Cleto Reyes Hybrid Training Gloves Review

New Redesigned Cleto Reyes Hybrid Training Boxing Gloves (Medium) Review

Summary:

We found these gloves to be truly top-shelf when it comes to quality. They aren’t cheap, but if you’re buying gloves in this price range, what you’re paying for are finishing touches. If you love having the best possible gear, or you’d rather pay more for a pair which can last years, then these would be a great pair for you.

See them on the Cleto Reyes website

Brand

Cleto Reyes is one of the best known premium boxing glove manufacturers in the world. The brand, who have a strong Mexican heritage, have been perfecting the art of creating high quality boxing gloves for over 70 years now, so It’s fair to say they know what they’re doing. That’s one of the many reasons why so many fighters choose to put their trust in Cleto Reyes. To give you an idea of just how well renowned the brand actually are, they’re supposedly used in over 70% of all world title boxing fights. As well as boxing gloves they also produce a range of other gear for boxing and kickboxing.

About the gloves

Cleto Reyes gloves aren’t cheap, as they’re what we would call a premuim brand (See Choosing the Right Brand of Boxing Glove). They tend to range from £100 – £200, with these gloves falling roughly in the middle, meaning these should give a good impression of the overall brand. As you might tell by the price, these are aimed at more advanced fighters who are looking for the best quality possible. The Hybrid gloves are more designed for training purposes rather than professional fights, utilising both laces and a Velcro strap for the best of both systems (See Lace Up Boxing Gloves vs Velcro Boxing Gloves).

Weight and distribution

Most glove sizes are determined by weight (10oz, 12oz etc), however for some reason Cleto Reyes have decided not to follow the standard procedure with these gloves and have instead labelled them in sizes XS, S, M and L. The fit and weight depends on the size you go for. Before getting these gloves I did a bit of research and found that most people found the size M to be roughly 14oz in weight. My pair which are also mediums actually turned out to be over 16oz, although that’s not a problem for me because it means I can feel more comfortable using them when sparring. If you’re intending on getting these for sparring, I would suggest going up a size and getting a size L, or checking with your coach if you’re light enough to get away with 14oz gloves just in case.

Reyes typically produce ‘punchers gloves’, and you can tell by looking at the padding. It’s fairly thin and compact, but without being too firm. Because of this you should try and be a bit careful when sparring because your knuckles can end up sinking through a little more than usual and connect slightly harder than usual. Around the wrist, the padding is a lot softer, increasing comfort and using the natural support and protection from the Velcro strap instead.

Visuals

Reyes are really pushing their Hybrid training gloves at the moment, and have released a number of exciting colours. You can choose from black, blue, citrus green, pink, purple, red, titanium, white, yellow, and even a version with the colours of the Mexican flag. Personally the white ones caught my interest, but I ended up going for red, a classic colour for Reyes gloves. Whatever your preference, there’s definitely something for everyone colour-wise.

Update: Since we originally wrote this review, Cleto Reyes have expanded the range with even more colours, including ‘Tiger Orange’ and ‘Solid Gold’ options.

The glove designs are pretty minimal, with just the logo on the back of the hand and a patch on the Velcro strap. A few of the lines on the strap are stitched in gold, which really adds to the premium, classy look of these gloves. Hidden away behind the strap you can find the Cleto Reyes logo, as well as the model number of the gloves, both stamped in to the leather.

Below you can find our Fight Gear Focus video giving you a close-up, visual look at the Cleto Reyes Hybrid Training Gloves. Make sure to head over to the Fight Quality YouTube Channel to see more video content from us and Subscribe to make sure you don’t miss any of our future videos.

Materials

The materials are unquestionably what sets these gloves apart from the competition. The cowhide leather used for these gloves is simply fantastic. The fresh smell of leather is the first thing you notice when you first get these gloves, and after many months of use (and the proper care), they still smell just as good! The leather has an outstanding feel to it, to the point that your sparring partners will enjoy being hit in the face!

Okay… So maybe they’re not quite that good… But you really can tell the quality just from touching it.

Inside, the lining is good. It’s not silky and smooth like some gloves, but it does a great job at keeping moisture away without irritating the skin in the slightest. The Velcro used is pretty sturdy and holds well, so you don’t have to worry about it getting caught or coming off over time.

Craftsmanship

Again, a lot of care has been put in to make sure the craftsmanship is of the highest quality, with almost perfectly straight stitches, and not a single mis-stitch or loose thread. Everything is done neatly and pulled tight. The leather is pulled tight around the edges of the padding, with what is possibly the neatest folding I’ve seen.

As these are Mexican style gloves, (see What Types Of Boxing Gloves Are There?) they’ve also been designed with a rather slim profile, which makes them great for getting punches in though gaps in your opponent’s guard. The thumb is attached, however still seems to stick out a bit to the side, rather than finding a position to fit into, although I’ve personally found it to be pretty comfortable regardless. The gloves also have a thin grip bar stitched in, which just makes it a little more comfortable to make a fist.

One thing which confuses me is the labels – I’m not exactly sure why there need to be so many. If you include the small tab with the glove size on, there are 3 labels on one glove and 4 in the other. Only one really bugs me though, which is one just underneath the Velcro strap on one of the gloves which tends to stick out. It’s an incredibly minor thing, but it could easily have been placed inside the gloves.

Comfort/use

The first thing worth mentioning is that this is a Hybrid glove, which means that the glove has both laces and Velcro. While this brings benefits of both, it also makes it a bit of a pain to have to ask someone to lace you up before training. I’ve also found that there aren’t many loops which the lace passes through, so I feel like the fit could be even better than it is.

On the flip side though, hybrid gloves offer much more flexibility. If you have a session coming up where you’ll be taking the gloves off a lot, then you can leave the laces slacked and tuck them inside, or even take them out completely. If you have a longer session or perhaps even an amateur/interclub fight that you’re using these for, then you can get a great fit. Personally I’ve opted to switch the laces out with an elastic cord, which gives a better fit than most Velcro gloves, but still allows me to slip them on and off by myself.

One thing a few people have complained about is the fit of these gloves, as they tend to be a little tight. I have probably medium sized hands for a guy, and these fit me perfectly. For some people it may be a little too tight however, and I probably wouldn’t want to wear a size S or XS. Many people prefer a tighter fitting glove anyway, but if you prefer a roomier glove or have larger hands then you might want to bear this in mind and go for the a larger size just in case.

Other than these factors, the gloves are great to use. I found them comfortable to use straight out of the box, however after a little bit of time they’ve broken in a bit more and have started to form a more natural fit to my hands, which makes them even more comfortable.

The Cleto Reyes Hybrid Training Gloves are suitable for all sorts of training, including bag work, pad work and sparring, and are great all round, but I just find the design is so much more suited to sparring. The slim design is perfect for getting into gaps. The fit of the laces keeps them firmly in place. The support if flexible enough to move your wrist if you need to, but supportive enough to prevent injuries. There’s also some padding on the inside of the wrist which makes parrying shots a little safer too. I frequently use these for Muay Thai as well as boxing, and find that the hand opens up really well for clinching and catching kicks, although I have had a couple of problems with the thump positioning leading to it getting caught on my opponents heels.

As mentioned previously though, these are punchers gloves, so if you’re pretty heavy handed already you may want to be a bit careful as I’m sure your sparring partners won’t appreciate it.

It’s really the quality that stands out with these gloves though. As one of the reviewers at Fight Quality, I get through quite a few of boxing gloves, but these have quickly become one of my personal favourites, which I often use for sessions when I have the chance.

Cost

Unfortunately these gloves aren’t cheap, listed on the Cleto Reyes store at $143.00 – $180.00 depending on colour and size, but this varies depending on your country. In the UK for example, you should expect closer to £170.

This is a pretty high price to pay, but it’s important to remember that if you’re buying gloves in this price range, what you’re paying for are finishing touches. If you love having the best possible gear, or you’d rather pay more for a pair which can last years, then these would be a great pair for you.

Looking to buy these?

See them on the Cleto Reyes website