BOXING judges could score fights from HOME to help stop the spread of coronavirus in drastic new changes suggested by the WBC.
With major events facing the axe due to the Covid-19 crisis, promoters, commissions and governing bodies are imposing ways to have boxing return as quick as possible.
Judges could score fights from home to help stop the spread of coronavirus in drastic new changes suggested by the WBCCredit: Getty – Contributor
Judges will wear headphones and watch the fights via a live link
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Fights behind closed doors are already being discussed, but handlers must comply with the current strict health guidelines including a max of 50 people at each event – which includes each fighters team, ring officials, the commission and production.
The WBC, one of the four major organisations, have been exploring the idea of judges scoring fights from home or a designated place in order to cut the number of people at a show.
The WBC president, Mauricio Sulaiman, told BoxingScene: “We have been working for several years on the evaluation of remote online ring officials.
“This platform is ready to be used in case it will help to reduce the number of persons [at] a boxing card.”
Judges will wear headphones and watch the fights via a live link scoring each round with the total numbers then handed to the ring announcer by a commission member.
Concerns were raised around internet connectivity, so a contingency plan has been put in place should one of the judges lose their connection which will see them text or call in their scores.
Sulaiman added: “We have the app, the judges have the app.
“The judges have on its screen, the fighter(s). At the end of the round, the judge just has to press the number—10, 9, 8, 7, 6 or whatever for that fighter, and then the same for the other fighter and then submit.”
The WBC’s Remote Online Judging plan
- Judges access live video/audio of the fight.
- Judges and WBC Supervisor log into a secure WBC portal.
- Judges score each round in real-time.
- Commission and WBC Supervisor finalise results and hand to ring announcer.
- WBC Supervisor transposes electronic scores to hard copy master sheet.
- Scores feed to site admin consolidated report.
More concerns were added regarding each judges positions, as they normally sit on different sides of the ring giving each their own angle of the bout.
However, Sulaiman said: “[The viewing angle] will depend on the economics. This production, there are fights are produced by Showtime, by ESPN, they have very good production with many cameras.
“They have the capability of providing the feed in one way or another compared to other low budget (shows) that can only present a show from a limited number of angles.”
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Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
