Legendary UK boxing commentator Adam Smith has embarked on a new career in the sport by joining the GBM Sports promotion as Director of Broadcasting.
GBM Sports is a rising promotion in British boxing at a time of enhanced visibility for the sport, operating against the backdrop of countless popular UK-born and based fighters competing at the world-championship level in recent years.
As a well recognised voice for boxing followers, Smith’s chief task of Director of Broadcasting with GBM – which is headed up by CEO Izzy Asif – will be to unlock media opportunities for the promotion to support its global growth plans.
Smith remarked: “I’m delighted to be joining GBM as Director of Broadcasting. I am really excited about working with Izzy and the team. It’s fresh, it’s new, it’s something different, it’s something growing.
“I’m honoured to have been asked. It’s a privilege and after what I’ve been through, I have a different perspective on life. I’m happy to be here, I’m lucky to be here, it’s time to give back.”
Smith’s broadcasting experience comes from his 30 year career with Sky Sports, the UK’s biggest sports broadcaster and a prominent media distributor of British bouts. This status was highlighted by promoter Ben Shalom in an interview with Insider Sport earlier this month.
During his three-decade tenure with Sky, Smith commented on a number of the sport’s most high profile fights in recent years. This included the Carl Froch vs George Groves grudge match, Anthony Joshua’s unified world title win over Vladimir Klitschco and the blockbuster MMA-boxing crossover bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Conor McGregor.
He joins GMB as the company seeks to enhance its local and international profile, going up against heavy hitting competitor promotions like Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom, Frank Warren’s Queensbury and the aforementioned Ben Shalom’s BOXXER.
The Sheffield-based promotion has already placed a heavy emphasis cultivating a strong broadcasting network prior to Smith’s addition to its senior team. Notably, a media partnership with TalkSport was clenched last November.
Asif remarked: “When we launched GBM Sports, we had a clear vision – to be the number one boxing promoter in the UK. In our debut year we signed our unprecedented broadcast deal with talkSPORT.
“This year, we have made world class additions to our fighting stable and will be selling out events in venues across the country. We have big ambitions as a promoter, so we know making the right signings to our backroom staff is key to helping us fulfil our potential.
“I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Adam Smith to the GBM team as our Director of Broadcasting and look forward to achieving some incredible feats together as a company.”
