Oscar De La Hoya’s shrewd negotiations for his megafight with Floyd Mayweather included a mandate that both fighters wear a brand of gloves anecdotally said to increase the chances of a De La Hoya knockout and a recurrence of Mayweather’s chronic hand injuries.
A widely held boxing theory, passed through the generations, contends that Reyes gloves have less padding in the fist, are favorable to punchers and induce more cuts than other brands.
So why would the brittle-fisted Mayweather agree to such a slanted provision?
Advertisement
Perhaps, some suggest, because there isn’t any supporting evidence.
“Boxing is a sport filled with myths and legends,” said Dr. Tony Alamo, a Henderson, Nev., physician, at a meeting last week of the Nevada Athletic Commission, the powerful regulatory body he chairs. “If you got a dozen boxing people in this room, you’ll hear a variety of arguments about this one’s a puncher’s glove, this one’s a cutter’s glove. And there’s just no conclusive data to support it.”
