The Hauser Report: Does the Color of a Fighter’s Gloves Matter?

In days of old, boxing gloves were usually brown or black. Then color television took hold and red became the color of choice. Fighters’ gloves today are more individualized than ever and can conjure up images of a rainbow.

In his most recent outing (against Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles), Terence Crawford wore fluorescent-green gloves with a red thumb insert and black-and-white logo. Against William Scull in Riyadh, Canelo Alvarez opted for blue-and-white gloves with a black logo.

In most jurisdictions, gloves must be approved by the supervising athletic commission and conform to specifications for weight, distribution of padding, placement of laces, and other variables. But there are no restrictions on color.

That raises two issues:

(1) Does the color of an opponent’s gloves affect a fighter’s ability to see punches coming? For example, could silver gloves get lost in the ring lights? Could gold gloves with purple, pink, and orange stars cause confusion on the receiving end? What about camouflage-type gloves with colors similar to the background of the crowd? Boxing relies on the instinctive calculation of split-seconds and fractions of an inch. If a fighter sees a punch coming, he can turn his head or steel himself to take the blow. The converse is also true. It’s the punch a fighter doesn’t see coming that often does the most damage.

(2) Do ring judges process punches with equal clarity irrespective of the color of a fighter’s gloves? Or is there a difference? For example; are red gloves easier for a judge to follow with the eye; and might they evoke subliminal images of blood and excitement more than black gloves?

Russ Anber has been involved in boxing for decades as a trainer, manager, cutman, and gym owner. In his younger days, he was on the receiving end of punches in three amateur bouts. In 2003, he founded Rival Boxing, which makes boxing gloves.

“My opinion,” Anber says, “and it’s just an opinion, is that the color of gloves doesn’t make a difference. Not to the fighters and not to the judges. And if there is a difference, it’s microscopic.”

Grant Phillips is in accord. Phillips was a pioneer in manufacturing custom-made boxing gloves and has overseen Grant Gloves since 1995.

“I’ve never heard anyone suggest that the color of a fighter’s gloves matters to anyone but the fighter who’s wearing them,” Phillips says. “In my view, there’s simply no relevance to it.”

Steve Weisfeld is one of boxing’s most respected judges.

“I’ve never noticed any difference,” Weisfeld answers when asked the question. “It’s a non-issue for me.”

Like judges, blow-by-blow commentators watch ring action from the edge of the ring apron, although from a lower viewing point. Jim Lampley is widely regarded as the best ever at the blow-by-blow trade.

“The color of the fighters’ gloves never mattered to me,” Lampley states. “If I’m driving on a busy road and trying to negotiate through cars that are ahead of me or past cars that are coming in the opposite direction, the color of those cars is irrelevant. And in driving, as with boxing, there’s considerable jeopardy if things go wrong. The human eye is capable of seeing and assessing all colors.”

One of the most cerebral fighters ever agrees with that appraisal.

“This is the first time I’ve heard that question,” Bernard Hopkins says. “I didn’t go to Harvard. In fact, I didn’t get through ninth grade. But I don’t think there’s a difference. When I was fighting, the style and cut of the gloves I was wearing was important to me. But not the color the other fighter was wearing.”

And what does an ophthalmologist with extensive experience in the sweet science think?

Anthony Curreri is chairman emeritus of Cabrini Medical Center, served as a ringside physician for fifteen years, and is currently on the Medical Advisory Board of the New York State Athletic Commission.

“It’s an interesting issue,” Curreri says when the question is put to him. “As far as the ability of a boxer to see punches coming is concerned, I’d say that the color of the glove makes no difference. Fighters sense punches coming by body movement first. The glove is the last thing they see.”

And the judges?

“I’d have to think about that,” Curreri answers. “I just don’t know what has been studied and what evidence, if any, is out there. But yes; there could be a difference.”

The overwhelming consensus of the people I talked with is that the color of a fighter’s gloves makes no difference. I’m not as certain of that as they are.

Yellow balls replaced white ones as the official international standard for tennis in 1972 because yellow balls were easier for players, officials, and fans (including those watching on television) to see. Wimbledon (the last major holdout) switched to yellow in 1986.

The equipment in most sports is measured and calibrated to gain every possible edge, no matter how small that edge might be. Golf clubs, golf balls, tennis rackets, baseball bats, and footwear are constantly being upgraded. Swimsuits are designed and manufactured to cut down on water resistance.

Other sports would have studied an issue like this long ago. Shouldn’t boxing? In a business where tens of millions of dollars can rest on a single punch, it would make sense to get a definitive answer.

Meanwhile, suppose scientific testing reveals that red gloves make it easier for an opponent to see punches coming but also make it easier for judges to see scoring blows. How would fighters weigh that trade-off? Most fighters would probably say, “I’d rather hit the other guy and let the judges worry about whether or not they can see the punches.”

Thomas Hauser’s email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His most recent book – The Most Honest Sport: Two More Years Inside Boxing – is available at https://www.amazon.com/Most-Honest-Sport-Inside-Boxing/dp/1955836329

        In 2019, Hauser was selected for boxing’s highest honor – induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

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