Terence Crawford has been cleared of glove tampering after questions over the welterweight champion’s equipment following his latest win.
Crawford made his Black Prime Pay Per View debut when stopping David Avanesyan on Saturday night. Even his new network took pride in stating that Bud had “punched a hole through his glove” in the victory.
Everlast gloves
However, this led to concerns about Everlast gloves used in the fight. Everlast reacted by releasing a statement clearing Crawford of any wrongdoing.
“We take safety and performance seriously. 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,” stated Everlast.
“This process includes close scrutiny of all materials used and construction methods employed in producing our professional competition gloves. Our top priority is to ensure that every fighter who uses our products has a safe and secure experience.”
Everlast confirmed that less than top-notch material mistakenly made it through their quality control procedures. They took full responsibility for the padding leaking from Crawford’s glove during the sixth round.
“During the development cycle of the custom fight gloves used in Crawford vs Avanyesan, a batch of defective leather was used in production. This resulted in a malfunction during the competition.
No foul play by Terence Crawford
“In such cases, Everlast follows proper protocol by providing backup 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.”
They concluded that further operations are in place to ensure no repeat of the incident in the future.
“In addition to the steps we are taking now, Everlast has long had rigorous quality control procedures in place for all our equipment, including gloves.
“We only use premium grade materials and tested construction methods that meet or exceed all standards set by regulatory bodies.
“As part of this process, each batch of gloves undergoes extensive inspections before being shipped out.
“Furthermore, Everlast understands that athletes should not be responsible for defective gear. That is why we offer an unconditional guarantee.
“At Everlast, we pride ourselves in producing top-notch equipment with safety as our highest priority. We remain committed to providing athletes with the best possible gear available so they can perform to their peak capabilities without worry or risk of injury due to faulty equipment.”
Crawford halted Avanesyan in the same round the gloves showed issues, leading to claims that Everlast says are entirely unfounded.
The WBO, who oversaw the fact as sanctioning body, seems happy with the steps taken by Everlast for the future.
