Paul Gallen v Lucas Browne: Browne unable to fit hands into gloves for heavyweight bout
A text message exchange between Lucas Browne and the promoters of his fight with Paul Gallen has added fuel to the fire over a mix-up with the boxing gloves for the bout.
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It’s the $300 Uber ride that will save a $2 million event.
On Wednesday morning, an Everlast official will head to Sydney Airport, collect a pair of extra large 10-ounce gloves that have been shipped from Melbourne, then be chauffeured to Wollongong and hand them to Lucas Browne so he can fight Paul Gallen.
As far as Australian boxing last-minute-glove-debacle-threatens-fight sagas go, this one’s a doozy.
Watch Paul Gallen v Lucas Browne only on Main Event on Wednesday 21 April at 7pm AEST. ORDER NOW >
News Corp has obtained a text message conversation between Browne and fight promoters No Limit from two weeks ago, in which the giant heavyweight makes clear he needs either XL or XXL-sized gloves.
It’s understood Everlast sent two pairs of large gloves instead. Browne attempted to try them on Tuesday morning.
“I couldn’t even get my hand into the first one, and in the second it was so tight my thumb was flat against my palm and my fingers were twisted up,” Browne said.
Then came the furore.
Browne suggested using the controversial Everlast MX horsehair gloves, which have very little padding in the knuckles area and have caused arguments before major fights previously.
Notably in 2014, Floyd Mayweather would not allow Marcos Maidana to wear the MX gloves before their first fight. Maidana caved, and while it was reported Mayweather had paid him an additional $1.5 million not to wear these gloves, Maidana rejected that figure.
Jeff Horn was involved in similar controversy in 2018 when he fought Terence Crawford in Las Vegas. Horn’s team was mortified that Crawford chose to wear the horsehair gloves, and after threatening to pull out of the fight, Horn took the $2 million payday and decided to also wear the thinly-padded gloves, only to be knocked out by Crawford.
Browne said he had a pair of MX gloves that fit him.
“I’ve fought in the Reyes [horsehair] gloves before, I’m a puncher so it’s great for me, he’d have the same gloves on so I’d have no advantage, I just want a glove that fits,” Browne said.
“I said three or four weeks ago I need extra large gloves, it’s not my fault it hasn’t happened.”
But Gallen’s adviser Peter Mitrevski said: “We’re not fighting in MX gloves, they’re horsehair gloves, they’re virtually banned all around the world, it’s safety for both fighters. They’re trying to say MX is the only gloves that will fit his hand. No, we’ll go and get another pair.”
While Everlast could not source an extra large pair of gloves in NSW, they had one sent from their Melbourne factory on Tuesday afternoon. They are expected to arrive in Wollongong by midday Wednesday, when Browne will try them on in the fighters’ hotel.
There will be some serious scrambling if they also don’t fit, but it’s highly unlikely.
Gallen maintained his supreme confidence of scoring a monumental upset over his bitter rival after the weigh-in.
“He’s shown me no respect whatsoever, he calls me the footy player, that’s all I am to him, that’s all I am to a lot of people in boxing,” Gallen said.
“I haven’t been beaten yet, this guy thinks he’s a former world champion, it ruins him, it really does end him, I don’t know where he goes after this.
“If you lose a fight in boxing that’s fine, everyone loses, that’s no issue, you move onto the next fight. But when you treat people the way he’s treated me, and the respect he’s shown me, next to none, and he gets beaten by that bloke, it leaves him nowhere.”
PAUL GALLEN vs LUCAS BROWNE
GALLEN
Age: 39
Height: 179cm
Weight: 102.2kg
Record: 10-0-1, 5KO
BROWNE
Age: 42
Height: 196cm
Weight: 117.08kg
Record: 29-2, 25KO
TV: Live on Main Event and KAYO from 7pm
MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD
LEONARDO ZAPPAVIGNA vs DANNY KENNEDY
Welterweight, 8 rounds
ZAPPAVIGNA
Age: 33
Height: 170cm
Weight: 66.54kg
Record: 37-4, 27KO
KENNEDY
Age: 38
Height: 178cm
Weight: 66.68kg
Record: 9-2-1, 1KO
BRUNO TARIMO vs KYE MCKENZIE
IBF International Super-featherweight title, 10 rounds
TARIMO
Age: 25
Height: 173cm
Weight: 58.62kg
Record: 25-2-2, 5KO
MCKENZIE
Age: 29
Height: 175cm
Weight: 58.8kg
Record: 21-2, 17KO
JACK BRUBAKER vs STEVE SPARK
Welterweight, 8 rounds
BRUBAKER
Age: 29
Height: 175cm
Weight: 66.66kg
Record: 16-3-2, 8KO
SPARK
Age: 24
Height: 175cm
Weight: 66.52kg
Record: 11-1, 11KO
LIAM WILSON vs FRANCIS CHUA
Super-featherweight, 10 rounds
WILSON
Age: 25
Height: 176cm
Weight: 58.82kg
Record: 8-0, 6KO
CHUA
Age: 36
Height: 166cm
Weight: 58.22kg
Record: 8-1-1, 3KO
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