Photos: Handmade boxing gloves loved by Ali, Pacquiao and even Rocky

In a boxing world often dominated by promoters, self-promoters and glitz -- exhibit A, Mayweather vs. McGregor -- Alberto Reyes likes to do things the old-fashioned way: his company still makes gloves by hand, just as it did for Muhammad Ali. The Mexican craftsman is the owner of Cleto Reyes boxing gloves, a family firm founded by his late father in the 1940s whose clients have included such legends as Ali, Manny Pacquiao and even the fictional Rocky Balboa.

Updated on: Jul 27, 2017 12:10 PM IST

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Boxing gloves hang from a ring at a popular gym in the outskirts of Mexico City. Cleto Reyes, a Mexican family firm founded in the 1940s and loved by the likes of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, Manny Pacquiao and even the fictional Rocky Balboa for its unique hand crafted gloves carries forward its legacy under the guidance of Alberto Reyes, the current owner and son of founder Don Cleto Reyes Casto. (Bernardo Montoya / AFP)

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The company was founded by Don Cleto Reyes Casto, who was an aspiring boxer at age 18 but after an amateur fight, Don found the pounding too hard and gave up the sport. Instead, he became obsessed with the gloves he fought in, mending and modifying them until he was certain they were better than any other gloves on the market. (Bernardo Montoya / AFP)

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World Boxing Council belts made at Reyes Industries, are displayed at the company's headquarters. (Bernardo Montoya / AFP)

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Cleto Reyes' gloves came into the limelight when Muhammad Ali used them in his last bouts. After him many boxing stars, from Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez, to Filipino Manny Pacquiao and even actor Sylvester Stallone in his legendary role as Rocky Balboa used a pair of Cleto Reyes. (Bernardo Montoya / AFP)

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Iron molds used to produce different shapes and sizes of boxing gloves. (Bernardo Montoya / AFP)

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A staffer at Reyes Industries finishes work on protective training headgear. The company exports close to 70% of its gloves out of Mexico across five different continents. (Bernardo Montoya / AFP)

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Alberto Reyes, son of Cleto Reyes founder of the iconic Mexican boxing gloves factory which bears his name, explains the production process at Reyes Industries headquarters in Mexico City. (Bernardo Montoya / AFP)

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Two boys take a break in the ring during a training session at a popular gym in the outskirts of Mexico City. (Bernardo Montoya / AFP)

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Protective training headgear and boxing gloves are pictured at Reyes Industries headquarters in Mexico City. (Bernardo Montoya / AFP)

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Boxing gloves and speed bags are displayed at Reyes Industries headquarters in Mexico City. Cleto Reyes, who died in 1999, was honoured posthumously by the World Boxing Council, and Alberto was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008. (Bernardo Montoya / AFP)