sports dictionary Boxing - HANDICAP

Boxing HANDICAP advantage (or head start) given by one athlete to another to equalize the chances of winning. In chess, experienced masters donate a piece to young players as a handicap, in cycling, the planned lag is fixed, and in boxing, the handicap is the division of athletes by weight into categories. In the beginning, boxers were not divided into categories, so the path to great achievements was closed to light athletes. Over time, categories were introduced that divided boxers by body weight. Currently, there are eleven weight categories in amateur boxing, professionals are divided into seventeen weights.