Rival was founded in 2003 by experienced boxing trainer and seasoned cutman Russ Anber. Rival entered the market with the promise of reinventing the boxing equipment industry through innovations based on Russ’s more than 25 years of experience in boxing. In addition, Russ had already gained more than 10 years of experience supplying and selling international boxing brands on the Canadian market. When Rival’s first order came in for USD 2,000, Russ promised that every subsequent order would be larger—and so it happened!
From the very beginning, Rival has been a brand focused on the high-end segment of the (semi-)professional boxing market. Countless brands sell inexpensive boxing gloves and gear, but this is not the market Rival targets. Rival’s goal is to bring the very best boxing gloves and boxing gear to the market—products that top amateurs, professionals, gyms, and boxing trainers can use with complete confidence.
“By Boxing People For The Boxing World”
The Evolution
Rival’s recipe for success has been characterized by the outstanding quality and durability of its products. These great products and results have all been achieved without copying other brands or infringing on anyone else’s patents or intellectual property. Since its launch in 2003, all products have been based on original ideas shaped into unique, innovative designs.
From that modest initial production order of USD 2,000, Rival has grown into a fully established and respected global brand with stores, offices, and employees in four countries: Canada, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. In addition, it has fully established partnerships with seven major boxing gyms, four of which are in Canada, two in the United States, and one in Spain.
Rival Boxing Gear Around the World
After building a solid reputation in the Canadian market—operating from Montreal and Quebec—Rival began expanding into the United States and opened an office in Las Vegas in September 2014. Not long afterward, a headquarters in the United Kingdom followed in July 2017. The Australian office followed in July 2019. Every Rival location is proud to be run by staff with an (active) boxing background, as well as by people with whom Rival has built long-standing business relationships. All staff have confidence in Rival, and Rival, in turn, has confidence in its skilled personnel.
"At Rival, the belief is that while other companies are businessmen trying to infiltrate the boxing world, Rival is proud to be boxing people trying to infiltrate the business world."
Rival in the Ring
The list of fighters who wear or have worn Rival’s extensive collection of boxing gloves, training equipment, and apparel is extensive. Former WBC light-heavyweight world champion Jean Pascal was the first to wear Rival boxing gloves during a world title fight on HBO. Many (world) champions followed, including: Anthony Joshua, Vasiliy Lomachenko, Oleksandr Usyk, Keith Thurman, Artur Beterbiev, Eleider Alvarez, Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano, Oscar Rivas, and countless others.
All these great fighters and champions have placed their trust in Rival’s famous RFX-Guerrero Pro Fight Glove. These boxing gloves are widely regarded as one of the best—or even the very best—boxing gloves in terms of protection and fit. This is the crown jewel in the outstanding product line of this fantastic company.
Rival in the Ring – Round 2
The custom-made boxing apparel and accessories have now also attracted the attention of the entire boxing world. What began as an occasional production order has grown into a business division with worldwide demand.
One of the finest moments in the company’s history was the 2013 match between Tony Bellew and Isaac Chillemba. Both fought in complete Rival equipment and wore Rival Pro Fight gloves. Another memorable occasion was fight night in July 2018 during the very first Ali Trophy, when Oleksandr Usyk and Murat Gassiev both fought in Rival boxing gloves in their match for the undisputed WBC cruiserweight world title.
“Every single member of the Rival team is bound by the commitment to excellence and innovation that have always characterized everything that Rival does. We are boxing people!”
Innovating Since 1980
Throughout his life, Rival founder and CEO Russ Anber has been fascinated by designing, improving, and adapting all kinds of sports equipment, particularly for boxing. Russ was always looking for modifications and improvements that would make products perform better. Russ began selling boxing equipment and gloves in the 1980s to sponsor and finance his amateur team. It did not take him long to realize that very little had been improved in boxing gloves and training equipment over all those years.
“Maximum Protection, Minimum Obstruction”
Early in his career as a boxing trainer, Russ was constantly working to improve the equipment he used during his training sessions. Around 2000, he felt it was time to turn these innovations and designs into a business. In 2003, he officially founded Rival Boxing Gear, knowing that this was his opportunity to implement all the ideas he had developed over the previous 20 years. Rival has patented many unique designs, and below is a list of some of the most important patents Rival has introduced to the world.
Patents & Innovations
- Air Cushion System
- Angled Lace Track System
- Conic design
- Ergo design
- Ergo Lace Track System
- Ergo Strap System
- Ergo Strap XTREME system
- Ergonomic True Fist Construction
- Feather Lite
- Intelli-Shock D30™
- Parabolic design
- The Wedge
- Wrist Bolt
- Wrist Lock
- Wrist Lock 2
“Classic Mexican Design Meets Modern Tech”
