Frank Smith on the accusations: “I don’t take orders”
Matchroom CEO, Frank Smith, and BOXXER founder and CEO, Ben Shalom have had an online feud explode as of late. The feud comes after Frank Smith’s long-term criticism of Shalom’s promotional style.
In an interview with iFL TV, Shalom stated that he feels Smith’s criticisms come from a place of jealousy towards the young promoter.
The Matchroom CEO responded to the backlash in an interview with Boxing Social.
“I think it’s quite cute really. I’m not going to go into back and forth about it all. I see people say it’s unprofessional, he’s saying it’s unprofessional. It’s not unprofessional to say I don’t like someone because of the way they operate. It’s just my opinion, don’t worry about my opinion, I’m irrelevant. Don’t worry about what I say, it’s just my opinion.”
Smith went on to state that he is not jealous, revealing that he is happy for Shalom, but feels they will never see eye-to-eye
“I’m not jealous, I’m actually the complete opposite to being a jealous person. I like people succeeding, in every walk of life. I’ve worked hard and I’ve done alright, I’m not bragging but I’ve done well. I like people succeeding, from everywhere, so it’s not in me.
“I knew he would bite eventually, but it is what it is, I’m not going to go back and forward. Good luck to him, you do your thing, we will do ours.
“I don’t take orders, and I don’t get told to go after Ben Shalom. We move on, let’s just enjoy the sport of boxing.”
Smith’s focus will likely be elsewhere over the coming weeks, as Matchroom prepare to put five of their top fighters in the ring against a Queensberry roster. Forming the highly anticipated Frank Warren vs Eddie Hearn 5 vs 5 event scheduled for June 1 in Saudi Arabia.