The hype surrounding the upcoming fight is at an all-time high, social media sites are blowing up with tweets and posts regarding what could be considered the biggest combat sports match in the history of sports. According to Nevada bookies, there is enormous amount of money being generated from this fight. Record breaking bets, quite possibly the largest in boxing history.
What many people might not realize is one key factor to this fight, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has allowed Floyd Mayweather and Conor Mcgregor to ditch the 10oz boxing gloves and fight with 8oz gloves.
This change could possibly be the deciding factor on who the winner of this fight will be.
So, who will benefit the most with lighter gloves and are there any safety concerns?
It is widely known that Mayweather has a disadvantage to the age difference, he is not in his prime anymore and is fighting a younger opponent. Dropping the glove weight from 10oz 8oz to means more striking power for McGregor. Many could say this is not an issue since Mayweather has a strong defense and McGregor won’t even be able to land a punch.
The issue I see in lighter gloves is the affect they would have on Mayweather’s “brittle hands”. Even veteran cutman, Miguel Diaz, who has personally wrapped up Mayweather’s hands stated this fact around the time of the Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight. Mayweather has many issues with his hands and really feels those punches even in sparring matches, I presume the passing of years has not made any of this better. Lowering the weight of the gloves could possibly aggravate this issue.
Mayweather does indeed have an amazing defense, known for landing an assortment of counter punches. Lighter gloves mean quicker hands for Mayweather. This might be why Mayweather has even been record guaranteeing a win by KO, something Mayweather hasn’t done since his fight with Victor Ortiz in 2011.
In regards to the safety concerns, it does seem strange that the regulations on the appropriate gloves to use for this weight class is being changed. Even catching the attention of the Association of Ringside Physicians, which came out with a letter stating that if there is no evidence to show dropping the glove weight from 10oz to 80z would improve the safety of the fight, current regulations should not be changed.
Both fighters seem to be fine with the change in gloves, but surely this will make all the difference to one of these fighter; the question is who?