This content is protected This guy shows off a glove collection he has from different eras of boxing, and gives his thoughts on them. Pretty cool video.
I remember reading J.G. Lynch, in his manual The Complete Boxer (from 1914), stating that the 'old style' glove, which was the one still widely in use at that point, was notoriously difficult to use at first due to its stiffness. You literally had to wear in your gloves for a while to try and get good finger positioning inside them. If you didn't do it properly, then tough luck. It must've been pretty frustrating, since Lynch actually gives instructions on how to do it correctly. Things like this are the little things others do not think about when comparing eras etc. I think many would be surprised just how different getting prepared was back then.
Thanks for posting this, I saw a boxing historian years ago talking about the same thing concerning 1910 to 1930 boxing styles having a lot to do with the gloves. Mother Mary and Joseph could you imagine getting hit with a Sonny Liston jab wearing that 4 oz. 1920's glove? Or Roberto Duran infighting with his hands more free to grab and grapple on the inside? I saw a pair of those old gloves once at a boxing match where they had an exhibit in the lobby. After seeing those I wondered how Jess Willard wasn't killed by Jack Dempsey
Thanks for this. Fantastic, informative video. Got there after watching Stanley Ketchell fights and noticing the difference in fighting styles - first - and then the gloves... Seemed like a completely different sport than today, with striking more similar to today's MMA - with a lot of grapping and very different defensive tactics and techniques used.
