STORY 008 — CLETO REYES
THE GLOVES OF CHAMPIONS
One amateur fight in 1938 was enough. He went home and started fixing the gloves.
The Leather Workshop
Cleto Reyes Castro was born in Mexico City on April 26, 1920. At twelve he went to work in a leatherworking shop that made baseball goods, sewing gloves for another sport.
That work taught him the basics he would use for the rest of his life: how leather is cut, stitched and shaped around a hand.
One Fight Was Enough
His school stood next to the Arena Peralvillo Cozumel, and by 1936 boxing had his attention. In 1938 he entered an amateur tournament and fought once. He decided not to fight again.
He kept the gloves he had fought in, which were poorly made, and repaired them. Repairing gloves led to making them, and he set out to make better ones than the pair he had worn.
The First Title Night
His gloves were approved by the Boxing Commission of the Federal District. On April 18, 1945, they were used in a world title fight for the first time: Juan Zurita defending the NBA lightweight title against Ike Williams in a Mexico City bullring. Williams stopped Zurita in the second round.
The same year, Don Cleto went independent and opened his own business, working with his wife and children.
Made by Hand
A Cleto Reyes glove is cut, sewn and stuffed by artisans in Mexico, often on old sewing machines. The padding in the professional fight glove is a mix of foam and horsehair rather than synthetic foam alone.
The company's own account is that horsehair delivers the punch while still absorbing the impact. It also wears in: a pro fight pair is good for roughly thirty rounds before sweat stiffens the horsehair, after which it becomes a training glove. The company has turned down offers to move production to industrial manufacturers abroad.
The Puncher's Glove
In boxing the glove has a nickname. The WBC calls it "the Puncher's Glove." Asked why fighters choose it, Alberto Reyes told AFP: "They use them because they feel safe, because they know they're going to score a knockout."
Ignacio Beristáin, the trainer behind Juan Manuel Márquez and Ricardo López, gave the other half of the answer: "They're comfortable on the hands, which take less damage."
Ali's Choice
On September 15, 1978, in New Orleans, Muhammad Ali faced Leon Spinks in a rematch for the heavyweight title Ali had lost to him earlier that year. He wore Cleto Reyes gloves and won by unanimous decision.
The pair was made by Rubén Albarrán, a long-time employee. "It was one of the first pairs I made," he later said. The company says it has never paid a fighter to wear its gloves.
A Family Firm
As Don Cleto's health declined, his son Alberto Reyes joined the business in 1970. He registered the Cleto Reyes trademark in 1975 and founded Industria Reyes, S.A. de C.V. in 1979. Don Cleto died in 1999.
Alberto led the company until his death in early January 2019. His children, Alberto, Magdalena and Elizabeth, carry it on.
The Legacy
More than two hundred world champions have worn the gloves, among them Muhammad Ali, Julio César Chávez, Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Márquez, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. They also appear on screen in the Rocky films.
The words on the back of the shirt come from the brand itself, and both are accurate: made in Mexico, and the gloves of champions.
Fight Heritage
The story before the piece.
Selected and edited by: Fight Heritage
Pieces from this story
Sources
1. Cleto Reyes — About Us — cletoreyes.com
2. Cleto Reyes — Juan Zurita — cletoreyes.com
3. Title Boxing — Hecho en México and Admired by Everyone — titleboxing.com
4. BoxRec — Ike Williams vs. Juan Zurita — boxrec.com
5. WBC — Cleto Reyes: Hand in Glove Excellence — wbcboxing.com
6. WBC — The Boxing Family Says Goodbye to Alberto Reyes — wbcboxing.com
7. AFP via Malay Mail — Mexico artisans handcraft gloves for boxing legends (2017) — malaymail.com
8. Forbes México — Cleto Reyes company profile — forbes.com.mx
9. El Imparcial — La historia detrás de Cleto Reyes — elimparcial.com
10. Wikipedia — Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks — wikipedia.org