The self-described leader in professional boxing equipment admitted to bungling the gloves used by Terence Crawford in his last outing in the ring.
Last Saturday night at CHI Health Center in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, WBO titlist Crawford stopped David Avanesyan in six rounds, short-circuiting the durable Armenian-Russian with a counter left uppercut-right hook combination.
But going into that pivotal sixth round, referee Sparkle Lee paused the contest because the seams in Crawford’s Everlast gloves had apparently burst open, revealing padding. Lee directed Crawford over to the side of the ring where members of the local commission were seated below and asked them to take a look. In the broadcast of the fight, it appeared that both gloves were affected, with the thumb portion of the right glove totally busted open. Many of the commissioners appeared befuddled and unsure of how to proceed. After a few seconds, the commission gave referee Lee the green light to continue with the fight.
After the fight, speculation intensified after a user uploaded a photograph purporting to show Crawford’s damaged gloves. Noted trainer and glove manufacturer Russ Anber questioned the veracity of the photograph because it appeared to him the gloves in the photograph were not “new”; according to the rules of the Association of Boxing Commissions, promoters are required to supply only new gloves for all main event and title bouts. Di Nardo, the Italian glove manufacturer, also chimed in, saying the gloves in the photograph were not new.
On Tuesday, Everlast issued a statement in response to speculation on social media that Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) and his team were using manipulated gloves. The manufacturer owned up to the mishap, saying “defective leather” had been used in the production of Crawford’s gloves. Everlast pointed out that it followed commission protocol by offering another set of gloves but that the commission in question had “deemed” the faulty ones were still good for competition use. Everlast said there was no “foul play” or “tampering” with Crawford’s gloves.
“We take safety and performance seriously,” Everlast wrote. “As the leader in professional boxing equipment, it is ever more important that we ensure the necessary steps are in place to review our product development process and the integrity of our gloves. This process includes close scrutiny of all materials used and construction methods employed in the production of our professional competition gloves. Our top priority is to ensure that every fighter who uses our products has a safe and secure experience.
“During the development cycle of the custom fight gloves used in Crawford vs. Avanyesan a batch of defective leather was used in production resulting in a malfunction during the competition. In such cases, Everlast follows proper protocol by providing back up competition pairs to be replaced pending a decision by the sanctioning body overseeing the fight. A stoppage was called to review the equipment malfunction and the commission deemed the equipment was still suitable for competition. No foul play was at hand, nor was there any tampering of the product on behalf of Terence Crawford and his camp.”