Adam Smith questions why Anthony Joshua would not sign broadcasting deal with Sky
Adam Smith has questioned why Anthony Joshua would not sign a broadcasting deal with Sky Sports for his fight with Oleksandr Usyk. Smith is the head of boxing development at Sky Sports and has enjoyed a good working relationship with Joshua.
Joshua's fights have been shown on Sky Sports Box Office throughout his career. Smith said the following when asked if Joshua would sign the broadcast deal with Sky:
"I've always been confident Anthony would stay with us because he loves Sky and we love and why would he want to move off the biggest platform. Sky Sports have been fantastic for 'AJ'."
Check out the full interview here:
Smith makes a great point as Anthony Joshua has benefitted from the Sky platform. This has helped him greatly on his journey to becoming a global star.
Will Anthony Joshua sign with DAZN?
'YOU HAVE TO ASK JOSHUA THAT' - ADAM SMITH RESPONDS TO AJ SKY / DAZN RUMOURS, JOHNNY NELSON COMMENTS..WATCH THE WHOLE INTERVIEW BY CLICKING THIS FOLLOWING LINK buff.ly/3mTEtdr
Anthony Joshua is part of the Matchroom stable and has signed a deal that ties him down to the promotional company for the rest of his career. Eddie Hearn and Matchroom moved over to DAZN last year, so the question now arises about who will broadcast the Brit's fights.
DAZN offer a monthly subscription to fans but also offer a pay-per-view model for their elite fighters.
Canelo Alvarez was the first fighter to feature on this model when he fought Dmitry Bivol. While it was included in the monthly subscription for UK fans, USA fans had to purchase the pay-per-view model to watch the fight.
This initiative makes great sense as there is a lot more money involved when the pay-per-view stars fight. This required DAZN to begin this initiative in order to retain and sign the creme de la creme of fighters.
Another question that arises is whether BOXXER fighters will feature on the undercard, should the fight be on Sky. Ben Shalom is the head of Boxxer promotions and works alongside Smith and Sky.
They boast an impressive stable of upcoming fighters including the likes of Ben Whittaker and Adam Azim. Shalom and Smith would, of course, desire their fighters to feature on the undercard if it is shown on Sky.
The reach and audience that Sky has is incredible and this is one of the reasons why Anthony Joshua's stock has risen massively. Joshua will be aware of this and it will no doubt be a tough decision for the Brit. Eddie Hearn stated the following when he was asked about this:
"Adam Smith has absolutely no say on the undercard and there will be no Boxxer fighter on the undercard."
Check out the full interview below:
This was also a response to Smith stating he felt there should be a mix of both Boxxer and Matchroom fighters on the undercard. While this would probably be a sensible conclusion, Hearn completely dismissed the idea. Of course, we will only know further details regarding this should 'AJ' sign with Sky for the fight.
We will not have to wait too long as an announcement is expected in the next couple of days. The date of the fight will also be announced and rumors suggest it will take place on the 20th of August.