Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor got their wish when the Nevada State Athletic Commission approved of 8-ounce gloves for their fight on Aug. 26, but people in the medical field don’t appear to be thrilled about it.
The Association of Ringside Physicians had written a letter to the commission against the change in glove size and after the rule change, association head Larry Lovelace expressed disapproval of the usage of 8-ounce gloves in a 154-pound fight.
“We hated to see them break their own rules and regulations kind of arbitrarily,” Lovelace told The Associated Press. “It seemed almost capricious to change from 10 ounces, which is the prescribed weight of gloves for that weight class.”
The Associated Press noted that there is no substantial medical evidence showing lighter gloves lead to more injuries, but commission regulations decree all 154-pound fights to be fought with 10-ounce gloves.
It appears the switch to lighter gloves made the fight seem more competitive in many peoples’ eyes. And if the fight seems more competitive, then one would assume there is more money to be made in terms of pay-per-view buys. According to OddsShark, oddsmakers have shifted Mayweather’s betting line from minus-500 to minus-400 in the last week.
McGregor even revised his prediction of knocking out Mayweather from four rounds to two, insinuating the lighter gloves will make it easier to knock out Mayweather early in the fight.
It’s important to note that Mayweather has fought with 8-ounce gloves plenty of times in his career and he’s undefeated.
Thumbnail photo via Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports Images
