Team Avanesyan Files Protest Over Terence Crawford Glove Scandal

As first reported by Boxingscene, Avanesyan’s manager, Neil Marsh, noted his concerns with the Nebraska  Athletic Commission (NAC) deputy athletic commissioner Brian Dunn.

“I have serious concerns over the issue that preceded the stoppage, specifically relating to a clear and obvious defect in Terence Crawford’s glove(s) and the origination of the same, which do not appear to be the exact gloves presented at the rules meeting,” Marsh wrote. “I am sure you are aware that prior to the knockout both the Referee and Commission raised concern that the stuffing was visibly coming out of a split glove(s) of Terence Crawford which was sufficient for a ‘Time-out’ to be called.

“The Referee correctly called the Time-Out and consulted the Commission, and I assume the WBO Supervisor who inspected the defective Glove/s before the Referee stating – ‘Let this round go then go and get another one.’ Allowing the fight to continue was, in my view, both irresponsible and negligent and such action placed Avanesyan in additional danger.”

At the beginning of the sixth round in Saturday’s WBO welterweight title fight, referee Sparkle Lee called a time out to have a look at Crawford’s gloves, which appeared to be splitting at the seams and from which padding was clearly visible. After consulting with NAC officials and a WBO representative, the decision was made to continue the fight with the worn-through gloves and switch them out following the round.

That decision became a moot point moments later when Crawford knocked Avanesyan cold with a fierce combination.

All three commentators from broadcaster BLK Prime—Antonio Tarver, Paulie Malignaggi, and Todd Grisham– expressed concern over the torn gloves and the potential threat to Avanesyan when they first became aware of the equipment failure.

Team Avanesyan is seeking clarity on why the bout was allowed to continue with gloves clearly not in fight-worthy shape. They also have serious questions regarding the gloves’ chain of possession—who had access to them, when they had access, and whether any tampering could’ve taken place.

Glove manufacturer Everlast, in a statement issued to media, attributes the defect in their product to a “batch of defective leather” used in production and says that “no foul play was at hand, nor was there any tampering of the product on behalf of Terence Crawford and his camp.”

“During the development cycle of the custom fight gloves used in Crawford vs. Avanesyan a batch of defective leather was used in production resulting in a malfunction during the competition,” Everlast wrote in its statement.

“Everlast follows proper protocol by providing back up competition pairs to be replaced pending a decision by the sanctioning body overseeing the fight,” the boxing equipment company said. “A stoppage was called to review the equipment malfunction and the commission deemed the equipment was still suitable for competition.”

The timing of the glove review, shortly before the brutal knockout, however, creates bad optics for all parties involved. It could very well create ample opportunity for Team Avanesyan to file a successful lawsuit for damages—against both the commission and Everlast– and, maybe, in a best-case scenario, even have the KO loss officially changed to a No Decision.

Everyone outside of Avanesyan’s team will work hard to sweep the nastiness under the carpet as quickly as possible because nobody will walk away from this situation looking good. Fans may forget the glove issue in a bout Crawford was destined to win, anyway, but Avanesyan seems to be due for some sort of win after the defeat.