Are Everlast Boxing Gloves Really that Bad?

The culprit.

Yes, my friend, and No, my friend.  They are really that bad, and they are really very good.  There is a chasm in quality between Everlast’s consumer grade and professional equipment that can only be crossed on a bridge made of your own dollar bills.

Everlast supplies gloves to professional boxers featured on television and in Las Vegas.  These gloves are of the highest quality.  When average consumers see the name “Everlast” written on the wrist of one of these boxers, he/she associates the name with quality and professionalism.

“Everlast” is a powerful name.  It is so powerful that it can be printed on the wrist straps of low-quality boxing gloves that can barely hold themselves together while hanging on the rack in the store, and gullible people such as myself will purchase them.

I bought a $25 pair of 16oz Everlast boxing gloves from Dick’s Sporting Goods.  They were labeled for “Training/Heavy Bag Work.”  My friend and I each bought a pair with some mouth guards and used them to do some light sparring.  They worked very well for light sparring and provided ample cushion.

I noticed that one of the two functions listed on their packaging was “Heavy Bag Work.”  Well, I concluded, I can use these for heavy bag work.

So I punched the bag for perhaps three sessions.  I liked them better than my Harbinger bag gloves because they provided more protection for my knuckles.

On around the fourth session I noticed that my left knuckles were feeling much more of the impact.  Was I hitting harder?  Was I just sore?  No.  The padding inside the synthetic leather glove had separated right over my knuckles and was compressed into balls on either side, leaving only the top and bottom layers of fake leather to protect my hand.

So it is, I thought.

For this reason I can only recommend Level 3 boxing gloves from Everlast.  They are very nice gloves, like the Protex3.  However, you can get equally nice gloves, or even better, for the same or lower prices from Title or Ringside.  That’s why, when I decided to get a new pair of gloves, I went with the Title Gel Intense Bag Gloves.

The palm has a little hole in it, ok?