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

Product Information

Mesh ventilated palm with grip bar: The gloves are well-ventiallated thanks to the mesh ventilation system that also has a medium-density grip bar stitched into it that helps you to form a fist. The ideal cushion feeling is created using multi-layer foam of different densities, combining the cushioning of soft foam with the responsiveness of dense foam. There is also the addition of “orthopedic foam” a.k.a. memory foam which molds to you better than latex or EVA foam (which holds its shape). A multi-layer bag glove will probably havea soft foam (or orthopedic foam) on the inside and dense foam on the outside. A multi-layer training or sparring glove willadd another soft layer on the outside to protect your sparring partner. The best brands have their own special foam “formulas” and use anywhere from 3-5 layers of foam.

Design: This sparring glove looks excellent, with the Rival 100 series patch stitched into the wrist compartment, and the radiant shine that reflects off of Rival’s custom-designed rich microfibre polyurethane leather.Century gear is typically found in toy stores and sporting good stores. At toy stores, it’ll be the only option and priced cheaply. At sporting good stores, it’s the cheaper alternative to namebrands (most likely Everlast if you’re in America and Adidas if you’re in Europe). Many people say Adidas only makes one good boxing product and that’s boxing shoes. I would say some of their headgear is ok too but lately people have been complaining abut that as well. Feels comfortable – smooth and not too grippy (which can cause blisters). This can also be a matter of personal taste. Some like smooth thin inside lining that isn’t noticeable. Others prefer a little more texture to have more “grip” inside the glove. In countries outside of the US, local brands are more common…such as Rival in Canada, TOP TEN in UK, Winning in Japan, Twins in Thailand, Mexican gloves in Mexico, etc. And then Winning is worn as the “status brand” to show off regardless of any country. Mexican gloves are also shown off outside of Mexico as “exotic gloves” (like in Europe) and fun to wear since they look different from typical Pakistan gloves and very hard to get or rarely seen.

I reviewover 60brands, and hundreds ofdifferent gloves…explaining everything frommaterials, padding, and stitchingto shape, comfort, and protection. I also cover the history of different brands and how they evolved or even copied one another over the years. Great for sparring and bagwork. Highest quality gloves ever; unrivaled materials and craftmanship! Padding options are either TUTELALA (bagwork) or CAESTUS (slightly softer for bagwork & sparring). Customization available. Padding replacement options available! Fighters that like Winning/Grant gloves but can’t afford them will default to Rival or one of the Mexican glove brands (Reyes, Casanova), which are still very high quality but more affordable. Those wanting customization or flashy styling will go with customized Mexican gloves; ones with bigger budget will do Grant or Adidas MyGloves. Boxers on average budget will default to Ring2Cage C17’s. Those on a tighter budget will get either Fighting Sports or Ringside IMF sparring gloves (which go on sale often). MMA guys or boxers venturing outside the traditional boxing brands will go for Hayabusa (which I don’t like), Ring 2 Cage’s C17 model (a respectable Winning clone) or one of the Thai brands (Fairtex, Twins, etc). The most budget conscious will go for Title, really cheap but functional.

But fast-forward several years and we’ve got some interesting developments. One is that Venum is trying to rebrand themselves as a higher quality brand. They’re doing heavy endorsements with popular fighters from boxing, MMA, and also traditional martial arts. They’ve also come out with a new boxing shoe line they’re trying to launch. I’m sorry but I will probably never like Venum very much. They have no soul or heritage in boxing. Just some MMA company trying to exploit and monetize in the boxing space. Here’s a fun story about their little-known origins as a French MMA company associating itself with the Brazilian MMA community. Shopping at their store in person was a frustrating experience. Very rude behavior and dismissive of customers that don’t appear to have money. They’ll rush you into buying and get annoyed when you ask to see other products or sizes or colors. You feel like you’re wasting their time simply by being in their store. You’re treated like crap if you want to just look around; oh and don’t you dare ask them to match their online prices. They’re only your best friend if you look like an easy target. The lining should also stay in place and not flop around inside the glove. It’s especially annoying it feels like a loose plastic bag inside your glove.

Another popular “puncher’s glove”. Good power transfer AND protection (more than Reyes). Offershorse hair model, as well as an “orthopedic model” for those with hand problems. If you’re not sparring too hard, you can do what I do which is VELCRO gloves for sparring (more convenience), and LACE-UP gloves for bagwork (more support). Mexico in the meanwhile, stayed cheap enough to produce their products locally. Their brands retained more of their original quality, passing on the knowledge of glove-making from one generation to the next. Mexico’s assets werenot only knowledge of the fight game and access to cheaper handlabor, they also had higher quality leather and fighters that could push their gear to the limit. You can trust all reputable Mexican brands to be tested by the toughest and most aggressive boxing style on the planet. The REAL SECRET, I think is in the shapeof their gloves. Unlike other brands catering to the casual demographic with pretty designs, Mexican gloves are oftenugly (and old-looking) but extremely functional. Their glove shape supports your hand and wrist in a way that other gloves do not. I think their original methods of designs, stitching, padding, and glove-craftinghave remained more intact than other countries over the years. Unfortunately for consumers, their traditional way of hand-working and demand for quality meant a less industrialized process and smaller production runs. Many of Mexico’s top boxing brands never globalized or grew beyond their local markets. They do not have the marketing or capacity to handle the masses, nor do theyhave a glove to cater to that demographic.The #1 “puncher’s glove” in the market. Horsehair model is used in pro fights for maximum power transfer.

ThaiSmai – stitching looks to be on-par or slightly below Twins, but the padding and fitting is really bad. HYBRID– has both laces and velcro, so you can choose one or use both. Theoretically could be more supportive than laces. Very uncommon and only available withcertain brands (usually Mexican). Stitching: The stitching is perfect across all areas of the glove and I couldn’t see any fraying errors.Well-broken in: Many gloves such as the RB11’s (reviewed above) feel quite stiff to begin with and usually take multiple training sessions to break in. However, these HDE-F gloves feel excellent right from the get-go which is a great advantage. Intendedto be all-purpose everyday gloves for bagwork, sparring, mitts, etc. They’re great forthose who don’t want to buy separate pairs of gloves for bagwork and sparring. Beware of dense bag gloves being soldas “all-purpose training gloves”;theywill hurt your sparring partners! ELASTIC LACES– also called “speed laces”, not as supportive as laces or velcro, and can be more annoying than velcro. 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.)