https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLVkLbV2mO8&feature=youtu.be
By Chris Williams: Just to make Conor McGregor more at home, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has volunteered to fight him with 8oz gloves instead of the usual 10oz gloves for their fight this month on August 26 on Showtime pay-per-view. McGregor responded to Mayweather’s offer on Wednesday, telling him that he can wear whatever gloves he wants to for their fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
McGregor says he’s going to sprint right at him at the start of the fight with his heavy hands. McGregor sounds like he means business. He’s not just there for the payday like some boxing and MMA fans believe. McGregor really wants to win this fight.
McGregor usually fights with 4oz gloves in the UFC. You can argue that the UFC gloves are more to give the fighter protection for their knuckles than it is to protect the opponents from the shots. The fast knockouts in the UFC are result of the lighter gloves. Mayweather volunteering to fight with 8oz gloves in his boxing match with McGregor shows that he wants to knock him out quickly on August 26. It also reflects on Mayweather’s sense of fairness with his opponents. That’s the way Mayweather is. He wants his opponents to be comfortable. It’s pure class from Mayweather. He didn’t have to throw a bone to McGregor by volunteering to fight him with 8oz gloves or by fighting him at 154. Mayweather did this because he wants it to give McGregor every chance he can to win the fight. There is no handicap for McGregor in this fight.
Mayweather said this on his Instagram:
“Don’t believe what you hear in the media. Don’t believe what you hear on blog sites,” said Mayweather.“If it’s not coming directly from me, then it’s not true. I’m telling McGregor, ‘Let’s fight in 8oz 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. McGregor can fight in any brand he prefers or chooses. I’ll be wearing 8oz Grant gloves,” said Mayweather.
This might not be a good thing for the 29-year-old McGregor that Mayweather is offering to wear the 8oz gloves, as it could mean that the fight will be over that much faster on August 26. At least with the standard 10oz gloves that are worn for junior middleweight title, there’s enough padding to cushion the blows for the fighter that takes the shots. McGregor is expected to be getting hit a lot in this fight with Mayweather’s lightning fast jabs, right hands and left hooks. If McGregor doesn’t have a good chin, he might get taken out quickly UFC style.
There are some advantages for McGregor wearing 8oz gloves. They are as follows:
– McGregor is the stronger fighter, and he’ll likely be at his best in the first 5 rounds. If McGregor can land some of his huge shots on Mayweather’s chin with the 8oz gloves, he stands a better chance of winning the fight.
– Mayweather isn’t accustomed to getting hit by fighters with 8oz gloves.
– The lighter 8oz gloves may help McGregor use his hands to hold Mayweather when the two of them are in close. McGregor won’t have the normal 4oz UFC standard gloves that will enable him to use his hands when he gets close. That means he won’t be able to grapple or hold Mayweather in place if he chooses to hold and hit. McGregor isn’t known for holding and hitting in the UFC, but with Mayweather being such an elusive target, it wouldn’t be surprising if McGregor tries to hold his head in place so he can hit him with a good shot.
McGregor says Mayweather can wear whatever gloves he wants
McGregor is saying that This works for both fighters, especially a powerful puncher like McGregor.
”Another handy 12 rounds today,” said McGregor on his Instagram. ”We are prepared to destroy Floyd. Pick whatever gloves you want as well, little man. I don’t give a [bleep] about the size of the glove. I am coming sprinting at you with bricks. Know that. Brittle hands,” said McGregor.
It’s good that McGregor and Mayweather can agree to the gloves. We don’t need McGregor and his legion of MMA fans to be crying over spilled milk after the fight is over, saying that Mayweather dictated all the terms for the fight. Mayweather is the A-side in this fight, just so you all know. But it looks good that he’s willing to give McGregor an advantage with the gloves. I don’t the Nevada State Athletic Commission would agree if Mayweather went any lower than 8oz for the gloves.
It would be interesting if Mayweather volunteered to fight McGregor with 4oz gloves, but then it wouldn’t be a boxing match. It would be like an MMA fight in a way. The fight would likely end too quickly with 4oz gloves unless the two combatants had chins like the old time bare knuckle fighters like John L. Sullivan.
McGregor is taking a crash course in boxing to get prepared for the Mayweather fight. This will be the first and likely the last time McGregor fights inside a boxing ring.
Will Mayweather and McGregor face each other in the octagon in the future?
If Mayweather and McGregor fight each other again, it will likely be inside the octagon. The two fighters can make a lot of money fighting in the UFC. We’re probably talking about a lot more money than what they’re getting for their fight this month. A rematch in the UFC between Mayweather and McGregor will pull in a ton of MMA fans, as well as boxing fans eager to see how Mayweather adjusts to fighting in an unfamiliar atmosphere. Mayweather has always been the favorite in his fights during his career. If he chooses to fight McGregor in the octagon, he very likely won’t be the favorite. This will lead to a lot of boxing and MMA fans purchasing the fight in high numbers just to see if Mayweather will lose for the first time in his long career. The kind of interest their August 26 fight is generating with the public is likely nothing compared to the kind of interest a rematch in the octagon would generate. It could mean another $100 million for each for Mayweather and McGregor. They could walk away with $200 million each for their two fights. McGregor wouldn’t need to fight again in the UFC with that kind of money. He could go into management with the UFC. That might the better direction for McGregor going forward. Why tarnish his record? He could go out on top. Mayweather would need to go through the same kind of accelerated learning curve in learning the MMA skills that McGregor is going through in learning how to box under the Marquees of Queensbury boxing rules. McGregor will definitely be interested in a fight with Mayweather in the octagon. It remains to be seen if Mayweather would agree to it. I don’t know how he could reject the chance to make an even better payday than the one he’s getting against McGregor on August 26.
Earlier this week on Monday, Showtime Sports came out with a 30-second commercial previewing the Mayweather Jr. and McGregor bout for August 26.