Home advantage for a fighter - why is it accepted?

Discussion in 'World Boxing Forum' started by granth, Dec 3, 2018.


  1. granth

    granth Well-Known Member Full Member

    2,627
    2,900
    Nov 12, 2010
    I realise that boxing has bigger credibility fish to fry, but why is it widely accepted among fans, commentators, managers and fighters that if a boxer is fighting at home , he's more likely to get the result.

    Phrases like "He'll have to knock him out to win" and "it's hard to win on points in Germany" shouldn't exist. It should be a fair contest, impartially judged and the location should not matter. Why is this given a free pass?
     
    Holler likes this.
  2. WhataRock

    WhataRock Loyal Member Full Member

    34,990
    18,248
    Jul 29, 2004
    The way she goes.
     
    ellerbe likes this.
  3. PhillyPhan69

    PhillyPhan69 Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

    18,097
    15,572
    Dec 20, 2006
    Just excuses of fan boys on the wrong side of a decision that Paulie doesn’t like
     
  4. gmurphy

    gmurphy Land of the corrupt, home of the robbery! banned Full Member

    14,883
    10,943
    Oct 30, 2013
    Its hard to win on points in germany lol.
    Id prefer to fight in germany than north america..the usa is the top dog nation when it comes to robberies now
     
    Guybino and GK BOX like this.
  5. GK BOX

    GK BOX Boxing Junkie Full Member

    7,833
    6,109
    Nov 23, 2015
    That’s why fighters jockey for A side position. As to why it’s accepted, well, I think boxing exists in spite of it. Same way boxers get killed in the ring, just look at Adonis Stevenson in a coma. It’s just an ugly side of the sport.

    I’m sure that California judge was given instructions to score any remotely close round to Wilder. If he wants future gigs he’ll play ball. And so he played ball.

    Finally there’s always a human bias which we must consider. American judges would prefer their fighter won. It’s very basic.
     
  6. highlander

    highlander Active Member Full Member

    655
    634
    Sep 26, 2017
    agree. the judges had stevenson pretty far ahead before the knock out. no way. the ref did NOT call a legit knock down on stevenson in the third. when he got up, he was clearly rattled. home advantage for every one to see.
    shouldn't be that way.
     
    Holler likes this.
  7. granth

    granth Well-Known Member Full Member

    2,627
    2,900
    Nov 12, 2010
    I'm not specifically talking about a particular fight or the aftermath. You hear these phrases thrown around before fights , as if it's accepted that because a fighter is away from home, he has to somehow fight better than he would do at home. It doesn't make any sense. I can understand how a home fighter can be buoyed by home support, but judges shouldn't be swayed by it.
     
  8. destruction

    destruction Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

    16,719
    13,288
    Mar 26, 2009
    See the recent Fury Wilder fight

    Then watch GGG vs Canelo 1 & 2 and Kovalev vs Ward 1 & 2

    America is becoming a very bad place for away fighters to travel to.

    Away fighters travelling to the U.K. and Germany (especially Sven Otke) have had issues.
     
    Guybino likes this.
  9. granth

    granth Well-Known Member Full Member

    2,627
    2,900
    Nov 12, 2010
    Being impartial is a key attribute in being a judge in any sport. Boxing shouldn't be any different. It calls the integrity of any contest into question.
     
  10. gmurphy

    gmurphy Land of the corrupt, home of the robbery! banned Full Member

    14,883
    10,943
    Oct 30, 2013
    Germany are looking at the crap america is doing right now and saying ffs we could have been way more corrupt
     
    destruction likes this.
  11. PhillyPhan69

    PhillyPhan69 Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

    18,097
    15,572
    Dec 20, 2006
    In seriousness I do think bad and corrupt decisions happen. I just think they happen less often than is thrown around by people who don’t understand the nuances of scoring a fight and or rely on compubox and amateur media analysts as well as letting commentators impact thier decision. As well as it being a fighter they cheer for or wagered on. I don’t want to many inebriated boxing fans rendering official decisions either.

    I think in the old days it was taught that you had to win emphatically to wrest a championship from the champ and today it happens on virtually any close card where the judges go that way.

    Just my take
     
    highlander and GK BOX like this.
  12. highlander

    highlander Active Member Full Member

    655
    634
    Sep 26, 2017
    example- braddock had to REALLY dominate baer to take the title. for braddock, it would have been very difficult to knock out baer, so that was his only option. and he did it. at the end of that fight, EVERY ONE who watched it KNEW baer had been beaten. if the judges had scored it for baer, there probably would have been calls for investigations by congress. back then, boxing was much more popular that it is today.
     
    PhillyPhan69 likes this.
  13. GK BOX

    GK BOX Boxing Junkie Full Member

    7,833
    6,109
    Nov 23, 2015
    Boxing is different
    Especially with rounds being close
     
    PhillyPhan69 likes this.
  14. PhillyPhan69

    PhillyPhan69 Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

    18,097
    15,572
    Dec 20, 2006
    TBF we get controversial decisions in any sport where a 3rd or 3 (supposedly) impartial bystanders vote on the outcome. Gymnastics (which I hate, but my daughters love) is notorious for similar conflict, it just escapes our notice as boxing fans. Adding an outside arbitrator often yields unfavorable results or at least results that are unforable to those on the other side.
     
    GK BOX likes this.
  15. LordSouness

    LordSouness Boxing Addict Full Member

    4,195
    691
    Feb 15, 2014
    In certain circumstances, you can understand it with the crowd cheering one way etc, but sometimes people just accept it too readily.

    The fight at the weekend, for example - the crowd wasn't heavily pro-Wilder.