Adam Smith-IFL Interview

I've seen a few Smith interviews that were decent. He loves the sport and in independent interviews he gives all fighters their due.

The problem is when he's working for sky sports and shamelessly promoting their fighters.

With sky's tongue out of Hearn's rear, we will hopefully see more levelled opinions on their Saturday fight night shows.

 

Should get Paul Smith or Barry Jones in.

 

There was a female analyst/co-commentator during the recent Euros (I think it was Emma Hayes, the Chelsea women's manager) who was really good. She was better than all of the men who these days just trot out tired old clichés. She actually provided some in depth tactical analysis. It was the type of analysis you get in the studio at half/full time, but she was doing it on the fly as she was commentating.

 

Was she a blonde woman? I actually vaguely remember a blonde woman, I think a manager, who I remember doing good analysis actually... I can't remember what tournament, match or who it was, though. Might be the same person.

Edit: Missed the Emma Hayes part, that's her.

 

An example of a woman who knows the game inside out, has actually managed at a very high level in the women's game and can get good points across in plain English with a voice easy on the ear.

This Karen Carney character simply speaks for the sake of being heard most times and her voice is not up to the job of co commentator.

 

Can't stand Emma Hayes personally. Constantly changes her opinion to try and sound knowledgeable like most women pundits I've seen across all sports. She was saying during the Hungary v England game at HT (0-0) that England should keep it tight as a point was a good result... fast forward 45 minutes and 4 unanswered goals later 'yeah England needed to attack more, we could all see that'. Not to mention saying during the Poland game 'England haven't played in front of a hostile crowd in a while' 4 days after they got pelted with bottles and racially abused in Budapest she was pundit on that game too.

 

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An improvement on the nail on blackboard excruciatingly bad hyperbole he usually comes out with both in interviews and commentary and Smith definitely has been more relaxed and natural now that Eddie's reign of terror is over and he can say what he likes within reason rather than being shackled by the Mismatchroom propaganda department then great.
If Adam and the other pundits can speak their mind now and keep delivering solid domestic and international cards on Sky as seems to be happening then we really are moving into a solid and improved era of British boxing on Sky, long may it continue I say.

 

Hopefully we will see more of this going forward.

Problems may arise if Sky sign a deal with another promoter and Smith and co go back to bumming the house fighters.

 

Fair enough, mate. I didn't hear this as I watched the England games in the pub, so hearing the commentary is always a bit more difficult there. I did enjoy Hayes' commentary on the non England games I watched at home.

 

Possibly but it's strange when you look back at the Frank era on Sky he was the only UK promoter on TV that meant anything but even so the pundits and commentators on Sky never held back their real opinion and towed the company line like they did once Eddie arrived, really was like North Korea during that time seemed bad at the time but looking back it was even worse a dark, dark time for punditry and boxing on Sky in general.

 

The thing that irritated me from Saturday was all the absolutely clueless celebs (ie Mason Mount and Mo Farah) who got interviewed. I know having celebs there is nothing new for boxing, but it was absolutely obvious what each one was going to say "Yeah hard fight but Joshua will KO him buzzing for the fight great to see crowds back" - so dull and predictable.

 

funny I see that as an opportunity, when you have the hype overtaking the reality, theres easy money to be made.

Even now, after big Josh has been completely exposed, by the time the rematch rolls around you'll have the same hyperbolic opinions everywhere and AJ might even go in as favourite. HUGE money to be made on BRUTHA USKY in the rematch.

Consider this: USKY TO WIN was 20/21 at the end of round 11 on saturday. Absolutely insane odds.

 

Only a couple of hours after the Campbell Hatton decision.

I'd have wanted double those odds to bet on Usyk on points, even after 11 when I had him in a distant lead.

 

Eddie's mastered the "fake mates" tactic. I'm surprised the sharks at sky couldn't read it.

 

Yeah its a fair point. I couldn't see how USKY could lose by that point though, said to Mrs Wig at the end of round ten "BRUTHA USKY is going to stop him here" it was man against boy. Big Josh did well to finish the fight on his feet, tongue out and all. I don't see how on earth he survives twelve rounds in the rematch. USKY KO is the most obvious bet of the year for me.