HAVING cracked the top 40 of the Boxing News Power List last year, British Boxing Board of Control General Secretary Robert Smith has climbed a spot in the 2025 edition.
Now sitting at number 39, Smith finds himself ahead of some major industry figures, including former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, the Sauerland brothers, Golden Boy president Eric Gomez, and UFC chief Dana White, who has only recently entered the boxing sphere.
Despite the recognition, Smith was quick to downplay the achievement when asked for his reaction earlier today (September 1).
“It was brought to my attention. I don’t know how I got that high, but there you are.
“I take these things with a pinch of salt to a certain extent, because next year you could be way down, not even listed – that’s how things happen. But I think it’s more of an achievement for the office more than anything else, and the organisation. I just happen to be the spokesperson, etc. And when things go wrong, it’s all my fault and whatever.
“But I think that it is an appreciation of what we actually do here and what we try to do anyway.”
At the very top of the Power List – for the second year running – sits Turki Alalshikh. Officially, he is the Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, but in boxing circles he is regarded as the most influential man in the sport, having reshaped the landscape with blockbuster fights and lavish cards staged on his terms.
Smith acknowledged the Saudi chief’s disruptive influence and was keen to stress the benefits it has brought to boxing.
“I’m a big believer in new things coming along, looking at how we can adapt the sport,” he said.
“It is obviously an old sport, etc. And a lot of the things are done as they’ve been done previously.
“But I certainly think that bringing other people in, looking at how they want to do things, etc., is only good for the sport. And I actually think, you know, for the contests we’ve had, whether they be in Great Britain or Saudi or in America, etc., has been beneficial to the sport as a whole. So I don’t think you can knock that in any way, shape or form.”
