Las Vegas: 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.


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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."