Does GGG doctor the padding in his gloves?

Elvis Grant's (the CEO of Grant Gloves) response to Rosado's accusations.



As for Golovkin-Rosado, Phillips explains, “They both used the puncher’s gloves. One guy [Rosado] wore red; the other guy wore white and y’ know, to show you how pathetic Rosado’s claims are, at the weigh-in, they started saying, ‘Oh, his gloves this and his gloves that,’ and [Golovkin’s trainer] Abel Sanchez said, ‘No problem. I tell you what; we have two or three pairs. Here, take our back-ups. You can have ‘em. Go ahead. Wear them.’ (Replying as Rosado) ‘Uh, uh, uh, well, that’s OK. We’ll stick with ours.’

Sanchez says, “I told Melvina Lathan [the head of the NYSAC] to let them use our extra sets. They have the second choice anyways. Gennady’s the champion. Let them use the second set that we have. So Billy Briscoe [Rosado’s chief second] gets the gloves, puts them on and tries them. 15-20 minutes, he’s trying to figure out if he likes them or not and then he decides he doesn’t want to use them. But I gave them the option though.”

So is Sanchez insulted by the inference that they might have had altered gloves?

“No, I just gotta consider the source. Are they going to say anything nice? Are they honestly going to say anything good? No, of course not, especially after [Rosado] got whipped down the way he did with a 60 percent Gennady being sick,” said the veteran cornerman. “So it doesn’t bother me but there’s nothing for us to feel guilty for because like I said, they tried them on. The other people that were there saw that. I believe Grant was there and the other coaches that had fighters were trying on gloves. They saw the commotion and Billy tried the gloves on and they agreed not to use the extra set.”

When gloves are brought to a fight, they must be factory-sealed, approved by the camps and then after they are chosen by the boxers, they are taken by the fight inspectors till the night of the event.

“It’s the same thing with Curtis Stevens,” says Phillips. “If next week, he tries the gloves [and says with the intent of complaint], ‘Hey man, these gloves...’ [Phillips’ “responds”]‘Here ya go. Here’s an extra pair. We’re in business. Happy to have you wear Grant again. Welcome back home.’”

One of the trademarks of Grant gloves is they come in an assortment of colors to match the fighters’ trunks and robes. Mayweather once dubbed Phillips the “Versace of Boxing.”

“We custom-make gloves, like with Golovkin. He uses white and gold, so we’re making a white-and-gold glove and if a guy like Bernard’s using black and lime Saturday night, we’re making black-and-lime. We don’t go, ‘Hey, don’t put too much padding in the knuckles. Bernard likes to feel it when he hurts his guy.’ I mean, c’mon bro.”

The colors might be different on his gloves but he makes it clear; the actual design and specifications all match.

“Us, just like Everlast and other companies, we have the ‘puncher’s glove,’ which is what Golovkin uses. We have the ‘orthopedic glove’ which is what Floyd uses because he needs an all-foam glove because he has hand troubles. But as far as anything being the same, whatever model you choose, if two guys are using the same model - it’s the same glove. It’s all made from the same mold,” explained Phillips.

Phillips continued, “Rosado, he did use Grant before. It’s really sad, man. I met him when he was a sparring partner for Bernard Hopkins and Bernard was kinda helping him out and I actually made him an outfit and stuff just to help him out. It’s sad but what are you going to do?”