RIVAL Boxing Gloves - RS100 Professional Sparring Gloves - Choice of Colours

Product Information

Comfortable: These are one of the most comfortable boxing gloves any boxing brand has ever made. The pre-molded fist provides terrific ergonomics so when you put your hand in for the first time, it will slide in as though you have already broken them in yourself. The inner lining is made from microfibre leather which feels quite spongy, and there is a deep hand compartment where you’re fingers are able to curl over to form a fist. Cons

Many fighters (usually pros) will even put tape around their wrist directly on the skin itself as well as around the glove (after they tie up) for extra wrist support. You can do this if you want even more support (power) than what the glove and hand-wraps provide. I don’t know how much longer this brand will be sleeping under people’s noses. Di Nardo is the real deal. Absolute works of art in the form of boxing gloves. These are such beautiful gloves, you have to see them in person to really appreciate. Most other high-end gloves are simply standard boxing gloves but with better materials and craftsmanship. Di Nardo gloves however are a completely revamped take on boxing gloves, re-imagined and improved in everyway. They are structurally superior to anything on the market and far more beautiful aesthetically. What else do you expect from an Italian craftsman? Mexican boxers areknown to fight in a more exciting fan-friendly style because of their high aggression and ability to throw as well as take hard punches. It’s a stark contrast to boxing styles from other countries where you see fighters thinking,running around more, and being more defensive-minded overall. And not surprisingly, pretty much all the “puncher’s gloves” that you see nowadays are made in Mexico or “Mexican-style” (long shape). Don’t be fooled by misleading terms like “GENUINE LEATHER”, “HIGH QUALITY LEATHER”, “COWHIDE LEATHER”, “SPLIT LEATHER”, or “SYNTHETIC LEATHER”. Also beware of the description, “made with full grain leather” which usually means only part of the glove is full-grain leather while the rest is made of cheaper material. There’s more to leather than just being “full grain”, such as how they tan it, but this isn’t the place for that explanation right now. I do like the double-strap concept. It appearsto be more secure on the wrist than most single straps, and possiblya useful design improvement that more boxing companies could implement.

Other Promotion 3

Rival produce fantastic boxing gloves and have been doing so since their origin in 2003. The areas that Rival excel in include: This glove sets the new standard for me in boxing gloves; they are far beyond anything I’ve ever seen. I want to call them the future of boxing gloves but I also know the industry will never catch up to this guy’s madness. Filippo Di Nardo De Leccese (the sole-owner and maker) has combined his family’s heritage in leather-craftsmanship with his self-devoted passion for boxing. They are like nothing you’ve ever seen in a boxing glove. A completely redesigned glove from inside-out, and truly a piece of art! The only reason why I don’t have them as #1 is because of the pricing and also that I’ve only had them for 2 years (they still look and function great, btw). Some of you may still prefer the softer Winnings but there is no dispute, these are by far the better-made glove. ( See full brand review.) Most boxing gloves will fit somewherewithin the 3 common shapes: LARGE, LONG, and COMPACT. 1. LONG-boxing, 2. LARGE-thai, 3. LARGE-boxing, 4. COMPACT-thai. (Photo credit: ryyonvin) This glove looks like total plastic and I can tell your hands will be hot as hell in there. Imagine training with your hands in a plastic bag for an hour. Gloves should also smell like leather, not chemicals. Lots of mesh and plastic. It might look super cool and futuristic but it also means they can use less leather (saving on cost). Poor quality – inferior materials, craftsmanship, and function to many similar-pricedboxing gloves.

LONG-SHAPE(usuallyMexican gloves) – feels thinner, lighter, and more streamlined for punching. The longer design distributes the weight more along thearm, making the glove feel less bulky. Manyfighters feel long glovesmakea smaller/tighter fist, penetrate an opponent’s defense easier, help throw straighter punches, and also don’tobstruct their vision as much when they holdtheir hands up. Longer-tightergloves actually offer better wrist support since there’s less room for your wrist to wigglearound inside.Some fighters don’t like the long-shape because they feel it’s not padded enough and their hands hurt when they punch. Requires breaking in: The RS100’s do feel stiff in the beginning and take several training sessions to break in until they can be open (to parry) and close (to form a fist) with ease.

THE WINNERS – Johnny’s Favorite Boxing Gloves (for training and fighting)

You can get a great deal on Thai glovesif you buy them in person in Thailand. The weird thing is that while all the Thai brands are made in Thailand, someof their models are identical to theusual Pakistan glove molds (I call them “Thai clones”). Who’s copying who? I’ve used several over the years but for the rest, I had to ask friends and read online.

VELCRO– also called “hook and look”, convenient, less supportive than laces, common in cheap gloves and bag gloves (since you’re training alone). PRO Boxing Supplies”aka “PBS” and other generic names using the word “PRO” (like “PRO Boxing Equipment”), is the classic genericbrand here in Southern California. They have several shops in Southern California that sell all kinds of fight gear. They carry many name brands such as Everlast, Title, Ringside, and Reyes…and then they also have their own house brand gloves and gear that are made in similar mold but with their owndesign, different colors, their logo, and it’s CHEAPER. So I think they started with the typical round karate/tae-kwon-do gloves (and other martial arts gear) and then decided “OH HEY, WE SHOULD MAKE BOXING GLOVES, TOO!”. Except only, instead of designing their glove with the usual boxing glove shape, they simply adapted their existing karate glove design into boxing gloves by extending the padding all around the glove. They also started making MMA gloves as well, furthering their appearance as one of those “all martial arts” gear companies (which doesn’t appeal to diehard boxers). I call these the “OFF-brand clones” because they’re established companies butnot yet household names. They’re trying to become well-known and sometimes even pricing their products higher to be associated with household brands like Everlast and TITLE Boxing or even serious pro brands like Grant and Winning. Good for sparring and bagwork. Great wrist protection. Boxy Mexican glove shape makes punches land very flat (it’s a good thing). Beautiful nolstagic old school vibe. Mexican leather is much better than usual cheap Pakistan leather.SPECIAL MENTION: Boxeo is another great Mexican brand with long-lasting durability, amazingprotectionand comfort(and also beautifully-ugly). Campeon and Classics are also similar quality. Or go with Zepol for customization (but slightly lower quality). GOOGLE search– type in “[pro fighter name] sparring” or “[pro fighter name] heavy bag” on Google images or Youtube andsee what brand they use in training. Many pro boxers deal with the samehand issues you have (big hands/wrists, hand injuries, etc).If you’re from another country, try searching up a local boxer from your country. Beware that many famous boxers are sponsored (PAID) to wear certain brands. Of all the low-budget gloves, I would personally only use the RingtoCage C17 gloves or TOP TEN Superfight 3000 gloves for serious training. But that’s because I’ve got sensitive hands after boxing for so many years. A beginner or anybody else could probably make do with other gloves. If you feel you may need better protection, GO SAVE UP AND BUY IT. Or do what the pros do—go lighter on the heavy bag!

In summary, while these Rival RS100 Sparring Gloves are an expensive pair of boxing gloves, the price is well justified due to the high-quality materials used, precise workmanship, and strong emphasis on protectiveness. They tried to send me free gear in exchange for a review but insisted on me trying their crappier models which I’m guessing are crap quality but offer high profit margins. When I told them I would be honest if their gloves didn’t hold up to my other quality gloves, they decided not to send me anything. Top criteria for training gloves are quality-of-construction and protection, then comfort. Gloves made forbagwork have denser cushion to last longer and also prevent you from punching through the padding. Gloves made for sparring have softer cushion to minimize power transfer and protect sparring partners. There are also gloves that are made for both; ideally, they use multiple layers of foam of different densities.Because every hand is different, some gloves will fit and protect you better than others. But nowadays, we have many “business manufacturers” making gloves to maximize profit. They don’t have time or even the knowledge to create their own glove design, so they simply use an existing “template”. And usually these templates are designed around maximizing profit, using inferior materials and decreasing labor times. So when I say “clone gloves”, I mean that the gloves are simply a widely available template used by several other companies. Some designs are just there to look cool and increase sales but don’t actually improve the glove in any functional way.Leone was a reputable boxing company started in Italy several decades ago. I’m guessing it had something like an Everlast appeal, but as with many companies that became mainstream, they start chasing the almighty dollar and relying on their brand name rather than quality to make sales. I think you can tell from the glove designs what has become of their glove quality lately. I hear their “Glory” gloves were the only good model of late (I don’t know if they still sell it). Everything else is of the cheap Pakistan clone variety. Lonsdale also sells many of the same sports/clothing items as Everlast. Like almost exactly identical. In case you’ve wondered, both companies are now owned by the same company in UK, called “Sports Direct”. Originally, Everlast was started in New York 1910, Lonsdale in London 1960. It’s also best if the glove is made using as few pieces of leather as possible. This createsfewerseams and fewer places for your glove to tear apart from over time. So why would manufacturers use many pieces? One reason is to make use of smaller pieces of leather (like scrap leather leftover from other projects), savingmoney because there’s less waste. Another reason is to mix materials, using only a little bit of real leather and the rest is cheaper materials (vinyl, plastic, mesh). And lastly, using many pieces allows them to create a fancier-looking glove to sell for a higher price. It wasn’t until a few years later that I was boxing in Canada (2010) when I first saw TOP TEN gloves in a boxing gym. Nobody was using them by the way, they were just old beat-up community gloves that you gave to little kids or that “old beginner guy” who only came to lose weight. Even in Canada, despite being commonly found in stores and gyms, TOP TEN is still not the preferred brand. Everybody in Canada seemed to like Rival (a well-respected Canadian brand). What was nice though was that I got a chance to see TOP TEN gloves in person and try them out.