Adam Smith has condemned the abuse given to Josh Taylor and his family following the Scot’s win over Jack Catterall.
Taylor revealed that he and his family suffered “personal attacks” following the controversial results, describing them as “disgusting and unbelievable”.
The undisputed super-lightweight clash between champion Taylor and challenger Catterall on Sky Sports ended in a decisive win for the home boxer in Glasgow. However, the consensus tonight is that the away boxer has won.
Smith, the head of Sky Boxing, who spoke to Boxing Social recently, said: “It is completely unacceptable and shameful that anyone would do that to Josh and his family.
“Looks like this is run and run. It’s not the fighter’s fault.
We have to congratulate them both for getting there and giving us 12 innings. They are two elite award fighters and Jack Catterall proved that night that he is.
“Most people believe that Jack Catterall won the war. The Scottish other world champion Hannah Rankin thinks Josh has lost on it fairly. We (Smith and co-commentator Matthew Macklin) called it what we saw. We feel Jack Catterall won by a substantial margin. ”
Boxing Control Board secretary Robert Smith (not involved) said there would be an investigation into the scoring. The scorecard 114-111 by the experienced referee and judge Ian John-Lewis was heavily criticized.
The explosion even spread to the political world. The Speaker of the House, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who is also an MP for Catterall in Chorley, has written to police about the matter and has contacted Nadine Dorries, the Secretary for Digital, Culture and Sport.
“He [Robert Smith] needs to look at the public reaction and he needs to be receptive to it. It was introduced into the House of Commons. Adam Smith said.
“It will be about what happens next. Will the judges be okay to work next week? Especially the card of Ian John-Lewis. 114-111 is particularly broad for Josh Taylor so clearly has to be considered more than the others.
“Ben [Shalom] and I felt very shocked that night and very upset. We feel sad for Jack and the team.
They have reached enemy territory; they are big losers. In our eyes, they won the war with a great game plan.
“Perhaps it is important to look at how we can improve the sport. That is the most important thing. Warriors are people we respect more than anything. They put their lives on the line. “
Click here to watch Full interview with Adam Smith as he discusses Brook-Khan 2, Anthony Joshua’s next move, Wasserman’s deal with Channel 5 and more.
