There was a moment during Tuesday night?s opening Mayweather ? McGregor presser when Floyd Mayweather Jr. claimed that he would be open to the idea of battling Conor McGregor in gloves smaller than the 10 ounce variety that is specified in the contract for their August 26th fight.
?If you want 8 ounce gloves, let?s put 8 ounce gloves on,? shouted the boxer. ?If you want 4 ounce gloves, let?s put 4 ounce gloves on.?
By this point, due to a technical fault or for some other reason, McGregor?s microphone was no longer working. However, the Irishman?s response could still be heard on the live stream.
?Give me 4 ounce gloves then,? yelled the MMA star, who is accustomed to wearing gloves of that very weight in his own sport.
After the press conference, McGregor rubbished Mayweather?s claims, stating that the boxer had insisted 10 ounce gloves be worn.
?He was trying to say something about the gloves and I was like ?You cried about the gloves,’? the UFC lightweight champion told MMAFighting journalist Ariel Helwani. ?He cried about the ounces in the gloves.?
Of course, conventional wisdom suggests that the bigger the gloves, the smaller the chance that McGregor can cause an upset. Not just because he isn?t used to bigger mitts but because most believe that his greatest advantage in this fight is his punching power and more weighty gloves theoretically decrease the likelihood of him landing a concussive blow.
However, Mayweather denied that he had pushed for 10 ounce gloves to stack the deck even further in his favour or that he is even entirely against the idea of wearing smaller gloves.
?The thing is this, rules are made not to be broken,? Mayweather told reporters from the centre of a media scrum. ?We have to follow rules, rules and regulations. [In] Nevada, you can?t fight at 154[lbs] and wear 8 ounce gloves. You can fight at 147[lbs], all the way down, it?s 8 ounce gloves, 154 [and] up, it?s 10 ounce gloves. But if he wants to fight 8 ounce, I can talk to the Nevada Commission and see what we can come up with. I don?t worry. I mean, I?m not trippin’?
According to McGregor though, there was another glove-related stipulation in the contract that has nothing to do with rules and regulations at all.
Speaking during a Q&A with the assembled media shortly after the press conference, ?The Notorious? one claimed the contract dictates that he cannot wear gloves manufactured in Mexico or gloves padded with horsehair, types that are normally favoured by big punchers.
However, while a change to 4 ounce gloves would add an element of intrigue to this fight and, perhaps, increase the chances of it being more competitive, the difference between 8 and 10 ounces isn?t so significant nor, in reality, is the fact that McGregor will be barred from wearing a typical ?puncher?s glove?. As long as this is held under boxing rules, Mayweather is likely to be the victor.
