Mayweather – McGregor to be contested in 8 ounce gloves

According to Brett Okamoto of espn.com, Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGeregor will use 8 ounce gloves for their August 26th showdown in Las Vegas.

The NSAC voted unanimously in favor of a one-time exception that will allow both fighters to wear 8-ounce gloves during their 154-pound bout. Per NSAC regulations, any boxing match contested above 147 pounds mandates 10-ounce gloves.

“I’m very happy with how the Nevada State Athletic Commission handled it,” McGregor said Wednesday after the decision. “They handled it fairly, and they listened to both requests.”

“The No. 1 line of defense is the referee,” Marnell said. “It always will be.”

“This is a bout that has already been set [at] a specified weight class,” Dr. Raymond M. Monsell, chairman of the Association of Ringside Physicians, wrote to the commission on Tuesday. “Unless there is scientific evidence to support the view that such a change might improve the safety of this bout, we would strongly caution against allowing current regulations to be overruled. To do so would also set a precedent for future bouts.”

“If we are in 8-ounce gloves, he will be floored multiple times in the first round,” McGregor said. “I believe first-round KO in 8-ounce gloves. The fact I can’t follow through [like] in MMA and pound the head into the canvas, and there’s a 10-count in boxing, maybe I’ll give him second round. But 8-ounce gloves, he will be done in two.”

“Floyd wanted Conor to be as comfortable as possible, so there wouldn’t be any excuses,” Mayweather Promotions Leonard Ellerbe said. “Conor has vowed he’ll knock out Floyd in four rounds. He recently corrected that and said if the commission approved 8-ounce gloves, he doesn’t give Floyd two rounds.

“I have no reason to believe he’s not feeling very confident, and I want him to continue to have that confident attitude.”