Rival was founded in 2003 by experienced boxing coach and seasoned cutman Russ Anber. Rival entered the market with the promise to reinvent the boxing equipment market through innovations based on the over 25 years of experience Russ had gained in boxing. Additionally, Russ had over 10 years of experience in offering and selling foreign boxing brands in the Canadian market. When Rival’s first order of USD 2000 came in, Russ made the promise that every following 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. There are countless brands that sell cheap 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 that all top amateurs, professionals, gyms, and boxing coaches can use with full confidence.
“By Boxing People For The Boxing World”
The evolution
Rival’s recipe for success is characterized by the outstanding quality and durability of their products. The great products and results have all been achieved without copying other brands or infringing on others’ patents or intellectual property. Since its start in 2003, all products have been based on original ideas cast into unique, innovative designs.
From that modest initial production order of USD 2000, Rival has grown into a full-fledged and respected global brand with stores, offices, and employees in 4 countries: Canada, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Additionally, they have full partners in 7 major boxing gyms, of which 4 are in Canada, 2 in the US, and 1 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 to the United States and opened an office in Las Vegas in September 2014. Not long after, a headquarters in the United Kingdom followed in July 2017. Then came the Australian office in July 2019. Each Rival location is proud to be run by staff with an (active) boxing background, as well as personnel with whom Rival has built a long business relationship. All staff have confidence in Rival, and Rival in turn trusts their 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 clothing is very 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 many 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 – if not the very best – boxing glove in terms of protection and fit. This is the crown jewel in the fantastic product line of this amazing company.
Rival in the ring – round 2
The custom-made boxing clothing and accessories have also gained the attention of the entire boxing world. What started as an occasional production order has grown into a business branch 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 fought in complete Rival gear and wore Rival Pro Fight gloves. Another great 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 during their match for the undisputed cruiserweight world title of the WBC.
“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 adapting all kinds of sports equipment, especially for boxing. Russ was always looking for adjustments and improvements that made the products perform better. Russ started selling boxing materials and gloves in the ’80s to sponsor and finance his amateur team. It didn’t take long for him to realize that very little had improved in boxing gloves and training materials over all those years.
“Maximum Protection, Minimum Obstruction”
Early in his career as a boxing coach, Russ was constantly working on improving the materials he used during his training sessions. Around 2000, he felt it was time to shape these innovations and designs into a business form. In 2003, he officially started the company Rival Boxing Gear, knowing this was his chance to implement all the ideas he had gathered 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”
