If you were a boxer from way back in the day, you would have had minimal, if any, protection for your hands and wrists. Luckily, things have changed since then with technology playing a big role in the design of modern boxing gloves.
Though ancient Olympic fighters fought sans hand wraps, let alone boxing gloves, adding this necessary arsenal has become the standard. Historical boxing equipment included hide straps tightly wound around the palms and knuckles. These were the beginning stages of hand wraps before they evolved into leather construction.
Additionally, boxing gloves of today are similar to their origins except for the sewn-in metal designed to cause extra damage to opponents. It also wasn’t uncommon for fighters to wear brass knuckles under boxing gloves.
Rather than adding metal to fight opponents, boxers must rely on their power and punch accuracy when sparring. Let’s look back through boxing gloves history and see which styles the most famous fighters favored during their championship reigns.
Ancient Times - 320 BC
When boxing first began, it took on a more barbarian and less sports-like approach than what we’re currently familiar with. There’s a famous statue titled Boxer at Rest that depicts an Olympic champion boxer’s hands after his victory.
Boxing fans and historians alike will note the cuts and bleeding, as well as the fur on the wrist, which was used to wipe away blood and sweat during battle. Hand wraps are present, leaving the fingertips exposed, but boxing gloves are not.
London, England - 1740s
Boxing gloves rose to prominence in the 1700s in London. Though fighters typically took the bare-handed boxing approach, it transitioned from a working-class sport into part of the royal lexicon.
Boxing was considered a sport as much as a means of self-defense, which made hand protection necessary. Punching without the padding of boxing gloves hurts the one throwing the punches as much as the one receiving them, which makes safety in boxing gloves essential.
During this time, a man named Jack Broughton was noted as the first heavyweight boxing champion. He is recognized as finalizing the rules of the sport.
Broughton ran a boxing school and came up with the design for what we now consider antique boxing gloves. At the time, he called them “mufflers,” and they were similar in construction to the boxing gloves design we know today.
It wasn’t until over a century later when Roxbury, Massachusetts resident, John L. Sullivan won a heavyweight championship match after 75 rounds wearing a pair of boxing gloves nearly identical to the mufflers Broughton had created.
The most notable difference? The gloves Sullivan wore had lace-up ties rather than being worn like mittens.
1930 - 1960s
Today, the evolution of boxing gloves has led fighters to the option between velcro-strap boxing gloves and those with laces. Lace-up boxing gloves rose to popularity in the 1930s when American world heavyweight boxer Joe Louis used them to win his fights.
The design is largely the same for modern-day boxing gloves, though new technology and better materials take the place of when they were first introduced.
1960s - 1970s
Jumping forward a few decades, Muhammad Ali became champion of the world. His fight gloves were famous for having an untacked thumb, which is different from how modern gloves are made.
The tacked thumb didn’t come to light until the late 1970s and was a preferred design worn by Larry Holmes. Furthermore, during these decades, gloves were padded with horsehair, as Broughton had originally designed them, which only recently became replaced with foam padding boxing gloves.
1980s-1990s
By the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, a new heavyweight champion had come forward. Mike Tyson was a three-peat winner during this time and holds the record as the youngest boxer to ever win the heavyweight title at age 20.
Tyson was known for his aggressive boxing style with a knockout-to-win percentage of 88%. Most heavyweight fighters during this time wore cowhide leather boxing gloves with foam padding.
To follow in the footsteps of famous boxers’ favorite boxing gloves like Ali, Tyson, Floyd Mayweather, and Mexican professional boxer Canelo Alvarez, it’s best to focus on material quality and craftsmanship when searching for your next pair of boxing gloves.
Each athlete has their preference for design and brand, including Olympian and undefeated British former professional boxer, Tony Jeffries, who is known for favoring Hayabusa boxing gloves, gear, and equipment.
The Hayabusa Era
Hayabusa became a vital part of boxing gloves history by taking inspiration from the early days of boxing gloves and innovating them in a way that fighters today require. The T3 Boxing Gloves are recognized as the most revolutionary and protective gloves in the world.
To achieve this, it required testing and research using only the best materials and the most advanced boxing glove technology available. The result is a comfortable, secure fit with details that fighters can see and feel when they slip on a pair of Hayabusa boxing gloves.
What Boxing Glove Technology Entails
The T3 Boxing Gloves provide overall support and protection with Dual-X™ interlocking wrist straps to deliver a precise, 99.7% anatomical alignment of the hands and wrists. Meanwhile, multi-layered technology foam allows for the ultimate in knuckle safety.
Plus, the premium Vylar® exterior provides the resilience to withstand the toughest of fights. However, it’s not all about how indestructible boxing gloves should be.
Comfort is equally important to go multiple rounds in the ring. Ultra-soft temperature regulating lining keeps hands cool while a microfiber thumb allows fighters to wipe away sweat with ease.
T3D Represents the Next Phase of Boxing
The award-winning T3 Boxing Gloves continue to be the reliable go-to for amateur and professional boxers alike. The quality, construction, and comfort amplify performance and give fighters the protection they need.
Yet, as technology continues to evolve, so does the pro boxing collection. The debut of the T3D Boxing Gloves represented a whole new level of technology.
These specialized gloves build upon all the features that make the T3 Boxing Gloves world-class and add another layer of technology. Made with patent-pending 3D-printed lattice cushioning which contains thousands of force-damping struts, they deliver next-gen capabilities.
Elastomeric resin outlasts layered foam for extreme longevity, and precisely tuned zonal cushioning softens impact for optimal comfort. When it comes to innovations in boxing gloves, the T3D boxing Gloves remain unmatched.
Hayabusa T3D Boxing Gloves
Hayabusa S4 Boxing Gloves
Hayabusa T3 Open Thumb Bag Gloves
Hayabusa T3 Neon Boxing Gloves
Maintaining the Greatest of All Time Title
Earning the title of greatest of all time means there’s always someone or something right behind that may come and take the top spot. Boxing gloves over the years have only continued to improve over time.
When it comes to boxing gear, equipment, and apparel, Hayabusa is always on the cutting edge of technology to ensure the highest level of quality and performance is achieved time and time again.
Who knows what’s next in the boxing gear evolution and how it will affect boxing gloves design changes? All we can say is that when it comes to delivering the best boxing gloves to our legion of fighters, we always make sure we hit the mark.
