving us endless WBU, WBF title fights from leisure centres as their standard offering.
Barney Francis agreed the deal with Matchroom for boxing and to get overseas fights on they have to effectively get Matchroom to do the deal. The fact that they can't even do a deal for Klitschko, which ends up on Eurosport instead, shows how little Matchroom are willing to pay for fights.
The idea, therefore, that Francis would blame Smith for it is simply laughable. Francis has stopped Smith working with other promoters, notably Hennessy in the Froch days.

[johnswan1]

A year on and with Ringside now cancelled, has Adam Smith gone up in anybody's view, and will he still be Head of Sky Boxing in a year from now?

[danamba7]

A year on and with Ringside now cancelled, has Adam Smith gone up in anybody's view, and will he still be Head of Sky Boxing in a year from now?

To subsidize the outrageous premier league bid. Smith wouldn't have had much of a say in the matter.

[Andrew]

It's wont be Adam Smith making decisions on PPV it will be Barney Francis.

[CharlesListon]

Maybe Smith should start throwing his weight around. As a renowned hard man he could probably bully Barney Francis and Eddie.
I heard he takes Jonny Nelson's dinner money and wedgied Jim Watt to a neutral corner post. Rumour has it he flushed Halling's head down the toilet at the Liverpool Olympia and was seen storming from the toilet shouting "I'm the daddy".
Refers to himself as "Left Hook Adam".
He went into Mick Henneseys office and slowly started knocking ornaments and photos off shelves telling him he'd have him and those girls at Channel 5 if they showed more than one fight and highlights of another.

[handsofstone]

Maybe Smith should start throwing his weight around. As a renowned hard man he could probably bully Barney Francis and Eddie.
I heard he takes Jonny Nelson's dinner money and wedgied Jim Watt to a neutral corner post. Rumour has it he flushed Halling's head down the toilet at the Liverpool Olympia and was seen storming from the toilet shouting "I'm the daddy".
Refers to himself as "Left Hook Adam".
He went into Mick Henneseys office and slowly started knocking ornaments and photos off shelves telling him he'd have him and those girls at Channel 5 if they showed more than one fight and highlights of another.

[Nightmare Roy]

whilst he had no amateur career word has it he can have it right off on the tiles

I've heard he's done Johnny a few times, easy.

It's 2015 man! Who cares!

[Coco]

Smith has been awful ever since he started, his apologists say he loves the game, he's a nice guy, good to his mother, gives to charity etc but you would think after all this time he would have at least developed some expertise.
This is as big a case of nepotism/ old school tie as you could ever witness.

[rm1]

He is a public schoolboy from a wealthy background who has climbed the corporate ladder at sky he is ok but there is nothing outstanding about him except his good fortune.

[ScottDetonator]

Can't understand why Ringside was cancelled when you look at some of the shows Sky Sports puts on. Some absolute tosh. Ringside must have had a fair few viewers. Sad that we again get the short end of the stick.

[palooka]

whilst he had no amateur career word has it he can have it right off on the tiles

Yeah, he's got that look about him