Terence Crawford promises not to use controversial horse-hair gloves for Jeff Horn title fight

JEFF Horn’s team has won the first round against cocky challenger Terence Crawford with the controversial horse-hair glove war turning ugly.

Jeff Horn during sparring.

JEFF Horn’s team has won the first round against cocky challenger Terence Crawford with the unbeaten American promising not to use the controversial horse-hair boxing gloves in their world title fight in Las Vegas next month.

But the mind games continue, and as Horn’s promoter Dean Lonergan fights to have the gloves officially banned from the world welterweight title fight on June 9, there are no contractual guarantees that Crawford won’t change his mind.

Lonergan appealed to both teams on Saturday night not to use the gloves, saying they were “archaic’’ and that they made an already dangerous sport “even more brutal’’.

Jeff Horn during sparring.

All-time great Floyd Mayweather banned his opponents – including his last challenger Conor McGregor – from using the controversial horse-hair gloves saying that they turned boxing from a sport into “a bare-knuckle brawl’’.

Mayweather insisted he and his opponents wore gloves padded with foam instead of horse hair.

The filling inside horse-hair gloves can be moved around so that there is very little padding over the gloves, dramatically increasing the force of a blow.

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In an email to Lonergan morning Crawford’s angry trainer/manager Brian McIntyre insisted: “We don’t wear horse hair gloves … so stop crying like we trying to cheat. That is not our style. Just make sure [Horn comes] to the fight ready. Quit trying to use this as (a) distraction (because) it does not work. Have a good day.’’

The news that Crawford originally intended to wear the controversial Everlast MX gloves was provided by an Everlast representative to Horn’s trainer Glenn Rushton two weeks ago. Rushton said Horn would fight fire with fire and use the same equipment in the big fight at the MGM Grand Casino.

Terence Crawford has agreed to not wear the controversial horse-hair gloves.

But Lonergan said he wanted the gloves banned from the fight.

“Brian McIntyre says Crawford won’t be using them now,’’ Lonergan said.

“But he is yet to inform us what type of gloves will be used. This is a very important issue.’’

Crawford has toyed with Horn over the last few months with repeated changes of venue and then a postponement Crawford said was caused by a minor hand injury but which threw Horn’s preparation awry.

If Crawford decides at the last minute to use the horse-hair gloves at the fight, there is nothing the Horn camp can do to stop that unless agreement can be reached.

Horn’s promoter Dean Lonergan is fired up. Picture: Peter Wallis

Horn originally agreed to wear the same gloves as Crawford and said wearing them was a case of “rolling the dice’’ and that with so little padding they turned the fight into a “shootout’’ for the KO.

The most recent big Australian fight to feature the MX gloves was the 12-round draw between former world middleweight champion Sam Soliman and Wes Capper in Melbourne on March 17.

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