Mayweather, McGregor to wear lighter gloves

Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor will be allowed to wear lighter gloves when they clash in their Las Vegas superfight this month, it was confirmed on Wednesday.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) approved a request from both fighters to switch from 10-ounce (283-gram) to eight ounce gloves, despite concerns raised by safety experts.

Lighter gloves carry less padding over the knuckles, potentially making for a more explosive spectacle.

NSAC rules mandate that 10-ounce gloves are used in any bout over 147 pounds. However former welterweight king Mayweather and UFC star McGregor, who clash on August 26, are to fight at a 154-pound limit.

The Association of Ringside Physicians urged NSAC not to waive its glove regulations for the McGregor-Mayweather fight.

“This is a bout that has already been set at a specified weight class,” the physician chairman Raymond Monsell wrote in a letter released on Tuesday.

“Unless there is scientific evidence to support the view that such a change might improve the safety of this bout, we strongly caution against allowing current regulations to be overruled.

“To do so would also set a precedent for future bouts.”