We knew the weight at which the fight would take place would be an issue. The purse of the lesser known fighter, along with revenue sharing was expected to generate bumps in the negotiations between Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank ? and has.
Now the size of the gloves to be used in a potential fight between Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya is making news.
The boxing bout between Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya is slated to take place on December 6, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada ? the home to some of boxing’s biggest fights in the last several years.
A source close to the negotiations now reports to Boxing Confidential that the weight of the gloves to be used is also causing delay in the negotiations.
?Listen, Manny knows he is going to be out gunned and he wants to have every possible advantage to gain a victory,? said the source. ?Your article yesterday, was off base. Yes, Manny wants money but he believes he can beat Oscar De La Hoya and wants to use eight ounce gloves.?
The Nevada State Athletic Commission, which sanctions boxing in Las Vegas, recently amended their regulations to allow lightweight and welterweight fighters to use either eight or t10 ounce gloves to lure last month’s Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito bout to the city. The bout was in danger of going elsewhere, as both Cotto and Margarito wanted to use 8 ounce gloves.
Now Golden Boy and Top Rank are locked over a conflict centering around gloves. Team De La Hoya wants 10 ounce gloves, only, and Pacquiao wants the option to use the 8 ounce gloves as allowed by the State of Nevada.
The weight limit for the fight could be critical in the issue centering on the weight of the gloves. If De La Hoya insists to fight on a catch weight above 147 pounds (the welterweight limit), Manny will not have the option to use eight ounce gloves due to the rules of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Maybe I was wrong, maybe this fight, while a circus, will have a high level competition between both men. The issue surrounding the size of the gloves shows that neither man wants to be the losing party in a mega-event.
