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 market through innovation, leveraging Russ's over 25 years of experience in boxing. In addition, Russ had over 10 years of experience offering and selling foreign boxing brands in the Canadian market. When Rival's first order of USD 2000 came in, Russ promised that every subsequent order would be larger; and so it was!
From its very inception, 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 that's not Rival's target market. Rival's goal is to produce the very best boxing gloves and gear available, which all 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 is characterized by the outstanding quality and durability of its products. These amazing products and results have all been achieved without copying other brands or infringing on anyone else's patents or intellectual property. Since its inception in 2003, all products have been based on original ideas, translated into unique, innovative designs .
From that modest initial production order of $2000, Rival has grown into a fully-fledged and respected global brand with stores, offices and employees in 4 countries: Canada, the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. In addition, they have full partners in 7 major boxing gyms, 4 of which are in Canada, 2 in the US and 1 in Spain.
Rival Boxing Gear worldwide
After building a solid reputation in the Canadian market – operating from Montreal and Quebec – Rival began expanding into the United States, opening an office in Las Vegas in September 2014. Shortly thereafter, a UK headquarters followed in July 2017, and the Australian office opened in July 2019. Each Rival location prides itself on being run by staff with (active) boxing backgrounds and long-standing business relationships with Rival. 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 very extensive. Former WBC light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal was the first to wear Rival boxing gloves during a world title fight on HBO. Many (world) champions followed, including: Antony 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 renowned RFX-Guerrero Pro Fight Glove. These boxing gloves are widely considered one of the best – if not the best – boxing gloves available in terms of protection and fit. It's the crown jewel of this fantastic company's impressive product line.
Rival in the ring – round 2
The custom-made boxing apparel and accessories have now also gained the attention of the entire boxing world. What started as an occasional production order has grown into a global industry with worldwide demand.
One of the most memorable moments in the company's history is the match between Tony Bellew and Isaac Chillemba in 2013. Both fighters wore complete Rival equipment and Rival Pro Fight gloves. Another fond memory is the fight night in July 2018 during the very first Ali Trophy, where Oleksandr Usyk and Murat Gassiev both fought with 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, was fascinated by designing, improving, and modifying all kinds of sports equipment, especially for boxing. Russ was always looking for modifications and improvements that would make the products perform better. Russ started selling boxing equipment and gloves in the 1980s to sponsor and finance his amateur team. He didn't take long to realize that little had improved in boxing gloves and training equipment over the years.
"Maximum Protection, Minimum Obstruction"
Early in his career as a boxing trainer, Russ was constantly working to improve the materials he used during his training sessions. Around 2000, he felt it was time to put these innovations and designs into a business format. In 2003, he officially started the company Rival Boxing Gear, knowing this was his opportunity to implement all the ideas he had gained over the previous 20 years. Rival has patented many unique designs , and below is a list of some of the most important patents that Rival has introduced to the world.
Patents & Innovations
- Air Cushion System
- Angled Lace Track System
- Conical 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 Technology"
