Home Advantage - What does it mean?

It means that you can do a bit lesser then the other fighter and win, punch gloves=scoring blows.

Some Judges get influenced by surroundings.

 

Most sports have this factor, just look at the home and away records of any football team.

 

That doesn't really happen though. What you are basically saying is that the ref and judges will always favour the home fighter, no matter what.

Lesser quality officials can be influenced/intimidated in to subconsciously giving the home team an advantage in football/basketball/a lot of sports, just as they can in boxing through the crowd, competitors or management. They don't do it deliberately (most of the time), it just happens.

The crowd reactions shouldn't, but may sway a judge or ref in making decisions one way or another, partiuclarly if it's tight. I think you are wayyyyyyyyyy overestimating the importance of it to be honest.

 

It's just like the Man United getting penalties at Old Trafoord argument

Possibly true but unprovable

The officials will be swayed by the crowd, it's hard not to be

But you don't officially get more points for being at home, you're being very simplistic about this

 

Home advantage is when you have ten good toes and no one tries to drug you.

 

Too much.

 

:deal

Also, I think that the week(s) building up to a big fight can be more stressful for the 'away' boxer to cope with as they will probably be holed up in a hotel. When all you really want is your own space and people around you who are doing their own thing, you are in a different place and everyone is fussing around you.

Calzaghe, for example, used to do nothing different in fight week that he wouldn't for the rest of the time. Remember when he crashed his own car driving himself to a weigh in once and

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went nuts! For the Hopkins fight, he got a villa outside of Vegas where he could finish up preparations with close family around and no outside fuss. He knew exactly what he needed to get himself in the right place mentally.

 

I think there are few factors:

The one is that the crowd may well spur on a fighter, one only has to look at the advantage a home game can give in other sports.

Also, I think all the cheering often does influence the scoring: for example whats a glancing blow or something that's not even made contact can come across as a power punch with a rowdy crowd cheering like mad on the back of it. Of course the judges will be well aware of this, but it's bound to play an influence even if just subconsiously.

Thirdly, there is definitely some home cooking/dubious goings on that goes on in boxing at times, well it's renowned for it, and quite often at least one of the home judges will show a crazy score card often in favour of the home man.

Oh, it's not just the judges either, the ref can also often influence a fight and you also often see them reffing in a manner that may favour the domestic man.

I think ring sizes etc are decided in the contract, but I'd say if someones got to fight at home, they are more likely to be the bigger draw in the fight so may well have more of a say over these too eg a fighter who doesn't stand and trade so much is probably going to favour a larger sized ring.

 

Also, if there's a Volcano erupting, you don't have to fly through it.

 

I think fighters/promoters sometimes try to make it even more unsettling for the 'away man' too by making life more uncomfortable than it should be.

For example, I think there was a bit of fuss over Haye's treatment of Barret.

Don't try and put Bernard in a 'freezer' though.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwzjtJu9wA4[/ame]

 

"My feets are frozen"