Things have been a bit quiet on the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor front since their raucous world tour ended and both fighters returned to the gym to prepare for their boxing match on August 26th. But a recent social media post from Floyd has a lot of people talking, and it’s all about switching the agreed size of gloves from 10 oz. down to 8 oz.
McGregor comes from the UFC, where fighters duke it out in four-ounce gloves, but the match with Mayweather is set to take place at 154 pounds, and according to Nevada State Athletic Commission rules, that means 10 ounce gloves must be used. Some speculated when we learned the fight would be contested at 154 that it was a ploy from Mayweather’s camp to force 10 ounce gloves on McGregor to neutralize his power. But Mayweather is suddenly acting like he doesn’t care much.
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“Don’t believe what you hear in the media,” Floyd wrote. “Don’t believe what you hear on blog sites. If it’s not coming directly from me, then it’s not true. I’m telling McGregor, “Let’s fight in 8 oz. gloves.” McGregor can fight in any brand he prefers or chooses. I’ll be wearing 8 oz. Grant gloves. Whatever advantage McGregor needs to feel more comfortable in the ring, I’m willing to accommodate. Let’s give the boxing and MMA fans what they want to see.”
According to Conor McGregor, Mayweather’s camp was very insistent regarding the size and material used for the glove. Now they’re willing to knock two ounces off them? It’s all a bit confusing, so let’s go through the possible reasons for this declaration.
Floyd Knows 8 oz. Gloves Aren’t Allowed
NSAC rules are very clear: you’re only allowed to wear 8 oz. gloves up to 147 pounds. All fighters above this need to compete with 10 oz. gloves. “These regulations are in place for the health and safety of the athletes, which is of the utmost importance to the commission,” the NSAC told ESPN. “Our regulations already outline the appropriate glove size according to contracted weight of a fight.” But now Floyd can claim he offered to fight McGregor with smaller gloves, proving he’s not afraid of the Irishman’s power.
Floyd Wants Conor McGregor At 147 Pounds
As we mentioned before, this fight is being contested all the way up at 154 pounds, which is a heavier weight than McGregor’s camp expected Floyd to agree to. Now that it’s been set, Mayweather may be trying to tempt McGregor into dropping the extra 7 pounds for those 8 oz. gloves. McGregor used to fight at 145 and showed up for weigh-ins looking like a skeleton. Any advantage he’d gain from the larger gloves would probably be negated by endurance issues from the cut. But an egomaniac like McGregor may not see it that way and take the bait.
Floyd’s Just Advertising Grant Gloves
This could all just be a ruse and a bit of guerrilla marketing for Grant gloves. You’ll note in the social media messages that he’s tagged the Grant social media accounts but not Conor McGregor. So maybe this message is less for McGregor and more for Grant.
Floyd’s Just Advertising The Fight
With tickets moving less quickly than expected, maybe Mayweather is just trying to cause a little media storm by calling into question the particulars of the fight. Smaller gloves, which would require a sudden change in weight class? More chance for Conor to knock out Floyd? It’s not a bad hook, and here we are line and sinker talking about it. Those $99.95 pay-per-views aren’t going to sell themselves, after all.
