Punch Mitts...when did they start using them?

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Johnstown, Dec 27, 2012.


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  1. Johnstown

    Johnstown Boxing Addict banned

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    I have been wondering about this for sometime....I have tried looking it up in various ways, and I can't find anything but when they started....all I can seem to find is they got real common in the 80s..but not so common before that.

    I remember seeing a picture back in the 1990s in one of the boxing mags of Jack Dempsey in the ring with his trainer..the trainer had a big quilt over his mid section as well what looked like punch mitts...but i have never seen that photo again or heard of him using anything like mitts.

    I know some mods might want to move this to the training section or something..but I am curious to hear from guys who have been around the sport for decades as well as guys who really know the history.

    Thanks
     
    Johnstown, Dec 27, 2012
    Johnstown, Dec 27, 2012
    #1
  2. lenin

    lenin what the **** you say? Full Member

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    pretty sure the mayweathers invented them.
     
    lenin, Dec 27, 2012
    lenin, Dec 27, 2012
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  3. Bill1234

    Bill1234 Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    I've seen a picture of Angelo Dundee with them while training Ali in the 1960s. I've also seen a picture of Marciano hitting them in the 1950s.

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    If I had to guess, I'd say the mitts had always been around, but didn't really get widescale use until the later half of the 1970s or so.
     
    Bill1234, Dec 27, 2012
    Bill1234, Dec 27, 2012
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  4. Johnstown

    Johnstown Boxing Addict banned

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    cool picture Bill...I wish i could find the old picture of Dempsey training....I seem to remember the punch mitts looked almost like baseball catch mitts (maybe they were).

    those mitts rocky is hitting dont look real sturdy..i dont know if would want to be catching those shots.
     
    Johnstown, Dec 27, 2012
    Johnstown, Dec 27, 2012
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  5. Vic-JofreBRASIL

    Vic-JofreBRASIL Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    I did a thread like that some time ago, apparently it was rare but some trainers liked to do it even in the old days.....
     
    Vic-JofreBRASIL, Dec 27, 2012
    Vic-JofreBRASIL, Dec 27, 2012
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  6. Johnstown

    Johnstown Boxing Addict banned

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    yeah...i guess thats what i have been seeing as well..i really do wish i could find that pic of dempsey..but regardless.i dont think it was a regular part of his training. I would be curious to hear from some of the old time guys like John Garfield who have been around gyms for allot of years when they first started seeing them.
     
    Johnstown, Dec 27, 2012
    Johnstown, Dec 27, 2012
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  7. Ricky42791

    Ricky42791 Well-Known Member Full Member

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    I believe they were invented by Marciano's trainer Charlie Goldman to improve his accuracy
     
    Ricky42791, Dec 27, 2012
    Ricky42791, Dec 27, 2012
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  8. Johnstown

    Johnstown Boxing Addict banned

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    well that would be in keeping with the pic...ehhh damn it...if only i could find that picture...
     
    Johnstown, Dec 27, 2012
    Johnstown, Dec 27, 2012
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  9. Theron

    Theron Boxing Addict banned

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    Pretty cool if they were invented for Marcianos use
     
    Theron, Dec 28, 2012
    Theron, Dec 28, 2012
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  10. Danmann

    Danmann Well-Known Member Full Member

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    delete
     
    Danmann, Dec 28, 2012
    Danmann, Dec 28, 2012
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  11. Vysotsky

    Vysotsky Boxing Junkie banned

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    Stanley Ketchel 1909

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    Vysotsky, Dec 29, 2012
    Vysotsky, Dec 29, 2012
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  12. Bogotazo

    Bogotazo Amateur Full Member

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    Emmanuel Steward claims to have invented/popularized them by turning some boxing gloves backwards and using them as mitts early on in his training career.
     
    Bogotazo, Dec 29, 2012
    Bogotazo, Dec 29, 2012
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  13. Bill1234

    Bill1234 Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    I really don't think he invented them seeing how Marciano was pictured above punching the mitts when Steward would've been only 9 or 10 years old.

    I could definitely see how Steward might have improved the popularity of the mitts, though. Steward was great with the mitts and could help teach fighters a lot through his mit work. In clips of him training fighters he was shown time and time again working the mitts for people. He also would stand in the ring with the fighters as they sparred and looked for small things for them to improve upon as he also looked at the big picture.
     
    Bill1234, Dec 29, 2012
    Bill1234, Dec 29, 2012
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  14. Johnstown

    Johnstown Boxing Addict banned

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    stward may well have thought he did invent them.....since rocky using them not many other people did...many things come into being from multiple sources..but yeah it looks like Marciano used them before
     
    Johnstown, Dec 29, 2012
    Johnstown, Dec 29, 2012
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  15. Johnstown

    Johnstown Boxing Addict banned

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    definitly a early body shield..but the guy is wearing gloves..he may have been hitting the gloves as well..or he might have just been giving Ketchel some light offense...slipping a jab and going to the body for example..cant really say from that picture.



    having said that..the picture of Dempsey I remember was something like that..his trainer had a big quilt/pad over his torso that it looked like dempsey was hitting..however, the guy also had on something that looked like baseball catcher mitts...hence why in that case i am pretty sure they were being used as punch mitts.
     
    Johnstown, Dec 29, 2012
    Johnstown, Dec 29, 2012
    #15
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