What fights can you think of where the home crowd seamed to pull their fighter through to victory? Off the top of my head I'm thinking Mark Kaylor's victory over Errol Christie Wembley Arena 1985 and Tony Lopez win over Rocky Lockridge in Sacramento 1988 (from reading about this fight in Ring mag on the way to school to actually seeing it took me just over 20 years - worth the wait though)
Were you there? Even watching it on video the atmosphere is electric, must certainly have given Tony a boost.
For certain. 100% sure. Though he wasn't born in this particular town - JCC - Greg H, 132,000 there in Mexico, 99% favouring Chavez.
Interesting question. You could say it helped a ton of those tough hombres that fought at the Blue Horizon 30 years ago. There was not going to be any dancing when that opening bell rang and the tone was set by the crowd for a slugfest. And the crowd intensity always helped guys like Hamed and had the guy at 100% right at the opening bell. Tough assignment being the challenger in the other corner when the Prince was entering the ring back then and he knew how to feed off it. I think the crowd helped Pryor when he fought Cervantes. It sure didn't hurt. He might have beat a declining Cervantes anyway, but nobody put that guy in a heap like that. Interestingly, later that same night Hearns put away Cuevas in Detroit. That didn't hurt either but Cuevas may have been another guy ready to be taken. But that level of opposition and that home crowd are a lot to overcome and for the above 2 fights. They simply didn't allow time for a back and forth fight. But 1 corner was razor sharp and ready to go and the crowd knew it & sensed it and tasted it. Another 1 may have been Lyle-Shavers, but I think Lyle weathers storms better and survives against Earnie. The home crowd sure didn't hurt but I don't think it actually propelled him to victory, but perhaps other people do.
Suppose you could thrown Hatton - Kostya Tszyu at the M.E.N Arena. Hatton never reached that level of performance again, he was walking through everything that night.
Suppose you could thrown Hatton - Kostya Tszyu at the M.E.N Arena. Hatton never reached that level of performance again, he was walking through everything that night.
Nope. Saw it on tape. Gr8 fight & gr8 fans. Reminded me of the Ayala-Lopez fight in 1979 in San Antonio... Crazy atmosphere.:good
