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http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/boxing/dispute-over-choice-of-gloves-finally-ends--mayweather-maidana-fight-is-a-go-163329449.html
By Kevin Iole
4 hours ago
LAS VEGAS – The crazy dispute between Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana over which boxing gloves Maidana could wear was resolved overnight and their pay-per-view bout for the WBA and WBC welterweight titles at the MGM Grand is on.
That was hardly unexpected, as the controversy seems yet another attempt by Mayweather to get into Maidana's head.
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said he spoke to Mayweather adviser Al Haymon, who confirmed the bout is on. Schaefer said Mayweather will wear Grant gloves, while Maidana will fight in Everlast. Schaefer did not know specifically which brand of Everlast Maidana will wear, though the Nevada Athletic Commission had approved a stock pair of red Everlast MX gloves.
The commission on Friday had ruled that a pair of custom blue Everlast MX gloves were invalid and couldn't be worn. Mayweather claimed there was no padding in the knuckles of those gloves.
"Al assured me this is over and we're going forward with the fight," Schaefer said.
Everlast CEO Neil Morton defended his company's manufacturing process for the boxing gloves and said he believes the dispute was simply a case of Mayweather seeking a psychological edge.
Morton said the custom gloves are manufactured exactly the same way as the stock gloves and the only difference is a different color of leather is used. He said he is willing to cut the gloves open to prove that to anyone who questions the validity of his claim. He said he didn't understand why the custom gloves were ruled invalid.
However, it could be that the commission was simply trying to broker a deal and placate Mayweather, given that the stock red gloves had been approved.
"Nothing changes in the process from glove to glove," Morton said.
He said that when a fighter such as Maidana wants to wear Everlast gloves in a custom color, leather is found that most closely approximates the color the fighter wants. He said there is what he calls a "tech pack" for each model of glove Everlast produces.
That tech pack has the glove specifications and ensures they're all identical, Morton said.
"The process is very simple," he said. "The athlete says, 'I would like this glove in this color with this artwork on it.' In this case, Maidana wanted to wear an Argentine blue color and I think maybe he wanted them with the flag on it. That, I can't quite remember. But then we put a Pantone color on it, we attach it to our tech pack and we send it to the factory and ask them to produce 6 to 10 pairs of the MX gloves using our tech pack in this Pantone."
Morton had nothing bad to say about Mayweather despite the dispute.
"Floyd is the greatest fighter of my time and maybe the greatest of all-time and if he feels this is what he needs to do to gain a psychological edge, that's fine and I have no problem with it," Morton said. www.pacifictrainingcenter.com
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