Glove shaving. It should be outlawed

[IamInuit]

We always talk about the behind the scenes cheating like roids and massive weight gain at fight time but glove shaving continues right under our noses and it never gets a mention. The advantage is more then obvious.

The first two pics are from the Moises Fuentes card in Mexico last week and on the under-card, David de lamora got upset by southpaw tough guy Lecona. You cant even see the Reyes logo. Its criminal or should be.





Mab is one of my favourite fighters all time but he got away with it for years.

[greynotsoold]

You can stop it from happening. Your corner man is in the other guy's dressing room watching them wrap his hands and glove up; that is his scrawl on the tape. Refuse to sign off on it.

[cambay411]

I never even knew this happened

[greynotsoold]

I never even knew this happened

I think it began with the on-set of the thumbless gloves- the attached thumb gloves- and is an effort to keep the fist tighter than the glove would normally allow. That is just my opinion and observation, I haven't studied it.

[IamInuit]

You can stop it from happening. Your corner man is in the other guy's dressing room watching them wrap his hands and glove up; that is his scrawl on the tape. Refuse to sign off on it.

If it was only that easy. Many corners leave after the knuckle wrapping and many Commissions sign off on the tape w/o really looking. How the ref allows this is also incomprehensible.

[Hulk]

I've never noticed this before.

I assume the goal is to make a stronger wrist/more compact fist resulting in harder punches?

[Violent Demise]

We always talk about the behind the scenes cheating like roids and massive weight gain at fight time but glove shaving continues right under our noses and it never gets a mention. The advantage is more then obvious.

The first two pics are from the Moises Fuentes card in Mexico last week and on the under-card, David de lamora got upset by southpaw tough guy Lecona. You cant even see the Reyes logo. Its criminal or should be.





Mab is one of my favourite fighters all time but he got away with it for years.

The gloves have obviously been skinned. But they haven't been shaved. Or maybe they have. No way to tell. Who cares if they have anyway? Glove shaving is when you apply shaving gel to the glove to help break it in. It provides no advantage to a fighter at all

[Vendettos]

This and lightly rubbing the front of the gloves with sandpaper, just enough to make it rugged without making it obviously noticeable.

Causes cuts and grazes with ease.

[El Kabong]

Interesting I had never noticed that either. Many thanks for bringing this to light!

Who have been the worst abusers of this tactic?

[IamInuit]

Interesting I had never noticed that either. Many thanks for bringing this to light!

Who have been the worst abusers of this tactic?

Hard to say. It goes unreported so much. Its like the culling of sled dogs. Its one of boxings dirty little secrets. Its a shame there are not uniform rules as again the advantage is patently obvious, A club vs a pillow. You wont get away with it in NY. That commission watches everything including your dick as you piss in the cup. Lots of commissions don't even watch the hand wrapping or the gloves being taped. I've only seen a ref pull tape off a few times. Once by Halpern and Mercante Sr. and I cant recall who else. It happens more at smaller venues but as Mabs pic proves the higher profile venues are not immune.

[IamInuit]

I've never noticed this before.

I assume the goal is to make a stronger wrist/more compact fist resulting in harder punches?

Exactly.

[El Kabong]

I've never noticed this before.

I assume the goal is to make a stronger wrist/more compact fist resulting in harder punches?

Exactly.

Easier to split the guard too I assume

[Spicoli]

Talk about loading a glove from the outside in. Looks like a neck brace for the forearm, turns a slappy clipping shot into a club. Scuff up the tape, fold it over...viola I'm now punching you with a plastic cheese grater. I wouldn't really put it on the ref though, they have to deal with what's introduced to the ring or from corner between rounds. Should be stopped before the bell rings. We can't even count on a ref to score proper knock downs lately.

[greynotsoold]

Talk about loading a glove from the outside in. Looks like a neck brace for the forearm, turns a slappy clipping shot into a club. Scuff up the tape, fold it over...viola I'm now punching you with a plastic cheese grater. I wouldn't really put it on the ref though, they have to deal with what's introduced to the ring or from corner between rounds. Should be stopped before the bell rings. We can't even count on a ref to score proper knock downs lately.

The whole point about the tape around the cuff of the glove was to eliminate the 'cheese-rater' effect. Cover up the laces. In the old days- I remember seeing this into the early 1970s- guys would use the laces on the gloves like a razor. These days you don't see the cuts and scuff marks like you used to so I don't think that the tape is much of a weapon in that fashion- most cuts, with the bigger gloves and all, come from elbows or heads.

[Spicoli]

Talk about loading a glove from the outside in. Looks like a neck brace for the forearm, turns a slappy clipping shot into a club. Scuff up the tape, fold it over...viola I'm now punching you with a plastic cheese grater. I wouldn't really put it on the ref though, they have to deal with what's introduced to the ring or from corner between rounds. Should be stopped before the bell rings. We can't even count on a ref to score proper knock downs lately.

The whole point about the tape around the cuff of the glove was to eliminate the 'cheese-rater' effect. Cover up the laces. In the old days- I remember seeing this into the early 1970s- guys would use the laces on the gloves like a razor. These days you don't see the cuts and scuff marks like you used to so I don't think that the tape is much of a weapon in that fashion- most cuts, with the bigger gloves and all, come from elbows or heads.

Oh yeh without a doubt, guys could perfect a glancing lace as much as a pin point uppercut. Still though if there is the intent to bend for an advantage in the first place tape riding off the wrist may do it also. Kills me how far the sport has come but how often we still see stoppages for rewraps, flapping tape etc. I remember always hearing a few guys calling for a rule across the board to use plain ol duct tape or like more adhesive material but seems nothing came of it. Good call on the elbow...more and more I notice guys almost using a chicken wing as a short floating jab, it's hardly ever called!