CLETO REYES Training Boxing Gloves Review: pricey classics for people who actually train

I’ve been using these CLETO REYES 14oz training gloves in Electric Blue for a mix of heavy bag, mitt work, and some light sparring. I’m not a pro, but I train 3–4 times a week and I’ve gone through enough gloves to see the difference between cheap gear and proper boxing equipment. I picked these up mainly because they’re kind of a classic in boxing gyms and I wanted to see if they were really worth the higher price compared to the usual mid-range brands.

First impression when I put them on: they feel tight, dense, and clearly built for people who actually train, not just for fitness cardio classes. The hand compartment is narrow, especially with proper wraps, and the padding feels more compact than what you get on softer, beginner-friendly gloves. So if you’re used to big pillow-style gloves, these will feel a bit harsh at the start. You can tell straight away they’re made for proper technique and not just mindless swinging.

Over a few weeks, I used them on a heavy bag (hard rounds, 4–5 times a week) and a couple of light sparring sessions. The break-in period is real: the first 3–4 sessions, the gloves felt stiff and my knuckles definitely knew I’d trained. After that, the leather started to soften up, the padding molded around my hand a bit, and the fit became much more natural. You don’t just pull them out of the box and get a soft, broken-in feel right away.

Overall, these gloves come across as gear for people who are okay with a bit of discomfort at the start in exchange for long-term durability and a tighter, more compact punch. They’re not perfect, and there are things that annoyed me, but if you train regularly and like a traditional boxing glove feel, they make sense. If you’re just doing casual cardio boxing twice a month, they’re probably overkill and not the most comfortable choice.

Let’s talk about the main sticking point: price. CLETO REYES gloves are not cheap, and these 14oz training gloves sit well above the usual beginner and mid-range options. If you’re comparing them to budget brands or basic synthetic gloves, the price difference is big. So the question is: are you actually getting enough extra quality and performance to justify it? In my opinion, it depends a lot on how often you train and what you expect from your gear.

If you’re training once a week for fitness, you probably won’t fully benefit from what these gloves offer. The break-in period, the denser padding, the more technical feel – all of that is more relevant for people who are on the bag and mitts regularly and care about how their punches land. For casual use, a cheaper, softer glove will feel more comfortable right away and will probably last long enough for your needs. In that case, the CLETO REYES feel like overkill and not the best value.

If you train several times a week and plan to stick with it, the value starts to make more sense. You’re paying for: real leather, solid craftsmanship, dense padding that doesn’t die quickly, and a glove that actually encourages better technique. Over a couple of years of use, the cost per month doesn’t look so crazy anymore, especially if you’ve already burned through one or two cheaper pairs that flattened out or tore. For someone serious about boxing or combat sports, that’s where these gloves become a reasonable investment.

So in simple terms: for regular, committed training, I’d call the value good, even if the upfront price hurts a bit. For occasional or very casual use, you can get something cheaper that will feel softer and more forgiving from day one. These gloves are more for people who see their gear as long-term training tools, not just fitness accessories.

Design-wise, these are classic CLETO REYES: long cuff, big logo patch, attached thumb, and a pretty compact profile for a 14oz glove. The Electric Blue color is actually more low-key than I expected. It’s a solid, slightly metallic blue, but not super bright or flashy. In the gym, they look clean and serious, not like toy gloves. If you want something that stands out without looking ridiculous, this color does the job. The finish is fairly neat – stitching is mostly straight, no loose threads on mine.

The glove shape is quite “Mexican style”: longer and narrower than a lot of Thai or generic training gloves. The fist position is slightly more open out of the box, meaning you don’t get an instant perfect fist when you close your hand. After a few sessions, the leather starts forming around your knuckles and it gets easier to make a tight fist. I noticed on the first two bag sessions I had to consciously squeeze my hand a bit more than usual to feel secure on impact.

The Velcro strap runs around the wrist with a leather outer, and it’s pretty long, which helps with tightening. Once you wrap it, the glove feels locked onto your wrist with almost no play. However, because the glove is narrow, if you have thicker wraps or bigger hands, getting your hand in and out quickly between rounds can be slightly annoying. The attached thumb is well placed – no awkward angle, and I didn’t feel any thumb strain even on long bag sessions.

In practice, the design is clearly aimed at people who prioritize structure and punch feel over maximum comfort. The glove has a compact hitting surface, so when you land on the bag, you really feel a defined contact point instead of a big mushy area. If you’re into sharp, precise punches, you’ll probably like that. If you just want soft, forgiving padding everywhere, there are more beginner-friendly designs out there.

Comfort is where these gloves are a bit divisive. Out of the box, they are not what I’d call immediately comfortable. The hand compartment is narrow, the padding is dense, and the leather is stiff. With full 180-inch wraps, my hands felt pretty squeezed the first two or three sessions. Not painful, but definitely snug. If you’re used to roomy beginner gloves, you’ll notice the difference instantly. I actually had to adjust my wrapping slightly (less bulk around the palm) to get a better feel.

After about a week of training – around 5–6 sessions – the gloves started to open up. The leather softened, the padding shaped more around my hand, and closing a fist felt more natural. Once broken in, the fit turned from “tight and annoying” to “locked-in and secure.” My hand didn’t move inside the glove, and my wrist felt properly held in place, especially on straight punches. On hooks, I could feel the wrist support doing its job; there was no weird bending or loose feeling.

Ventilation is average. There are no crazy mesh panels or anything like that. My hands got sweaty as usual, but not more than with other leather gloves. Because of the water-resistant lining, the inside doesn’t absorb sweat as much, so the gloves feel a bit warmer but also dry out faster between sessions. If you’re training back-to-back days, just leave them open in a ventilated spot and they’re okay by the next day. No strong smell appeared during the first weeks, but long-term you’ll still want to air them out and maybe use glove deodorizers.

So comfort-wise: not the softest or easiest gloves to live with at the beginning, but once you break them in, they feel like an extension of your hand. If you want a glove that feels like a cushion from day one, look elsewhere. If you’re okay with a short adjustment period in exchange for a more secure, performance-focused fit, these make sense. Just be honest with yourself about your tolerance for that initial stiffness.

The big selling point here is the material quality. These gloves are full cow leather on the outside, and you can feel and smell it right away. It has that real leather smell – not plastic, not chemical – which I personally like. The leather is on the stiffer side when new, not super soft and floppy, which matches the more traditional boxing style. Over a few weeks, it softened up a bit but still feels tough enough to handle a lot of rounds on the heavy bag.

The padding is a long-lasting latex foam core, according to the brand. In practice, it feels dense and springy rather than pillowy. When you hit the bag, you get a clear impact feedback. If you have weak wrists or bad technique, you’ll feel it, especially before they’re broken in. Compared to softer synthetic gloves I’ve used, these are definitely more honest: they don’t hide your mistakes. On the other hand, once you’re used to them, you get a nice pop on the bag, and you can trust the padding to keep its shape instead of going flat quickly.

Inside, the lining is water-resistant. That doesn’t mean your hands stay dry – you’ll still sweat – but it does mean the padding doesn’t soak up sweat as much. After intense sessions, the inside felt damp but didn’t feel like a sponge. Over time, that should help keep the gloves from getting too heavy or breaking down too fast. The downside is the lining isn’t the softest I’ve tried. It’s fine, but not super smooth or plush. If you train long sessions, you’ll want good wraps to keep things comfortable.

Overall, the materials feel built for durability and regular use: proper leather, dense foam, and a lining that tries to protect the padding from moisture. On the flip side, people with sensitive skin might want to pay attention to the brand’s warning about possible irritation. I didn’t have any skin issues, but the leather and lining do feel more like serious sports gear than some super gentle, cushioned fitness glove. It feels like something you buy to use hard, not to baby.

Durability is where these gloves justify a good part of their price. After several weeks of regular use on the heavy bag and some mitt work, the leather still looks almost new aside from normal creasing. No peeling, no weird wrinkles, no stitching coming loose. The logo patch is still intact, and the Velcro hasn’t lost any grip. Compared to cheaper synthetic gloves I’ve used in the past, these clearly hold up better to frequent, hard bag sessions.

The dense latex padding has kept its shape well so far. On some low-end gloves, you can feel the padding starting to flatten in the main knuckle area after a month or two of hard training. With these, the padding still feels firm and evenly distributed. The break-in smoothed the feel, but it didn’t turn the gloves into soft pillows. If anything, they feel like they’ll stay in that “firm but comfortable” zone for a long time, which is kind of the point of this style of glove.

The water-resistant lining also helps for durability. Because sweat doesn’t soak deeply into the padding, the gloves don’t get that heavy, soggy feeling over time. I always let them air out after training, and so far there’s no strong odor or signs of internal breakdown. If you just throw them in a gym bag and leave them sealed for days, they’ll still rot eventually, but that’s true for any glove. With basic care, these feel like a long-term investment rather than a one-season pair.

From what I’ve seen and from other people at the gym who’ve had CLETO REYES for years, these gloves can easily last several seasons of regular use if you’re not abusing them on rough surfaces. So if you train 3–4 times a week and want a glove that doesn’t fall apart after a few months, they make sense. Just don’t expect “indestructible” – the leather is tough, but it’s still leather, and you should avoid leaving them soaked in sweat or baking in a hot car.

On the heavy bag, these gloves shine if you like a sharp, compact punch. The dense latex padding and the smaller striking surface give you a very clear contact point. When you land clean shots, you feel that “pop” people talk about. I did multiple 6–8 round bag sessions with combinations and power shots, and my knuckles felt protected as long as my wraps were solid and my technique was decent. If I got lazy with form, I felt it immediately, which is both a plus and a minus depending on how honest you want your gear to be.

For mitt work, the gloves feel responsive. The weight is true to 14oz and well balanced, so you don’t feel like you’re swinging a brick. The wrist support helps when you’re throwing fast combinations – the glove stays aligned, and you don’t get that floppy feeling some cheaper gloves have. Reaction time felt good, and I didn’t feel any lag when snapping punches back. If you like working speed and precision, they do the job nicely.

For sparring, I’d call them okay for light sparring but not my first choice for regular hard sparring. The padding is more compact than big, soft sparring gloves, so your partner will feel your shots more. For controlled, technical rounds, it’s fine. If your gym does heavier sparring or you’re a bigger person, I’d go 16oz or 18oz instead, or use a softer glove. I did a couple of light rounds with these and nobody complained, but I wouldn’t bring them to a hard sparring day.

Overall performance is strong if you’re using them mostly for bag and mitts with occasional lighter sparring. They give good feedback, keep your wrist aligned, and feel solid at impact. Just keep in mind: they are more of a traditional, puncher-style glove than a fluffy all-purpose gym glove. If that matches your training style, you’ll probably be happy. If you want maximum cushioning and forgiveness, you might find them a bit harsh.

Out of the box, the CLETO REYES 14oz Electric Blue gloves look like straight-up boxing gym gear. No fancy packaging, no extra accessories, no nonsense. They arrive in a basic plastic bag and that’s it. If you’re used to brands that ship gloves in nice boxes with tissue paper and useless marketing cards, this will feel a bit barebones. Personally, I don’t care, but for the price, some people might expect a bit more presentation.

The model I tried is the training version with hook and loop (Velcro) closure, 14oz, and meant for all-purpose use: bag work, mitts, and light sparring. The brand suggests 14oz for people around 130–154 lbs, which lines up with my weight, so that part made sense. They’re marketed as unisex and ambidextrous, and that checks out – there’s nothing gender-specific about them. They look like classic boxing gloves with the big CLETO REYES patch on the cuff and the attached thumb.

When you first slide your hand in, you can tell they’re designed with a more traditional Mexican boxing glove style. The hand compartment is quite compact, especially across the back of the hand and around the thumb. With standard 180-inch wraps, the first time I put them on I thought maybe I’d ordered a size too small. After a few sessions, they loosened up a bit, but if you have very wide hands or like super roomy gloves, keep that in mind.

So in terms of presentation: it’s simple and to the point. No frills, no fancy unboxing experience, just a pair of solid-looking leather gloves that clearly aim at people who care more about how they perform on the bag than how they look on Instagram. For the price, the simplicity might surprise you, but at least you’re paying for the glove, not the packaging.