In a surprising development, the British Boxing Board of Control has banned a type of glove that has been used by some of boxing’s greatest names, including Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather, Tyson Fury, and others.

Under a new rule, the BBBofC has decided to ban all horsehair-padded gloves by January 2028. After the deadline, the board will only recognize gloves featuring foam or other sanctioned padding materials for boxing bouts. The BBBofC announced the change while unveiling its new set of rules on its website. 

“It is a requirement of the British Boxing Board of Control that all gloves used at tournaments under the Board’s jurisdiction are approved by the Board,” their statement reads as per BoxingScene. “Glove manufacturers can apply for approval by contacting the Board’s Head Office.”  

“Approved gloves must have the British Boxing Board of Control’s official logo applied to the gloves on the thumb side of the palm between the side seam and the bottom piping edge. The logo must be 5.3cm in height and 3.9cm in width and applied by either a heat-pressed decal or screen print application. As of 1st January 2028, horsehair gloves will not be permitted. Only gloves manufactured solely with foam/padding will be approved.”  

For years, the British Boxing Board of Control has regulated various pieces of equipment under its extensive jurisdiction. However, this marks the first time the BBBofC has issued a blanket ban on a particular type of boxing gear. Still, it’s almost impossible to deny that horsehair-padded gloves rose to prominence after they were introduced by British boxing champion Jack Broughton in the 1700s.

Even so, Horsehair gloves gained even more popularity when Muhammad Ali wore Cleto Reyes-made gloves in his bout against Leon Spinks in New Orleans. Later, Floyd Mayweather further renowned them in the 1990s. All in all, horsehair-padded gloves became a highly popular choice among boxers. However, with time, a major flaw in their design almost demanded an evolution. 

When boxers throw punches while wearing horsehair gloves, the padding tends to shift away from the knuckles. Without adequate protection, fighters become more susceptible to knuckle injuries. Compared to them, foam-based gloves provide more stable and durable padding around the knuckles, allowing fighters to absorb and deliver blows with greater protection. For that reason, BBBofC has decided to ban the gloves to improve fighters safey.

A major issue came into the spotlight during the Fury vs. Wilder rematch, which sparked a major controversy surrounding horsehair gloves.  

Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder: Controversy surrounding BBBofC banned gloves

Ahead of Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder in 2020, a massive controversy built up surrounding horsehair gloves. Wilder and his team filed a complaint with the Nevada State Athletic Commission after the ‘Gypsy King’ selected horsehair-padded Paffen Sport gloves.

According to the complaint, the former WBC champion claimed that Fury could manipulate the padding by squeezing the gloves together to gain an advantage. The NASC listened to Wilder’s concerns and inspected Fury’s gloves by cutting them open, but ultimately allowed the Brit to use his selected gloves. The English heavyweight went on to knock out Wilder in the seventh round.  

But before their anticipated trilogy bout in 2021, Wilder once again took a dig at Tyson Fury for wearing horsehair gloves, which he believes contributed to his loss.

“His glove looks like they’ve already been used, already folded, bended, like they’ve been thrown in the trash and got back out and say, ‘we’re gonna reuse these’,” Wilder told 78SportsTV at the time. “My argument was that this is not enough padding in these gloves.

“They [NASC officials] were trying to convince me the horse hair in the gloves makes up for everything because the horse hair is actually harder than the foam… The man tried to go on and explain the lining [on the glove] means it [the horse hair] can’t go anywhere. Of course it can’t go down, but it can go left to right in the pad. I started to explain to him, of course, it can’t go down, but it can go left to right.”

Despite the controversy surrounding the gloves, Fury’s win over Wilder still stands. However, the BBBofC isn’t the first boxing body to ban a particular type of glove. In 2021, the World Boxing Council (WBC) temporarily prohibited Fly boxing gloves before eventually allowing them to return. With that in mind, horsehair gloves could also make a comeback with certain changes, of course.