Adam Smith: His Sh** is Causing Heat Among Our Community

[davidemore]

Anyone familiar with the youtube community of boxing predictors will have heard of UKwingchunstudent. He's a British youtube poster and really knows his stuff about boxing.

So... Wingy wrote an open letter to Adam Smith. It criticized the way he has shrank boxing on Sky Sports and shrank the amount of promoters/fighters they showcase. Wingy believed this was bad for the sport, and bad for the future of the sport. It was an interesting letter that he posted on youtube, his blog, FB and Twitter. And it kicked up a storm. Wingy is a real fan of boxing, and he needs to be respected, not attacked by old man Bunce.

But Steve Bunce got involved anyway.

Buncey boy has started having a dig at Wingy for putting his nose in. Acting like us fans have no business posting opinions, predictions and alike. Now, this forum IS one of these environments. A place where boxing fans express and interact in the modern era.

I'm shocked and disgusted at Adam Smith. He is ruining the sport in my opinion. And to have Steve Bunce get on his horse and attack a die hard boxing fan? Wow. This is interesting, maybe us non essential committed boxing fans are getting to the wigs of the sport.

Check it all out... power to the people! F you Buncey!!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY4cTuAfQio&feature=g-all-u

[SugarRayRussell (PBK)]

I've been on twitter Wingy is really p***ed.

Its not really Smith fault he never cut his own budget. The man creeps me out though he looks like he keeps body parts under his patio!

[davidemore]

Lol!!! here here people!

These two are talking to our types like we aren't anything and WE ARE BOXING! And we don't kiss arse like he does!

[JabMachineMK2]

Bunce is a bit of a limp Winkle

[two_tone]

Adam Smith is a toad, Bunce is a clown - I couldnt care less about either one of their opinions. Warren needs to keep his pet on a lead.

[davidemore]

Loving and agreeing with what i'm reading.

Steve Bunce thinks he's bigger than the community? Well, if he's so sure on boxing, what the f*** is he doing interviewing Cleverly and telling him how hard his road has been lately? Come on, that is not boxing talk, that's bullsh**.

Nothing against Nathan though, true warrior, just needs better fights.

[manos de piedra]

Is there much Smith can do about it?

I get the impression he simply has to work to a budget and designated system thats part of Skys overall policy.

For instance I know he is/was a very close personal friend of Ricky Hatton so dropping him from Sky was a very tough decision for Smith.

Theres probably not alot he can do, and in the cuts he has made so far I think he has been right. Price is the only thing keeping Maloney alive on Sky but if there are further cutbacks it probably going to be Maloney next. Sky overall have too much dealing with Matchroom through poker, darts etc to cut them.

[davidemore]

manos whose side are you on brother dearest, that man is caustic when he speaks! like chemicals!

bromance.

[Rowley]

Sky overall have too much dealing with Matchroom through poker, darts etc to cut them.

The simple reality is as well they have the most attractive stable from Sky's perspective, Brook looks on the cusp of some big fights, Froch is on a high and always delivers excitement, Frampton looks a genuine prospect and Prize Fighter appears as popular as ever.

[davidemore]

Three fighters Rowley, three? Come on now. And thoughts on the Bunce issue please, cultured poster...

[manos de piedra]

Sky overall have too much dealing with Matchroom through poker, darts etc to cut them.

The simple reality is as well they have the most attractive stable from Sky's perspective, Brook looks on the cusp of some big fights, Froch is on a high and always delivers excitement, Frampton looks a genuine prospect and Prize Fighter appears as popular as ever.

Agreed. If they could poach Price somehow, Maloney would dropped like a bad habit. I dont whether it was by chance or design but I would say boxing on Sky will effectively be Matchroom controlled before long which could put them in a very good position.

[SugarRayRussell (PBK)]

3 fighters like that is all they have space for.

22 shows next season 8 of which will be prizefighters. 2 are Khans leaving only 10. 2 will go to Froch and 2 or 3 to Brook, 2 to Barker and 2 to Frampton. Leaving only one or 2 shows that they will try and farm out to Dave Coldwell if he can get another fight like Bellew v McIntosh. That is Skys boxing output for next season!

No wonder Warren set up his own channel.

[davidemore]

Sugar has the insight! Boxing is on the slopes! Steve Bunce thoughts, Sugar? The tool.

[SugarRayRussell (PBK)]

He was out of order with Wingy. He's like most other pundits in the sport his opinion is biased. He says what Frank tells him to for his cheque. He used to kiss Eddie Hearns arse before he went to Boxnation.

[Rowley]

Three fighters Rowley, three? Come on now. And thoughts on the Bunce issue please, cultured poster...

Can't access the link at work but think people need to be realistic. Boxing is in a state but genuinely think if people are looking at Sky as their cause they are looking in the wrong place, sky has backed boxing like no other channel over the last 15 years and for what, promoters who refuse to work with each other, fighters who refuse to fight each other and so on and so on, given boxing delivers on the whole poor viewing figures for huge amounts of hassle who can blame them for pulling out of the sport, it ain't worth the hassle. Think we are being naive if we want to throw any blame at Smith. He is a huge boxing fan, am sure if he had the budget he would buy all the international shows and give every promoter a contract, he doesn't and so has to cut his cloth accordingly, and as I alluded to earlier was I a TV executive and I could only afford one fighters stable it would probably be Hearn's at the minute.

[Mind the windows Tino.]

Can't access the link at work but think people need to be realistic. Boxing is in a state but genuinely think if people are looking at Sky as their cause they are looking in the wrong place, sky has backed boxing like no other channel over the last 15 years

Aye, agreed. I have had this argument so many times on here over this issue that I barely have the strength again, but if people have some misty eyed view of terrestrial TV showing the glory days of boxing they are sadly deluded. Terrestrial TV was only ever interesting in the headline acts or major players, since way back when. They never showed any inclination in the smaller hall shows and just think of the fantastic undercard matches we would have missed had Sky not picked up the ball? There are literally thousands of brilliant fights that would have slipped under the radar over the last 20 years had Sky not showed them.

They didn't trample all over BBC/ITV, they just picked up the scraps and turned it into a far greater and more comprehensive product. BBC/ITV hardly put up a fight and when they did (Audley) look how that turned out.

Boxings malaise runs far deeper than Sky Sports.

[davidemore]

lol @ Alma.

Bunce let himself down there, calling himself a professional and ranting at Wingy like that, contradiction one thinks. That's like me calling myself a professional and doing what i do on here, i be too emotional sometimes, lol.

Rowley and Tino, great points.

Promoters need to realize they are contributing to this, and the fighters. Interesting to see that sports highest earners are boxers though aye? For a dying sport that is. Confuses me.

[manos de piedra]

Boxing has ppv, thats the biggest reason. Can you imagine how much money Federer, Woods etc would make if the major finals were ppv.

I think looking at numbers is more telling. Mayweather is the biggest draw in boxing and the highest earner. Yet less 2 million U.S viewers tune into his fights.

I dont think Mayweathers/Pacquiaos earnings are a real reflection of the overall position boxing finds itself in. Outside of those two the earning figures for nearly everyone else in the sport would plummet while other sports can maintain huge earnings for countless pro's as opposed to ust the two top guys.

[Sugar Floyd Louis]

For anyone who would like to see the open letter to Adam Smith it's here: http://ukwingchunstudent.tumblr.com/post/25492348664/an-open-letter-to-adam-smith-from-a-boxing-fan

well written!

[manos de piedra]

For all the eloction, metaphors and passion in the letter it doesnt really explain how Adam Smith is responsible. It just levels accusations.

I get the impression the simple answer is that the top dogs in Sky just arent prioritising boxing and that Adam Smith has to work withing these constraints.

If people find his mannerism creepy or dont like him, fair enough, but cant really see how he is personally to blame for Skys overall policy on boxing and without actually being party to the inner workings of Sky the letter just comes across as a bit of a rant with no real evidence to back up its claims.

Maybe we can blame Smith for the number of sanctioning bodies and pointless titles while we are it?

[eddyfightfan]

ive been a big fan of wingy didnt like the way he handled the post manny bradley decision. claiming anyone who scored the fight to bradley is just wrong and knew nothing about boxing. thats a good way to turn people off from watching though.

as for sky, if it wasnt for sky where would boxing be in this country? dead is the answer

[Rowley]

Got bored halfway through the letter but come across as a bit cretinous to me, to suggest or even think Smith will have any say over what the budget for boxing is at sky is at best naive, at worst plain dumb. Like any department head in a major organisation Smith will be told his budget and will have to do his best with what he has got.

People need to be realistic about sky, it is a commercial entity and as such its concern are selling subscriptions and advertising and the amount of budget and programming it devotes to any sport will be dictated by how well each sport achieves them objectives. Would have to think in 20 years of showing the sport sky will have a pretty good handle on how effectively sky brings in viewers and their current ambivalence to the sport to me would appear to reflect the fact that the sport brings a lot of hassle and BS for no great viewing figures or advertising revenue. If anyone can explain how that is Smith's fault I am all ears.

[eddyfightfan]

there must have been a point in the letter somewhere, but i couldnt find it.

to me it read, i dont like you because all my favourite boxers cant fight on sky. this is your fault and nothing to do with anyone else.

i for one think smith is a decent person, and fair and accurate most of the time. he has the hardest job at sky trying to sell boxing at the moment, how many people would watch football if there team decided they werent going to play anyone in the premier league this season?

[eddyfightfan]

i acutally enjoyed the Q and A but since then his im right your wrong attitude is annoying, he his opinion is just that, an opinion.

[davidemore]

Wingy may be lazy with the English but has valid opinions. Needs to be more mature in debate though, gets too street about issues.

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