Crossover fight needs compromise on gloves
Fight night on Aug. 26 will surely feel very different from normal for Conor McGregor as he steps into the unknown, but perhaps never more so than when the referee orders him and Floyd Mayweather Jr. to touch gloves before the action begins.
For just as boxing experts have decried the notion that “fighters are fighters” in giving McGregor little hope as he crosses over from mixed martial arts, so too can it be accurately stated that gloves are not just gloves.
So much of the pomp and hoopla ahead of the event has been contrived, an exaggerated feud designed to sell more payper-views. But one beef that is very real revolves around the type of equipment participants will use to cover their hands when they ultimately face off. Why all the fuss? McGregor kicked off the ruckus at the opening promotional pit stop in Los Angeles, when he poured scorn on the Mayweather camp for what he perceived as an overly excessive series of demands and stipulations about the gloves that could be chosen.
“They have got all these rules,” McGregor said. “(Expletive) rules. I don’t care. Just wheel me up there, and I’ll fight. All these rules, all these restrictions, it doesn’t faze me, it amuses me.
“The gloves, they have to be 10-ounce. He wants the gloves? No problem. Give him the gloves. No Mexican-made gloves, OK, no problem. No gloves made out of horsehair, no problem.”
The Mexican-made regulation would appear to refer to the Reyes brand, one of the most popular gloves among professional fighters. Reyes are often known as a puncher’s glove. Sup- porters say they offer a high level of power transfer and, potentially, enhanced knockout ability. Some critics say they do not offer as much protection to the hands as other brands.
In past years, horsehair gloves enjoyed strong popularity before being largely replaced by latex padding in modern times.
Last week, Mayweather did appear to give ground on the size of the glove. On Instagram, he said he was willing for 8-ounce gloves to be used, perhaps to show he’s making some concessions to McGregor as the Irishman moves into a new sport.
“I’m telling McGregor, ‘Let’s fight in 8oz gloves’ ” Mayweather wrote. “McGregor can fight in any brand he prefers or chooses. I’ll be wearing 8-ounce Grant gloves. Whatever advantage McGregor needs to feel more comfortable in the ring, I’m willing to accommodate.”
It would be an interesting change. Under the rules of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, fights taking place at the 154-pound limit — such as this one — or above, should be held using 10-ounce gloves. Bouts below that can use 8-ounce gloves.
Size does matter in boxing, not just in terms of fighters but also in what they put on their hands. As if there weren’t already enough differences between boxing and life in the octagon, this provides another. McGregor, like everyone else in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, wears 4-ounce gloves with open fingers.
“It is all the difference in the world,” esteemed boxing trainer Abel Sanchez told USA TODAY Sports. “It feels different on the hand, and it feels different on the face or body that is being hit.
“People talk about someone’s punching power in the UFC, but it really is two different things.”
In theory, a boxer can swing harder because even if he con- nects flush, his hand will be protected to a certain degree by the cushioning inside the glove. Reeling off a haymaker blow is more of a risk in MMA, where damage to the hand would be a highly possible outcome.
On the flip side, MMA punches can have a telling impact because there is no give in the gloves. Getting punched in the face by a fist clad in a 4-ounce glove is not so different from taking one from a bare fist.
“A fight with lighter gloves is going to look and feel different,” Sanchez added. “It is going to be a big thing for McGregor to get used to.”
The thing is, who gets the advantage depends on who is the heavier hitter. Mayweather has not knocked out anybody since his controversial cheap shot against Victor Ortiz in 2011. Before that his previous stoppage win came against Ricky Hatton in 2007. McGregor stopped Eddy Alvarez in his most recent UFC fight last November, less than a year after famously crushing Jose Aldo inside 13 seconds.
However, UFC bantamweight contender TJ Dillashaw said he thinks Mayweather is actually the harder puncher and that McGregor’s punching power, while impressive, would not necessarily translate to the ring.
Mayweather has had disputes over gloves in the past. Before he fought Marcos Maidana in 2014, he objected to the type of Everlast equipment the Argentine was proposing to use, stating it didn’t have enough padding in the knuckles. The issue got resolved and was assumed to have been a ploy to get into his opponent’s head.
If Mayweather is as dominant vs. McGregor as most people expect, it shouldn’t make much difference. But amid all the noise and hype, it is one thing both fighters have shown they care about as fight week approaches.