Adam Smith leaving Sky boxing, bitches!

[Deserter]

it amuses me slightly when people talk about ethnic minority presenters only being given jobs 'because wokeness'

like, all the white presenters and commentators and pundits are there purely through merit? absolutely every one of them deserves their job, they give insight and analysis you'd never think of yourself? all of you, in the days before seeing black people on the screens, you were there constantly praising the quality of those non-woke presenters? you were always there thinking, 'wow there is a level of insight here I'd never have gained anywhere else and certainly not from someone with brown skin'?

Alan Hansen basically said the exact same thing thousands of times, over and over and over. i think he had basically 3 phrases/ hobbyhorses. he was fvcking sh1t.

Lawrenson was a snidey prick thought he was funny and had fvck-all insight of any worth. sh1t.

we're on a thread about Adam Smith, worst boxing commentator in the history of Britain, and we're angry that some presenters other than him aren't very good?

but we can't blame 'woke' for that can we?

Excellent post

x2

[Nightmare Roy]

How many boxers are former public schoolboys?

Why are you assuming the being a public schoolboy is a bad thing? That's very small minded.

You're right, when will the persecution of the posh and privileged end? Have they not suffered enough, the poor, rich, bastards?

[Spud]

I fully understand people’s opinions on Smith’s abilities as a commentator indeed I have expressed on more than one occasion my frustrations.

But, if it is true that Adam has serious personal problems, he must feel totally isolated and helpless.

Again, I stress if true, get well & get help soon Adam.

Regards

Spud

[garethhop]

He didnt provide a quote in the Smith V Eubank release which is a sign of a problem.

As Head of Boxing he has been excellent. He should never be a commentator given that role though.

I think Andy Clarke is brilliant..

[handsofstone]

Andy Clarke is really good, Chris Lloyd as well, don't mind Fletch on BT, Costello's fine, Adam Smith and John Rawling are ok but nothing more , Alex Steedman is class as well btw

I don't get too worked up about commentators etc like some people, even pundits don't bother me in the slightest apart from Johnny Nelson who's dishonest in his opinions, tbf I'm usually outside in the backies having a joint in-between fights or on my phone so I'd be lying if i said I was paying attention, the worst commentator by far is Mannix,

Best by far is Crystina Poncher, she's quality as is Corey Erdman who I'm seeing more and more of these days

[Spud]

He didnt provide a quote in the Smith V Eubank release which is a sign of a problem.

As Head of Boxing he has been excellent. He should never be a commentator given that role though.

I think Andy Clarke is brilliant..

Fair & balanced post

[Counter-puncher]

Andy Clarke is really good, Chris Lloyd as well, don't mind Fletch on BT, Costello's fine, Adam Smith and John Rawling are ok but nothing more , Alex Steedman is class as well btw

I don't get too worked up about commentators etc like some people, even pundits don't bother me in the slightest apart from Johnny Nelson who's dishonest in his opinions, tbf I'm usually outside in the backies having a joint in-between fights or on my phone so I'd be lying if i said I was paying attention, the worst commentator by far is Mannix,




Best by far is Crystina Poncher, she's quality as is Corey Erdman who I'm seeing more and more of these days

Which channel are they on mate ?

[margaret thatcher]

i'd stil take smith over bunce and nick halling, halling is more of a cheerleader than any of the others

[Counter-puncher]

Andy Clarke is really good, Chris Lloyd as well, don't mind Fletch on BT, Costello's fine, Adam Smith and John Rawling are ok but nothing more , Alex Steedman is class as well btw

I don't get too worked up about commentators etc like some people, even pundits don't bother me in the slightest apart from Johnny Nelson who's dishonest in his opinions, tbf I'm usually outside in the backies having a joint in-between fights or on my phone so I'd be lying if i said I was paying attention, the worst commentator by far is Mannix,




Best by far is Crystina Poncher, she's quality as is Corey Erdman who I'm seeing more and more of these days

Which channel are they on mate ?

Googled. I’d fucken do Poncher

[handsofstone]

Andy Clarke is really good, Chris Lloyd as well, don't mind Fletch on BT, Costello's fine, Adam Smith and John Rawling are ok but nothing more , Alex Steedman is class as well btw

I don't get too worked up about commentators etc like some people, even pundits don't bother me in the slightest apart from Johnny Nelson who's dishonest in his opinions, tbf I'm usually outside in the backies having a joint in-between fights or on my phone so I'd be lying if i said I was paying attention, the worst commentator by far is Mannix,




Best by far is Crystina Poncher, she's quality as is Corey Erdman who I'm seeing more and more of these days

Which channel are they on mate ?

Poncher does the ESPN international feed, she's on sky here , Erdman has done a few DAZN shows recently but I first seen him doing small hall shows in America usually, used to fly solo as well on shows so had to talk for long spells in between fights with no Co com or studio, a hard task

[JamesPhilips]

I have to agree with what someone said to me … theres no smoke without fire.

But I will contradict that by saying “If I was a betting man I would bet on Smith being back in Jan.

Smith has been with Sky for over 27 years and is quite influential in Sky, I cannot see them sacking him.

If he is sacked I would bet on Ed Robinson taking over as head of boxing and a new commentator being found.

Er wil they promote Ed because he’s ‘a nice guy’ lol…. Adam Smith ain’t even head of boxing anymore anyway

[maverick23]

He didnt provide a quote in the Smith V Eubank release which is a sign of a problem.

As Head of Boxing he has been excellent. He should never be a commentator given that role though.

I think Andy Clarke is brilliant..

Good point re: the press release.

I haven’t watched the video yet but saw the potential clickbait headline with Ben Shalom saying Adam Smith is unwell.

I agree that as a head of boxing the interest in boxing massively ramped up. They’ve had their biggest ever PPVs, fairly frequent stadium shows and boxing was taken out of leisure centres. People seem to forget the usual quality of shows we got before this and just remember the occasional great fights.

I also didn’t mind him as a commentator. He’s not one of the best but as a play-by-play, he’s not one of the worst either. There were times I didn’t agree with his reading of a fight but that happens with others too.

Some people seem anti him because he wasn’t an ex-pro. That doesn’t matter at all for me for play-by-play commentators. Jim Lampley was one of my favourites growing up and I’d be surprised if he had the same accusations.

I always thought that regardless of my opinion of him as commentator, he seems a good man and loves boxing. If it’s true about gambling then I really hope it’s been caught early as it can properly destroy families.

Re: Andy Clarke, I’ve always liked him too. Would be an excellent replacement if required.

[Dioufy]

Andy Clarke is really good, Chris Lloyd as well, don't mind Fletch on BT, Costello's fine, Adam Smith and John Rawling are ok but nothing more , Alex Steedman is class as well btw

I don't get too worked up about commentators etc like some people, even pundits don't bother me in the slightest apart from Johnny Nelson who's dishonest in his opinions, tbf I'm usually outside in the backies having a joint in-between fights or on my phone so I'd be lying if i said I was paying attention, the worst commentator by far is Mannix,




Best by far is Crystina Poncher, she's quality as is Corey Erdman who I'm seeing more and more of these days

Which channel are they on mate ?

Googled. I’d fucken do Poncher

Disgusting behaviour ya cont.
Agree tho.
It’s the lips.

[garethhop]

He didnt provide a quote in the Smith V Eubank release which is a sign of a problem.

As Head of Boxing he has been excellent. He should never be a commentator given that role though.

I think Andy Clarke is brilliant..

Good point re: the press release.

I haven’t watched the video yet but saw the potential clickbait headline with Ben Shalom saying Adam Smith is unwell.

I agree that as a head of boxing the interest in boxing massively ramped up. They’ve had their biggest ever PPVs, fairly frequent stadium shows and boxing was taken out of leisure centres. People seem to forget the usual quality of shows we got before this and just remember the occasional great fights.

I also didn’t mind him as a commentator. He’s not one of the best but as a play-by-play, he’s not one of the worst either. There were times I didn’t agree with his reading of a fight but that happens with others too.

Some people seem anti him because he wasn’t an ex-pro. That doesn’t matter at all for me for play-by-play commentators. Jim Lampley was one of my favourites growing up and I’d be surprised if he had the same accusations.

I always thought that regardless of my opinion of him as commentator, he seems a good man and loves boxing. If it’s true about gambling then I really hope it’s been caught early as it can properly destroy families.

Re: Andy Clarke, I’ve always liked him too. Would be an excellent replacement if required.

I think Ive said this before but I know one of Andys good friends. He said that Andy is an extremely bright guy (as in Cambridge degree) who could have chosen to make a lot of money in the city but followed his passion of boxing.

Fair play to him.

[maverick23]

He didnt provide a quote in the Smith V Eubank release which is a sign of a problem.

As Head of Boxing he has been excellent. He should never be a commentator given that role though.

I think Andy Clarke is brilliant..

Good point re: the press release.

I haven’t watched the video yet but saw the potential clickbait headline with Ben Shalom saying Adam Smith is unwell.

I agree that as a head of boxing the interest in boxing massively ramped up. They’ve had their biggest ever PPVs, fairly frequent stadium shows and boxing was taken out of leisure centres. People seem to forget the usual quality of shows we got before this and just remember the occasional great fights.

I also didn’t mind him as a commentator. He’s not one of the best but as a play-by-play, he’s not one of the worst either. There were times I didn’t agree with his reading of a fight but that happens with others too.

Some people seem anti him because he wasn’t an ex-pro. That doesn’t matter at all for me for play-by-play commentators. Jim Lampley was one of my favourites growing up and I’d be surprised if he had the same accusations.

I always thought that regardless of my opinion of him as commentator, he seems a good man and loves boxing. If it’s true about gambling then I really hope it’s been caught early as it can properly destroy families.

Re: Andy Clarke, I’ve always liked him too. Would be an excellent replacement if required.

I think Ive said this before but I know one of Andys good friends. He said that Andy is an extremely bright guy (as in Cambridge degree) who could have chosen to make a lot of money in the city but followed his passion of boxing.

Fair play to him.

He always seems fair and measured. When they do the predictions in boxing news I always take more note of his than the others as he doesn’t seem to have any bias.

Regardless of that I’m sure that his education might work against him though as people might hold it against him.

[Deserter]

Andy Clarke, like Smith, is another public schoolboy weed who has no place in boxing.
They'd be run out of any other sport for being chancers yet we have to put up with them.

What has his education got to do with anything? Surely where someone went to school shouldn't matter.

In this country of course where someone went to school matters, as it has a huge influence on their subsequent life/career trajectory.
The reality is that if you went to the right kind of school you get a huge head-start in life and access to opportunities that others simply don't get.
The criticism is of the system, not the individuals.

[Counter-puncher]

No man born of his mother would personally insult Left Hook, for fear they may one day meet, accidentally, on some kind of cobbled surface.

[CaptainSpacerod]

it amuses me slightly when people talk about ethnic minority presenters only being given jobs 'because wokeness'

like, all the white presenters and commentators and pundits are there purely through merit? absolutely every one of them deserves their job, they give insight and analysis you'd never think of yourself? all of you, in the days before seeing black people on the screens, you were there constantly praising the quality of those non-woke presenters? you were always there thinking, 'wow there is a level of insight here I'd never have gained anywhere else and certainly not from someone with brown skin'?

Alan Hansen basically said the exact same thing thousands of times, over and over and over. i think he had basically 3 phrases/ hobbyhorses. he was fvcking sh1t.

Lawrenson was a snidey prick thought he was funny and had fvck-all insight of any worth. sh1t.

we're on a thread about Adam Smith, worst boxing commentator in the history of Britain, and we're angry that some presenters other than him aren't very good?

but we can't blame 'woke' for that can we?

Disagree largely with you there Counter. I think most pundits these days just state the bleeding obvious regardless of their ethnicity but it’s undeniable that BAME pundits particularly female ones are disproportionately represented on sports shows. I’m in an “ethnically diverse” family for want of a better phrase, my kids are mixed race, so I’m all for positive discrimination in society but the media are going so far the other way that it’s becoming ridiculous.

Back in the day pundits were there to have a brief chat about the notable highlights of a match not drone on and on and on about basic tactics. They were selected I think because they’d had some success or experience of big occasions in the game, they were recognisable and they had engaging characters. Hansen and Lawro weren’t everyone’s cup of tea but they meet those criteria I think. When I talk about wokeness my main gripe is with the anonymous women pundits shoehorned into every sports program who having played in front of 35 people for Leeds ladies or whoever expect credibility to be attached to their bland remarks.

[Counter-puncher]

Long story short, football commentators and pundits are sh1t, I don’t care which particular sh1tty metric they are chosen by. They were sh1t when I actually watched it a lot, they’re still sh1t the few occasions I bother now, I’ve watched sh1t loads of a few sports and in terms of overall punditry and none have given so little value to me than football, per sentence I’ve heard uttered, than football. Boxing a fairly close second.

Cricket, rugby, NFL, MMA and most combat sports in general other than boxing, are far above the two I mention above. I constantly hear bits of insight that helps me understand it better, that’s what I’m looking for.

[Counter-puncher]

It’s bizarre to me how much hot air gets expended on football and how little interesting there is in it

[Boxerbeetle]

The collective level of punditry in both football and boxing is indeed shockingly bad. Most sports have analysts who can genuinely read what is happening and predict what might happen based on current tactics, setups, form etc.

Football and boxing punditry basically boils down to “summarise what has just happened”, regardless of how pointless it is for the viewer. Absolutely no insight or no specialist knowledge required. In fact, it’s probably considered a hindrance.

[coneye]

Just be thankful for what you have now , because its not gonna be long , before the pundits , have to wear a dress and makeup with a sign round there neck saying I'm really a Labrador , and the women have to come on dressed like a lancashire coalman with a sign round there neck saying i'm really a budgy .

They will get a whole new bunch of pundits , when the current ones refuse to do it ,, well all except for Bellow and Nelson ,, they'll do has there told

Its coming and quicker than you think , here in Aust they have some music awards , called the Aria , they just held them and done away with best female and best male singers , come out with best neutral gender singer ,, hosted by a 6' guy who did'nt know the names of the bands or singers or there records fluffed everyone of them , why was he there , easy , like i said 6' tall long blonde flowing hair , makeup and likes to wear womens clothes , think he identifys has a lampost .

Enjoy what you got while you got it , cos the worlds a changing

[maverick23]

Andy Clarke, like Smith, is another public schoolboy weed who has no place in boxing.
They'd be run out of any other sport for being chancers yet we have to put up with them.

What has his education got to do with anything? Surely where someone went to school shouldn't matter.

In this country of course where someone went to school matters, as it has a huge influence on their subsequent life/career trajectory.
The reality is that if you went to the right kind of school you get a huge head-start in life and access to opportunities that others simply don't get.
The criticism is of the system, not the individuals.

Yeah. It’s a system that does give opportunities. I don’t think it should be used as a criticism against someone though. By all means slag off the commentary ability if you think they’re poor but seemingly not wanting someone in a certain job just partly because of where they went to school is a bit stupid to me.

[Counter-puncher]

The collective level of punditry in both football and boxing is indeed shockingly bad. Most sports have analysts who can genuinely read what is happening and predict what might happen based on current tactics, setups, form etc.

Football and boxing punditry basically boils down to “summarise what has just happened”, regardless of how pointless it is for the viewer. Absolutely no insight or no specialist knowledge required. In fact, it’s probably considered a hindrance.

exactly, so it literally doesn't matter if every single pundit is a one-legged black lesbian. or not.

[stujones]

Watching the BBC World Cup coverage just makes you realise how far behind boxing is. We've got public schoolboy Smith with zero boxing experience growling about what Bomber means when we need ex pros with in depth first hand knowledge of the sport.
Question is, who would be our Gary Lineker? I'd get David Haye doing it

Careful what you wish for, BBC World Cup, or any kind of sports coverage, is woke nonsense with presenters / pundits chosen solely to tick diversity boxes rather than picked on merit.

Sky should use the long overdue exit of the truly awful Smith as a chance to turn over a new leaf. Make Ed Robinson front of house again, put Andy Clarke on comms and get rid of Anna and Johnny and Matt

Couldn’t agree more. People jumping on what your saying are kidding themselves Of course Ian wright and Micah Richards are there on merit but Alex Scott and that other black bird they’ve got on there are just ticking a box it’s as clear as day.

I think Micah Richards is personally ticking another box - Young. Not sure what Merit he has other than perhaps younger viewers can relate to him more. I love the "banter" on the MOTD Top 10 podcasts - but basically looking at it at face value it is basically Shearer / Lineker ripping into him for being a footballer who didn't achieve his potential and doesn't really do his research when it comes to punditary - how many times does he say "he hasn't seen, or cannot remember that" - go on youtube then.

When analysing a game on Sky also his vocabularly is quite limited - I know that comes across as pompus but aside from a big laugh he doesn't really bring that much to the table - although yes with the big laugh I do like him. But I prefer the likes of Neville and Carragher who are a lot more articulate and informative (Neville especially). I don't personally think Richards is there on merit.