A boxing glove begins with an idea of how a hand should be able to move. Then come the leather, patterns, padding, seams and a closure that brings everything together. Di Nardo brings a distinctive background to this process: Italian tailoring. Filippo Leccese Di Nardo approached the glove from a world where working with materials, form and finishing was part of everyday life.
That is what makes his story interesting. Behind the recognizable name is a maker who combined his love of boxing with his family’s craft. The path led through his first gloves, a period under the name Mason’s, and then the Di Nardo brand. His name became an increasingly prominent signature on the product.
Today, Atelier and Worldwide show two different sides of that story. Atelier focuses on personalization; Worldwide brings Italian craftsmanship to ready-made training gloves. We first follow the maker and his development, then look at what gives the Worldwide Line its distinctive character.
A tailor in the boxing world
Filippo Leccese Di Nardo comes from a family of Italian tailors and leatherworkers. In the interview ExpertBoxing published in 2019, he says the craft was passed down from generation to generation. He became familiar with it as a boy and describes the workshop as the place where he could develop his ideas. For him, it was about the act of making: taking a material in his hands and turning it into something with a clear form and function.
That background offers a different route into boxing from that of a trainer who starts a brand out of a gym. A tailor looks at how separate pieces fit together, where seams sit and how a material shapes itself around the body. A glove has a specific task as well: to enclose the hand and make room for the padding that absorbs contact during training.
Di Nardo’s story centers on the meeting of those two worlds. The leather belongs to the craft, the clenched fist to boxing. That combination gave his gloves a distinctive starting point, with the maker closely connected to what he designed.
From family workshop to boxing glove
In his account to ExpertBoxing, Filippo names 2001 as the year he started boxing. He speaks with great appreciation of what the sport meant to him and how much he wanted to find a place in it. Over time, he came to see that place primarily in the workshop: there, he could combine his experience in tailoring and leatherwork with his interest in boxing gloves.
That is a significant step. Practicing a sport lets you feel what equipment does; making it then requires choices that give shape to that feeling. The curve over the knuckles, the space for the fingers and the proportions of the hand and wrist all become parts of the same design. With a leather glove, the outer shape is also connected to what lies beneath.
The family craft gave him a familiar foundation for working on that product. The workshop became the place where his role in the boxing world developed. That personal motivation also explains why his own name later became so important to the brand: the identity of the glove became increasingly tied to the identity of its maker.
The first glove and the Mason’s years
In the historical overview Filippo had published in April 2022, he dates his first glove to 2006. According to the same overview, by 2008 he felt the product was sufficiently developed to bring to market. Those two milestones make clear how he describes the beginning himself: first making a glove, then continuing to refine a version he could offer to others.
According to his timeline, Mason’s Boxing followed in 2013. ExpertBoxing also describes that earlier name and identifies it with the Italian gloves that preceded Di Nardo. The brand name was different, but Filippo was the craftsman behind the product. It is an important chapter in understanding why the history of his gloves goes back further than the name now on the label.
The Mason’s period ended before Di Nardo continued under his own name. What changed most was how the work was presented to the world. A brand name that stood on its own gave way to the name of the person who designed and made the equipment. The craft gained a recognizable personal face.
Di Nardo under his own name
The ExpertBoxing review provides a concrete reference point for that transition. Johnny N describes how Filippo contacted him in January 2018 and presented his gloves under the Di Nardo name. In March of that year, the reviewer received a custom-made pair, along with boxing shoes. The detailed review was published on May 3, 2019.
It was a detailed introduction to his way of working. The reviewer examined the leather, the finish and the glove’s construction, then described his own experience using it. The pair had been provided for the test. The combination of a personal conversation with the maker and close attention to the product gave this early Di Nardo story its substance.
Filippo’s own historical overview also names 2018 as the beginning of Di Nardo after Mason’s. From that point on, the name and the story behind the craft came together. The family name on the wrist is therefore more than a standalone trademark: it points to the tailoring background that helped Filippo find his place in the boxing world.
What craftsmanship means for a glove
Craftsmanship becomes most interesting when you look at the individual parts. A glove consists of different shaped pieces that come together around the hand. Leather plays a dual role: it forms the outer surface you see and feel, and it holds the glove’s construction together. The shape of the panels, how they are joined, and the space for the padding are all connected.
That is where tailoring offers a useful parallel. In clothing, too, the final shape comes from thoughtfully arranging and joining flat pieces of material. A seam determines where pieces meet; a curve determines how the whole garment fits the body. In boxing gloves, that spatial thinking applies to the knuckles, thumb, fingers, and wrist.
The Worldwide photos show these details clearly: the placement of the leather pieces, the folds along the hand opening, and the stitching around the lace opening. They are worth a closer look if you are interested in how a glove is constructed. There is more to see than just the color of the striking surface.
Di Nardo emphasizes Italian craftsmanship in its descriptions of both lines. That craft connects Atelier and Worldwide, while each line has its own material choices and ordering process.
Atelier and Worldwide: two different approaches
Atelier is the personalized side of Di Nardo. The official description is aimed at customers who want a version made to their preferences. The brand mentions full-grain calfskin, choices in the finishing details, and different types of padding for training and competition gloves. The idea is a glove where personal choices shape much of the experience.
Worldwide takes a different approach. This line consists of ready-made gloves crafted from available batches of mixed cowhide. The manufacturer describes a training padding specific to this line and offers both lace-up and hook-and-loop versions. Here, you choose from what is available in the Worldwide line rather than going through an extensive customization process.
Both lines bear Di Nardo’s artisanal signature, but each has its own character. Atelier is largely about customization; Worldwide is about a specific pair that has already taken shape. For fans of the brand, this makes the collection easy to navigate: you can appreciate the story behind how the gloves are made while choosing the version that suits you.
The Di Nardo gloves at Fight2Win belong to the Worldwide line. The photos and product details for those specific versions are therefore the natural starting point when you look at them or want to compare them in the showroom.
Worldwide leather and colors
According to the official line description, Di Nardo uses remaining batches of mixed cowhide leather for Worldwide. The manufacturer says these batches often come from the production stock of major Italian brands, including luxury brands. This puts available material to use in his boxing glove line.
This creates an interesting interplay between material and appearance. A color combination comes from the types and colors of leather available. Di Nardo describes Worldwide's composition as non-customized: the line centers on the finished combination as it comes. Choosing a specific pair therefore feels a little like picking out a leather accessory with its own character.
Among the versions in our collection, you'll see black with red, warm brown with black and a purple version. The photos also show how the leather surface and color placement differ from one version to another. It's the combination of these details that makes a pair recognizable, from the outer surface around the knuckles to the palm and wrist.
The materials tell part of the brand's story. The choice of available leather batches connects the Worldwide Line to the Italian leather industry and gives the different versions a distinct look. The current product photos help you compare those details.
Worldwide's dedicated training padding
Alongside the leather, the padding determines how a glove feels during training. On his official Worldwide page, Di Nardo describes protective training padding made specifically for this line. He lists punching bag work, pad work and sparren as uses. This is a line designed with gym training in mind.
You notice how the outer shape works with the fit when you put on a glove and open and close your hand. You can feel how much room there is around your fingers, how the thumb sits and where the padding wraps around your hand. During punch combinations, you also feel the contact: how the glove lands on a punching bag or pad.
For that practical feel, a secure closure and your usual handwraps are a good starting point. Take your time trying on a new pair, fasten them securely and start with controlled technique work. That way, you get to know their shape and can work the gloves into your own training routine. For sparren, choose the agreed-upon weight and use a pair with padding in good condition.
The name Worldwide provides the right context here. This is the training line you're looking at; the individual padding options Di Nardo names for Atelier belong to a different part of his collection.
The Worldwide versions at Fight2Win
The Worldwide collection shows just how much difference colour and the arrangement of leather sections can make. You can see that the gloves shown below belong to the same family, while each pair has its own look. The lace-up closure and wrist label are recurring features. The product cards show the available style and its weight.
La Fiamma
La Fiamma pairs black with a deep shade of red. In the photo, the contrast is clearly visible across the striking surface, palm and wrist. It’s a bold combination that highlights the different parts of the glove.
La Bestia
La Bestia combines warm brown with black. The brown striking surface and dark wrist give the pair a classic, understated look. On the palm side, the colour combination continues around the stitching and lace opening.
Viola Furia
Viola Furia pairs a light shade of purple with black. This gives the same recognisable glove shape a different feel. In the product photo, the coloured striking surface and the dark thumb and wrist stand out immediately.
Impattatore
On Impattatore, the dark accent covers the striking surface, with warm light brown leather around the wrist and on the palm side. The contrasting leather sections make the construction of this pair easy to see.
Supremo
Supremo also combines dark and brown tones, with its own arrangement of colours and leather grain. Pay particular attention to the transition between the wrist, palm and striking surface when you compare this style with the other Worldwide gloves.
Laces, weight and feel during training
The Worldwide styles shown here have a lace-up closure. This lets you distribute the tension along the opening and adjust the glove carefully around your wrist. Having someone help you put them on is practical, especially when you’re wearing both gloves. Tuck the ends of the laces away neatly before you start training.
The weight in ounces is another factor in your choice. It depends on the specific style and your training goals. A well-fitting pair gives you room to make a fist, lets your thumb rest naturally and stays securely in place when fastened. So, if possible, try them on with the handwraps you use for training.
During your first few training sessions, it helps to pay attention to how they feel on your hands. Start with some gentle shadowboxing and controlled work on pads or the punching bag. You’ll notice how the glove moves as you make a fist and draw back a punch. That gives you a more concrete way to compare styles than looking only at the weight on a label.
Caring for leather and airing out gloves
A regular care routine keeps your gloves comfortable to use. Take them out of your gym bag after training, open the closures and let the insides air out. Set your handwraps aside too, so you can start your next training session with clean, dry accessories.
Wipe the outer leather with a soft, slightly damp cloth. Work gently around the seams and hand opening, then let the gloves dry in a well-ventilated place. Apply a thin layer of suitable leather cream, and only to smooth leather. For other leather finishes, stick to careful wiping and airing as your daily routine.
The inside and outside each need their own care. Use a glove spray on the inside, not on the outer leather. Washing machines, tumble dryers and soaking are not suitable for boxing gloves. Keep them away from heaters and direct sunlight while they dry.
A sports bag is handy for keeping your gear together on the go. At home, give the gloves room to air out. That simple habit fits with the care you take in choosing a leather pair: regular upkeep becomes a natural part of your training routine.
A place of its own in boxing culture
Di Nardo’s appeal lies in the direct connection between the maker and his work. The name on the glove points to a craftsman who brought his tailoring background into the gym. It is a different perspective in a boxing world where trainers, gyms, competitions and larger equipment brands also have stories of their own.
This gives the gloves two sides that sit comfortably together. You can appreciate the material and finish for their craftsmanship and use the same pair in your training routine. They are both leather equipment made for use and a tangible piece of brand history.
Worldwide makes that connection tangible. You choose an existing version and can immediately see which materials and colors have been brought together. The maker’s background remains evident, while the product itself is the starting point for trying on, comparing and training. That personal story of craftsmanship gives Di Nardo its own place among the many ways a boxing glove can be made.
Conclusion: a distinctive Italian tradition of craftsmanship
Di Nardo grew out of the meeting of tailoring and boxing. Filippo Leccese Di Nardo describes making his first glove in 2006, developing his craft under Mason’s and taking the step to use his own name in 2018. The early story published by ExpertBoxing reveals the maker behind the label.
Atelier and Worldwide each take that story in their own direction. Atelier focuses on personalization; Worldwide offers ready-made training gloves made from available batches of cowhide in distinctive combinations. In the Worldwide versions at Fight2Win, the material, design and use in the gym come together.
Anyone interested in Di Nardo will find more than a distinctive name. It is the story of a craftsman who found his place in the boxing world at the workbench, and of gloves that give his Italian background a recognizable form.
