Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather are lobbying for lighter boxing gloves. Here’s what that means.

A showdown between Floyd Mayweather Jr. (49 pro boxing bouts) and Conor McGregor (zero) was always going to test the limits of the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). Now, the two fighters are lobbying for lighter gloves that would increase the chances of a knockout in Las Vegas.

Both Mayweather and McGregor have asked the NSAC to wear eight-ounce boxing gloves in their Aug. 26 fight rather than the standard 10-ounce apparel. It’s a move the Irishman believes will give him a distinct advantage in the ring.

“I fight in four-ounce gloves, why would I give a [expletive]?” he said at an open workout in Las Vegas. “If we’re wearing eight-ounce gloves, I’m struggling to see how he lasts two rounds, and that’s the God’s honest truth.”

Mayweather, often prickly in pre-fight negotiations, was amenable to the request.

”He was complaining about the gloves, so I said, ‘Listen, let’s do eight ounces. I want to do anything so that you feel that you have an advantage. I want to make sure you’re comfortable coming to the fight world,” Mayweather told Boxing Scene.

Mayweather’s agreement is essentially just another barb in what’s been a year-long war of words. By allowing McGregor lighter gloves that allow for stronger punches, he’s giving a knockout artist a greater axis on which to turn the fight in a split second.

McGregor’s rise to the top of the MMA world isn’t just because he’s found a way to improve Chael Sonnen’s schtick. He also finishes fights. Of his 21 MMA wins, only two have come by decision, and one happened in:

a) a fight against current featherweight champion Max Holloway, and
b) a fight in which McGregor tore his ACL in the opening round.

McGregor has the kind of punching power rarely found in a fighter his size. According to Fight Matrix, 26.8 percent of UFC featherweight fights have ended in knockouts or technical knockouts. For the former two-division champ, that number jumps to 70 percent — all finished by punches.

Heavier gloves would provide more hand protection, but also damper the impact of McGregor’s blows. In the UFC, his open-finger gloves weigh in at four ounces. Doubling that weight and adding a minimal layer of cushion behind his punches reduces his chance of landing a one-punch knockout, which may be his best opportunity to catch the notoriously elusive Mayweather.

Mayweather’s in-ring style is defined by his counter-punching. No boxer in the world possesses his ability to slip punches and connect on the way out. That combination of speed and perception allows him to accumulate punches on off-balance opponents, though rarely with knockout power behind them.

Taking out some of the padding would boost Mayweather’s chances of a (T)KO stoppage — something he hasn’t had since a bizarre win over Victor Ortiz in 2011. However, if we take away a knockout that came against an opponent who refused to defend himself after accidentally headbutting Mayweather in the fourth round, you’d have to go back to his 2007 destruction of Ricky Hatton to find his last orthodox stoppage. Late-stage Floyd Mayweather is an artist in the ring, just not the kind who leaves boxers unable to beat a 10-count.

After 49 fights, there’s also the question of whether his chin remains the same at age 40 as it did a decade ago. Mayweather’s matrix-style head movement has kept him from getting rocked and is likely to do so against McGregor, but one punch could be all it takes to realize he’s no longer a young man. Two fewer ounces would make him feel that even more.

In the end, a reduction from 10 ounces to eight may not make a difference. Mayweather is confident his ability to slither through the ring and avoid serious damage will negate McGregor’s inexperienced (at least in terms of pure boxing) punching power no matter what he wears. After two decades of results, it’s tough to argue with his logic, but lighter gloves favor the UFC champion — as long as he can find a way to connect.