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In a rather stunning, but really not so stunning move, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has officially approved a request from both Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor to wear 8oz gloves in their junior middleweight fight on August 26. ESPN broke the news just minutes ago.
The decision could be perceived as setting a negative precedent as the commission’s own rules require that any fight contested at 154lbs and over demand 10oz gloves for the sake of fighter safety. But apparently that was not of the utmost importance in this big-money fight.
ESPN’s Dan Rafael offered his thoughts on the commission’s decision.
Wow. Nevada commission unanimously voted to break its rules. Will allow #MayweatherMcGregor to use 8-ounce gloves instead of 10. smh
— Dan Rafael (@danrafaelespn) August 16, 2017
I disagree with Nevada decision. Why have rules? The medical pros say they shouldn't have changed. But it'll make Floyd's KO win even easier
— Dan Rafael (@danrafaelespn) August 16, 2017
For McGregor, this is more of a ‘get what you ask for’ scenario as I personally think 8oz gloves will only make him more vulnerable to Floyd’s sharp attacks. The smaller gloves provide less surface area for defense, but Conor says he’s going to knock Floyd out in just two rounds with these smaller gloves — so perhaps he think this is an advantage for him. It’s not.
This fight aside, we’ll have to keep a close eye on what this ruling means for future fights as the precedent for changing regulations has now officially been set. Maybe we’ll soon be seeing heavyweights fight in four ounce gloves upon request, or in no gloves at all. As Kevin Garnett once famously screamed, ‘ANYTHING IS POSSIBLLLLLE!’