The Nevada State Athletic commission have confirmed that Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather will face each other with 8oz gloves.
The Irishman makes his professional boxing debut against one of the sport's all-time greats in Las Vegas on Saturday August 26.
The fight will be at 154 pounds (super welterweight/junior middleweight), a level at which larger 10 oz gloves are normally used, but the NAC has unanimously granted a one-off exception after a request by both camps to use the lighter gloves.
The use of lighter mitts will be seen as a slight advantage to MMA star McGregor but Mayweather seems comfortable with the change, saying earlier this week: "He was complaining about the gloves, so I said, 'Listen, let's do 8 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."
The bout will be refereed by veteran Robert Byrd, who has taken charge of a number of world-title bouts, including Andre Ward's first victory over Sergey Kovalev.
McGregor's camp had objected to high-profile ref Kenny Bayless being considered after the official questioned the validity of the contest but Bob Bennett, executive director of the Nevada State Commission claimed that McGregor’s views didn’t affect the decision to not consider Bayless.
The judges will be Burt Clements and Dave Moretti (who both scored Mayweather's 2015 victory over Manny Pacquiao) and Guido Cavalleri, who was ringside for both of Carl Frampton's fights against Leo Santa Cruz.
NAC chairman Marnell said the commission being used as a "pawn" for social media promotion "pisses me off."
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) August 16, 2017
The Dubliner is accustomed to wearing four-ounce gloves in the UFC so it should be easier for him to adapt to 8oz rather than 10.
However, his former MMA sparring partner Richard Kiely feels that it won't make a big difference to the overall contest.
"If there was an impact you would feel it a bit more with the heavier gloves but in terms of the protection it offers Floyd - which is a big advantage - it won’t really be a factor, Kiely told RTÉ Sport.
"Floyd still has the advantage because he is wearing pillows to protect himself. If there is a solid connection you will feel it but they still cover a large area so to get that connection will be difficult.
"With the four-ounce gloves that are worn in MMA if you put the guard up you can still connect with punches.
"The four-ounce gloves literally cover the knuckles and then the padding is dispersed around the hand. It’s different to the pillows they wear in boxing that cover a larger area."
