In a surprising twist to the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight buildup, Mayweather announced that he's letting the UFC champion fight using 8-ounce gloves of any brand.
Mayweather posted on his Instagram account that he and Mayweather will be fighting using 8-ounce gloves compared to the 10-ounce gloves that was previously announced when the fight was first announced.
"Don't believe what you hear in the media. Don't believe what you hear on blog sites. If it's not coming directly from me, then it's not true. I'm telling McGregor, "Let's fight in 8 oz gloves". McGregor can fight in any brand he prefers or chooses. I'll be wearing 8 oz Grant gloves. Whatever advantage McGregor needs to feel more comfortable in the ring, I'm willing to accommodate. Let's give the boxing and MMA fans what they want to see."
However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission blocked any possibility of lighter gloves being used on the night of the fight. Bob Bennett, the Nevada commission executive director, told ESPN as soon as the announcement was made that the rules were set and will not make an exception for this fight.
"These regulations are in place for the health and safety of the athletes, which is of the utmost importance to the commission," Bennett said. "Our regulations already outline the appropriate glove size according to contracted weight of a fight."
There were questions as to what type of gloves were going to be worn. Since the fight will be contested at 154 pounds, both fighters are required to wear 10-ounce gloves come fight time. Both fighters could theoretically fight using 8-ounce gloves, as is the case with any boxing fight contested at 147 pounds and below, should the boxers agree to it. It's a rare event that both fighters at junior middleweight and above to agree to this stipulation.
It's also noteworthy because of McGregor's recent comments during the Mayweather vs. McGregor press tour regarding the gloves.
"All these rules, all these restrictions, it doesn’t faze me – it amuses me. The gloves, they have to be 10 ounces. 154 pounds. He’s never fought at 154 pounds; I think he’s fought at 154 pounds once. He wants the gloves up, no problem. I’ll wear 10 ounces. No Mexican-made gloves. No gloves made from horse hair. OK, no problem. We’re wearing gloves in our game for about five years, so I don’t give a f*ck about gloves. It’s funny to me. All I need is a gum shield, line me up in the ring, and I’m good to go,” McGregor said.
Mayweather has had a long history of demanding opponents to wear certain types of gloves as was the case for the May 3, 2013 fight against Marcos Maidana. Mayweather insisted Maidana wear Everlast Powerlock model gloves rather than Everlast MX, the latter of which includes horsehair as part of the padding. The disagreement on the eve of the fight included a Mayweather threat to cancel the event if Maidana didn't comply.
In regards to the type of glove, this could mean that McGregor may be using either Mexican-made gloves or horse hair gloves because of the slight punching power increase it brings. Mayweather also has a history of not allowing opponents to wear such gloves.
Fightful will have complete coverage of Mayweather vs. McGregor, which will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on August 26.
