By Jake Donovan
The first time Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana fought, a lingering issue over which gloves the Argentine was allowed to wear carried all the way into the day of the fight before reaching resolution.
Mayweather went on to escape with a majority decision in their May fight, prompting Maidana to campaign for a rematch and this time around being allowed to wear his preferred gloves. With that, a few eyebrows were raised when the two camps announced a deal was reached for a September 13 SHOWTIME PPV-headlining sequel at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, with the issue over gloves remaining unresolved.
“I know Marcos was asking me yesterday if it was resolved, and I told him no,” head trainer Robert Garcia revealed during a media conference call Tuesday afternoon.
The issue from the first fight was Maidana (35-4, 31KOs) having been disallowed to fight with the chosen Everlast MX model, which he had used throughout training camp. The custom pair of gloves brought to the fight, Mayweather and his team argued, differed from the approved pair that he was ultimately granted to wear.
This time around, Maidana and his team took the necessary precautionary measures, as they were given advanced warning of the acceptable alternatives.
“He’s been training with the (Everlast) PowerLock gloves, just in case that’s what they go with,” Garcia stated. “We have no problem with (using) the PowerLock if that’s what they choose. We just didn’t want to know the day before and never have the chance to try them on.”
The mystery was ultimately resolved over the course of the conference call.
“Marcos will be fighting in the Power Lock gloves,” announced Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions.
With no more issues prior to fight night, all Maidana (35-4, 31KOs) and his team have to worry about… is the fight itself. It’s a tall order, considering Mayweather (46-0, 26KOs) remains unbeaten through 18 years and five weight classes in the pro ranks. But with a full training camp and advanced knowledge of what gloves the fighters will wear, all remaining arguments will be settled in the ring.
“We agreed to the fight, we can't go back and say anything about the gloves,” acknowledges Garcia, win or lose on September 13. “We agreed to those gloves. There are no excuses.
“Mayweather made that call, he's the only one who can do that. But after the fight, (win or lose), no we won't have any excuses.”
http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt= ... e&id=81462
Points
.jpg)
