Cleto Reyes Boxing Gloves Review
Why I chose Cleto Reyes Boxing Gloves
It was December 18, 2015 when I found myself in the lobby of the Palm Casino’s Pearl Theatre facing a moment. You see in boxing, opportunity comes and goes easily but in order to seize the
opportunity you must perform in the moment. If not, the moment passes and time passes and you find less and less opportunities in the boxing game. I was at such a juncture. Albeit the moment was
was rather minor, it was still an opportunity to seize.
I was at the Palm Casino in Las Vegas to catch the Rances Barthlemy vs Denis Shafikov fight. On the undercard was the then unknown to the general public Gervonta Davis, who subsequently
knocked out Luis Sanchez in dramatic fashion. Also featured were various other Mayweather Promotion fighters such as Mickey Bey and Ishe Smith. In fact I was seated across the aisle from
Leonard Ellerbe the CEO of Mayweather Promotions and Floyd Mayweather himself was seated a couple rows down. It was a small show with the tightness of the seating feeling more like
a close knit amateur fight venue than the fanfare and outrageous seat prices of a professional mega fight. Basically I could afford to be that close to the action!
But I digress. As I left the venue into the lobby I found myself standing next to Floyd Mayweather’s father, Mayweather Senior. He was flanked by two women on either side talking to them in
a group. I knew a moment was happening and the opportunity was there to speak briefly to him. I walked up to him and introduced myself and one of the ladies asked if I wanted a picture. I
handed her my phone and she snapped a picture which still sits in our South Carolina based boxing gym, Boxing at the Depot, seven years later. But I seized the brief opportunity to pick
his brain. This was a man who squared up against Sugar Ray Leonard. A man whose son is arguably one of the top ten greatest fighters of all time. I asked him one question. One very pointed
question.
“What advice would you give an amateur boxer looking to further himself?”
He paused for a second. It was not a fanboy question. He knew that. It was a real boxing question. He racked his brain then looked back at me and said:
“Listen to your coach… yeah… listen to your trainer.”
It’s true most fighters do not listen to their trainer. They do things their own way. Learn the hard way.
Well what in the world does that have to do with Cleto Reyes boxing gloves? Everything and nothing. I have worked with boxers for over a decade now and everything I teach I mostly had to
learn the hard way. Gaining experience in the hurt business… hurts.
When I first began I thought a boxing glove like most people was a synthetic plastic or rubber glove you bought at a big box sports store. I had no idea what a quality glove
looked like or felt like. I just assumed like most people that those mass produced $30 gloves were it. I am from South Carolina where boxing as a sport is as niche and obscure as it can
get. Most people from here could tell you any number of obscure football rules but if you asked them how a boxing match was scored using the 10 point must system they would look at you
like you were speaking another language.
Without a large boxing scene or physical access to actually touch and feel different quality gloves I was left in a desert to journey through trying to gain glove knowledge. At first I
started, like most people, with the cheapest gloves possible. Then slowly worked my way up towards the vaunted $100 glove mark. It seemed to be an outrageous price at the time. Was the
quality that much different or was it all hype? Some gloves were all hype. But as I came up to that $100 glove mark I found better performance. Better materials, some gloves even
made out of leather instead of synthetic materials. But they all seemed to break down after about 6 months of use. I began to wonder about the highest of the high end boxing gloves.
The jump in quality and performance from $30 to $50 to $100 was noticeable. From $50 to $100 was extremely noticeable.
So I did it after many years. I took the plunge and bought the glove the boxing nerds on the internet rave about. I bought a pair of 16oz Velcro Strap Winning Gloves for close to $500 dollars.
Then I bought a pair of Cleto Reys for $200 dollars.
I have had both gloves for almost 3 years now. They have held up extremely well and have not deteriorated a single bit. I had to know the quality and if it was that much better. IT IS!
Extremely better than any other gloves I have used. But I found myself using the Cleto Reyes velcro hook and loop more. To be honest the wrist is more stable than the Winning glove.
In fact, shockingly enough the $30 gloves I used to use have a better more secure hook and loop wrist than a Winning glove. I also prefer the feedback of the Cleto Reyes on a heavy bag
better. Winning gloves bounce off too much for my taste. Cleto Reys stick. I had to know the quality difference and learned the hard way with my cash. But as your trainer and advisor I will tell you that
the quality between a Cleto Reyes glove is on par and in many ways better than a glove that costs almost $300 more.
But as Mayweather Senior told me his most valuable piece of advice which is often ignored: “listen to your trainer” I myself as a boxer trainer who gained all his glove knowledge the
hard way from the bottom to the top am giving you my glove advice. I chose Cleto Reyes. After trying almost every glove available in every price range from Everlast to Title to Rival to
Venum to Hayabusa to Winning to Fighting Sport. I chose Cleto Reyes. I could give you a spec sheet of the quality, a detailed comparison of the stitching etcetera but in my personal experience it is the
best glove I have ever used. And I will continue to use it. My gloves have held up for 3 years with weekly use and the padding, the broken-in feel of the leather, and the way
it has conformed to my hand is second to none. Even beating out one of the most expensive gloves made.
After all the purchases and going through all the price ranges and quality of gloves in the end I chose Cleto Reyes.Yes it is a $200 glove but the quality exceeds the price point shockingly enough!