Know your gear

Plenty of choice in boxing and martial arts

There was a time when young, aspiring boxers and martial artists struggled to get their hands on affordable clothes, gear and training equipment, making it more challenging for them to follow in the footsteps of their heroes. Those were the days when most retailers did not keep boxing or martial arts accessories in store, and participants therefore had no choice but to buy it through their respective clubs, without being able to compare prices.

Fortunately, this arrangement has changed over the last few years as more retailers and sporting outlets are selling boxing and martial arts gear and equipment.

Consumers and retail stockists now also have a much bigger spread of local and international brands to choose from.

Everlast boxing equipment returned to SA about a year ago — although their lifestyle sport fashion ranges have been keeping local consumers aware of the brand name. This prominent international brand was the official boxing supplier to the Beijing Olympics.

Clothing brands Cutrite, Samson and Converse are not only well-known in the professional boxing ring, but also among Norwood’s boxercisers who train at Nick Durandt’s boxercise gym to keep fit, as the local supplier, Skye Clothing, sponsors the gym. Boxing gear from these brands are also available to the public through retailers — whether for boxing of fitness training.

Some of SAs best-known boxers have in recent years won their bouts wearing shorts supplied by Skye: the best known is Silence Mabuza, SAs most decorated amateur boxer, who wears Cut-Rite in the ring.

Converse sponsors boxers like Cassius Baloyi, Africa’s only 6-time World Champion, Phumzile Mathyila, WBC International flyweight champion; Sphiwe Nonqayi, current WBF jnr bantamweight World Champion; Evans Mbamba, WBC International jnr bantamweight champion. Isaac Hlatswayo, who has two World Champion titles and Vincent Vuma, WBC International and current SA jnr middleweight champion wear Samson.

A boxing range from international sportswear brand adidas has also been available to SA retailers for the past year or so from distributor SNT.

The UK’s Lonsdale brand became known as a fashion sports brand, teaming up with various celebrities such as Madonna, Paul McCartney, Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray Robinson. Lillywhites in the V&A Waterfront houses exclusive Lonsdale fighting equipment and apparel, but as this is their own brand, made famous by Mohammed Ali, they do not supply to other retailers, but offer consumers another choice.

With so many choices, product availability is no longer an issue and boxers no longer have to endure a lengthy wait for equipment ordered from overseas to arrive as in the past, says Everlast brand manager Heyno Landman. “Today, boxing has become more than just a sport. Today it’s seen as one of the best all-round exercises for the individual, and as the demand for equipment grew, so too did the supply.

Glenda Babaya, managing member of manufacturer Day Motion says although sales still do take place through clubs, retailers are now more willing to stock boxing equipment, making it more accessible to everyone.

“Sports retailers are stocking a very large range of boxing accessories. Sportsmans Warehouse, in particular, has one of the most comprehensive ranges of boxing accessories, including top brands such as Title and Everlast. The Title range includes everything from punch-bags, to gloves, mitts, angle-bags, medicine-balls, and all types of professional boxing gloves.”

Both Babaya and Landman agree that overall sales of equipment has been on the increase — even in mall stores!

“Most of our sales are in the cities at shopping malls where the demand is highest, but we also supply to specialist and general stores in more remote areas,” says Landman. “Everlast has sold very well over the last twelve months. At the moment we can’t keep up with the incredible demand for our gear. We knew from the outset there was a definite market for it, but we underestimated the true potential,” he enthuses.

Consumer lifestyle also plays a big role with many gyms incorporating boxing in their fitness programmes. “The growth can largely be attributed to a change in fitness trends,” says Landman. “People are looking for something more exciting than an hour on the treadmill and boxing provides that opportunity.”

Babaya says it is difficult to say what the reason for the growth is, but boxing sales in general have definitely grown. “It’s also hard to tell, from a demographic point of view, where growth has been more prominent as we don’t supply the end user, but the retailers,” explains Babaya.

Landman believes the biggest growth in boxing occurs in Gauteng and the Western Cape, but he stresses that participation in the Eastern Cape still can’t be beaten.

The sales of all the different boxing accessories are also on an even keel. “Most in demand is our PU training gloves, entry-level gear, pink gloves for ladies and other accessories like skipping ropes, hand-wraps, punching bags and medicine balls along with our specialist equipment such as speed-bags, floor-to-ceiling balls, focus mitts and professional leather boxing gloves,” says Landman.

Sales of boxing gloves along with the shoes and equipment like punchbags, wall brackets, etc. generally go hand in hand, so growth by comparison is fairly even,” explains Babaya.

On the whole, she believes easier access to gear and equipment is proving to be highly beneficial to the sport on all levels. With boxing gloves and punching bags more readily available at malls and warehouse stores, it’s not only serious boxers who buy the equipment, “but also guys and girls who like to punch it out with a punch- or boxingbag in the backyard or gym for exercise.”

Martial arts everywhere

The same applies to martial arts, says Opal Sport’s Nigel Prout: it’s much easier for participants to acquire clothing and equipment nowadays.

They have been supplying the local market with Mitsuko martial arts suits for more than three decades and up to a few years ago there was some resistance from retailers to stock judo or karate suits.

“The majority of retailers presently offer stock to the public and our sales predominantly take place through sport stores, although clubs continue to provide a steady feed,” says Prout.

He also confirms that there has been a steady growth in martial arts support. “I think in all its various forms, martial arts have lately become more popular in SA. The reason for this is purely because of its popularity all over the world.

“It’s difficult to highlight one particular area where growth is more apparent, but in general the sales of all our products are evenly matched. Clothing, training gloves and headgear are standard requirements in clubs.”