GLOVE SiZE ... Here is the latest info I can find....
The hullabaloo surrounding the glove size for the boxing pay-per-view bout between Floyd Mayweather and UFC champion Conor McGregor continues to escalate.
Mayweather originally agreed for the Aug. 26 bout in Las Vegas to be contested at a weight of 154 pounds, which would mean the two men would be forced to wear 10-ounce gloves, as opposed to eight-ounce gloves (for fights 147 pounds and below), per Nevada State Athletic Commission rules.
On Aug. 1, Mayweather (49-0, 26 KOs) publicly petitioned the idea that both he and McGregor (21-3 in MMA) both agreed to change the glove size back down to eight ounces, which on paper would give McGregor more of a chance to be competitive. Initially, executive director Bob Bennett said the NSAC would not bend to Mayweather's requests due to health and safety concerns.
Bennett, however, appears to have softened his stance, telling England's Sky Sports on Wednesday there are exceptions to the rule and that the commission will vote next week on the issue.
"Mayweather's team has, and McGregor's team [is] in the process [of submitting a request]," Bennett said. "It will be heard at the commission's next meeting.
"They come before the commission [and] each party can discuss their reasoning. The chairman and commissioners openly discuss the request and vote on it. Our regulations require 10-ounce gloves, but I won't say that there's no negotiations."
The day after Mayweather made his request public, McGregor responded on Instagram by saying he's willing to fight under any circumstances.
Bennett added that there has been no precedence for a situation like this.
"The promoters have a legal opportunity to submit a waiver, then appear before our commission to articulate why they think we should make an exception to our regulations," Bennett said. "This is an anomaly. I haven't experienced this in over three years on the job. I checked with the previous executive director, Hall-of-Famer Marc Ratner, and our program officer, who has been here for 30 years. To the best of their recollection, we have never had a request like this."
Mayweather, 40, will return from a two-year retirement in a fight that will serve as the 29-year-old McGregor's pro boxing debut.
