Cleto Reyes

At Fight2Win we are proud to have a very large part of the Cleto Reyes range in stock in our boxing shop .

The Cleto Reyes brand was originally created by Cleto Reyes Castro. Born in Mexico City in 1920, Cleto grew up in poverty due to poor family circumstances. At 12, he had to work to earn a living.

The extraordinary story behind the world-famous brand Cleto Reyes

Cleto left school to work in a factory that sewed baseball gloves. It was there that he first encountered leather products and leatherworking.

Cleto was homeless at a young age. He slept in the same place where he worked. This workshop—which he also considered his home—brought out the creative talents of the young Reyes.

After his workday, Cleto continued working on the sewing machines, further developing his skills and artistry . He could experiment to his heart's content in the workshop with leftovers.

Later in life—Cleto was around 16—Reyes became interested in boxing and began training himself. At that time (and still today), many top boxers came from Mexico.

In the nearby sports arena, Cleto closely followed his idols and top Mexican fighters. Joe Condo, Rodolfo Casanova, and Juan Zarita were the top fighters of the time and were competitors.

In 1938, Cleto entered a local boxing tournament. This was the first and last time Cleto Reyes would enter the ring as a competitor. Cleto took some serious beatings during the tournament, but the spectators were deeply impressed by the young Mexican.

The origin of the Cleto Reyes boxing gloves

This particular event marked the beginning of what would later become the world's most famous boxing brand. After these intense matches, Cleto decided not to fight again, despite the support he received from the enthusiastic crowd. But the craftsman in Cleto was further ignited. He decided to innovate and improve the boxing gloves he had used.

For several years, Cleto spent modifying, testing, and improving his own Cleto Reyes boxing gloves before finally launching them. And with success, because in 1945 , the first professional world boxing championship was contested using Cleto Reyes gloves.

The Choice of Champions

The growth of the Mexican boxing brand

In the early 1950s, Cleto had accumulated enough funds to set up and equip his own workshop. From there, he sold his now-famous boxing gloves to Mexican boxers . Their trainers helped Cleto promote his brand and unique gloves by taking them with him and selling them during sports trips to the United States.

From 1965 onward, things took off, as it wasn't until then that it was officially distributed in the American market. Demand grew so much that Cleto's son, Alberto Reyes, joined his father's business full-time. Albert brought fresh new ideas and a better business sense to guide the brand into a new era.

Alberto Reyes visited and recruited new leather suppliers to develop and use lighter, more durable leather for the new Cleto Reyes boxing glove models. The product was also standardized to a single, uniform quality standard . In 1975, he also officially registered Cleto Reyes as a brand name and trademark.

Cleto Reyes sadly passed away in 1999, but his legacy lives on in the incredible boxing gloves that this family business continues to produce in Mexico. The company is still based in Mexico City . This unique brand is proud of the many boxing legends who have used nothing but Cleto Reyes. Famous names like Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Manny Pacquiao, and Anthony Joshua are just a few of the icons who swear by this brand.

"Used by the greatest. The ultimate punchers glove."

Top boxers choose Cleto Reyes

In 1945, Ike Williams became the first world boxing champion to wear Cleto Reyes gloves during his fights and preparations. Today, most world champions have trained or fought with Cleto Reyes's famous gloves.

The Greatest of All Time: Mohammed Ali

Muhammad Ali , originally named Cassius Clay, needs no introduction. The most famous—and for many, the best—boxer of all time is a true boxing icon and larger than life.

In 1978, he gave the Cleto Reyes brand an extra special boost. Ali refused to use the sponsor's boxing gloves during his top match, "The Thrilla in Manila." He swore by his own trusted Cleto Reyes.

However, he was ordered to tape over the Cleto logo to avoid discrediting the sponsor. Muhammad Ali – rebellious as he was – had his trainer remove the tape during the fight, leaving the famous Cleto Reyes logo clearly visible.

"I don't fight if it's not with Cleto Reyes gloves."

Ali also wore Cleto Reyes boxing gloves during his very last match against Leon Spinks. He won and reclaimed his heavyweight world boxing title!

Cleto Reyes at Fight2Win.nl

Check out our complete range of Cleto Reyes in the Cleto Reyes collections: boxing gloves , handwraps, hand pads , head guards , sports bags , no foul protectors (kidney and groin guards) , boxing pants and complete boxing sets .