Vintage boxing shoes are a valuable addition for any boxing enthusiast. Like other vintage items, these shoes are defined by high-quality, classic designs, and outstanding craftsmanship.
They are the perfect way to go back in time when the great boxers of the 1960s like Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Carlos Ortiz, and many others dominated the ring.
In this article, I will show you some vintage boxing shoes that they have made to this day, much to the delight of all of us.
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Leone 1947 Vintage Boxing Shoes
From the brand Leone 1947, I found a fantastic pair of vintage boxing shoes. If you don’t know about this brand, then let me give you some background information.
Cav. Orlando Leone is the one who founded the Leone 1947 brand in March 1947. Being a great boxing enthusiast, Orlando thought that he could use his experience in the leather goods field to manufacture high-quality boxing equipment.
So, he did it.
He opened a factory in Milan, and now, the third generation of the Leone family continues to develop the business.
Now let’s go back to our vintage boxing shoes. The brand created this exact model more than half a century ago. What’s even better for boxing fanatics like me is that they are still manufactured today.
Just like 76 years ago, these boxing shoes are made with the same great skills by Italian craftsmen. It seems that Leone 1947 cares a lot about tradition and the history of the brand because these shoes are entirely hand-crafted from leather.
I personally really admire such brands that continue to maintain craftsmanship and product quality without abandoning the old techniques and tactics that defined them. It is a rather difficult thing to maintain in these times, but this Italian brand is truly committed.
The simple design with small details and seams on the toe box is also something to appreciate. The creamy white color really gives them a vintage and old look.
Adidas Vintage Boxing Shoes
Adidas is a brand that has been around for a long time. This brand is one of the most popular and successful not only in the world of boxing but in many other sports.
But the beginnings of the brand were not always successful, but very humble.
It all started in a small town in Germany called Herzogenaurach. In 1949 Adi Dassler registered the company “Adi Dassler adidas Sportsschuhfabrik”. He started to design and make shoes together with his other 47 employees.
Success hit Adidas in 1954 when Germany’s national soccer team beat Hungary’s. The German team wore Adidas shoes with studs in that match.
Adidas started manufacturing boxing shoes only in 1970 when the success of the brand began to grow even more. One of the pairs of vintage boxing shoes below found by me is from the beginning of 1980.
These Adidas vintage boxing shoes from 1980 have an exterior 100% made of suede leather. Manufactured right in the factory in West Germany, this model has a high-top design and rubber outsole from Taiwan.
What I like about them is the authenticity and the way they present the brand and its German origins. The tongue of the shoes has the brand logo and an inscription in both German and English “The Brand with the 3 stripes”/ “Die Marke mit den 3 Streifen”. It seems that now Adidas has completely given up on inscribing the shoes with texts in German, and prefers only those in English.
Many boxers have chosen a pair of Adidas boxing shoes in the ring.
Among the most popular vintage boxing shoes from Adidas are those that Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier wore. These two boxers wore Adidas boxing shoes in their first fight called The Fight Of The Century on March 8, 1971. Muhammed Ali wore white Adidas boxing shoes with red stripes, while Joe Frazier white shoes with blue stripes.
Lennox Lewis and Sugar Ray Leonard are other boxers from that time who chose a pair of Adidas.
I believe that in the time period from 1970 until now, Adidas demonstrated that is a great brand that stands the test of time. The pairs of vintage boxing shoes still found on the market in exemplary condition, I think, support the statement quite well.
Vintage Everlast Boxing Shoes
Everlast has a strong name and reputation in boxing. Well, this is somewhat understandable. After all, this brand has been producing boxing equipment since 1917.
During this period of time, Everlast worked hard and contributed with new innovations and ingenious technologies. For me, it’s no wonder that it was and still is a trusted choice for athletes at all levels.
Roberto Durán, Marvin Hagler, Larry Holmes, Joe Frazier, and Sugar Ray Leonard proudly wore a pair of Everlast boxing shoes during their fights.
Muhammed Ali is also one of the boxers who chose to wear Everlast shoes. I know, Ali was also mentioned in the Adidas pair – yes, Ali abandoned the Adidas brand for Everlast after his first fight with Joe Frazier.
Ali contributed enormously to the reputation of the Everlast brand in the 1970s.
In their next fight called Super Fight II on January 28, 1974, Ali wore Everlast boxing shoes, while Joe had white Adidas boxing shoes. Ali’s Everlast shoes were also white with the brand’s logo in red.
In October 1975, the last legendary fight between these two boxers took place. Again, Ali chose to wear white Everlast boxing shoes with red detailing, and Joe had a pair of Adidas boxing shoes. Ali won again, which brought his boxing outfit and the equipment he wore during the fight to everyone’s attention.
In my search for vintage Everlast boxing shoes, I came across an exceptional pair. These Everlast leather boxing shoes from the 1930s-40s are truly a piece of history in the world of boxing. Not only do they represent the style and techniques of the shoes from that period, but they also show us how much the equipment used in this sport has evolved.
I suggest you take a few moments and look at these high-top boxing shoes. You can see their high-quality black leather that has held up very well after all these years. Also, if you look closely, you can see the technique with which they were made. The leather outsole of the shoe was sewn. The stitching highlights true craftsmanship. It is incredibly well-made and much more durable than a glued one.
However, even if vintage shoes made from leather are more sturdy, keep them only for boxing. Indeed, they don’t wear out as quickly as a pair made of synthetic material, but it’s not worth it. Running in boxing shoes, even leather ones, is not a good idea for your feet.
I was amazed by this old pair of shoes. Were you too?
Vintage Everlast Muhammad Ali Autographed
Muhammad Ali had a strong relationship with Everlast. He enjoyed their equipment and often chose to wear Everlast gloves and shoes. He contributes to the success of Everlast to some extent.
Everlast never forgot about its special bond with Ali, which was one of the greatest boxers of all time. Even after Ali’s retirement, the brand launched different boxing items with Ali’s signature.
On many online platforms, you will even find Everlast boxing shoes or gloves signed by Muhammad Ali himself.
I even found a pair of shoes from Everlast signed by Ali that are sold on Amazon. At a price of $3,499, they easily fall into the category of the most expensive boxing shoes.
Vintage Reebok Boxing Shoes
The Reebok brand appeared from the motivation of a 14-year-old teenager who wanted to innovate.
Joseph William Foster started designing running shoes in his bedroom. As he got older, Joseph opened his own business called “J.W.Foster”, which later became “J.W.Foster and Sons”. Among the most successful products were the so-called running pumps. Athletes from all over the United Kingdom have chosen to wear this type of shoe.
But wait a minute, after all, how did the company get the name Reebok? Two of Joseph’s grandsons founded a new company called Reebok. They used a dictionary as inspiration for finding the name. In that dictionary, they found “Reebok”, which represented the name of a type of African antelope.
Reebok is not really that active when it comes to boxing equipment. However, they have a wide variety of wrestling shoes. Due to the similarities of wrestling shoes with boxing shoes, many athletes prefer to use them during boxing sessions as well.
I was curious why this brand did not venture into the fascinating world of boxing because Reebok products are superior and well-built. However, although I did not find the answer to satisfy my curiosity, my search was not exactly in vain.
I have managed to find two awesome pairs of high-top boxing shoes. Some consider them and even put them under the name of vintage boxing shoes due to the similarity mentioned above.
These vintage boxing shoes are made from top-notch leather in Italy. Italy is really famous for its high-quality leather shoes. These shoes reflect very well the artisanal shoe-making traditions and the skilled craftsmanship of Italians.
The logo is presented on both sides on the outside, but also inside the shoes. Although a bit worn, it stands out as the Reebok logo from 1993-1997.
I find these vintage boxing shoes quite appealing. Their leather seems quite durable. I like the seams visible across the entire shoe. They give them an attractive aesthetic, don’t you think?
Vintage Boxing Shoes Made In URSS
Adidas, Everlast, and Reebok are brands that are on everyone’s mind. But, what do you say if I show you an excellent pair of vintage boxing shoes made in Ukraine?
Dynamo Sports Club is a sports and fitness club that was created in 1923. This club had its own stadium, committee, and very notable athletes as members. Among its members were influential boxers such as Valeri Vladimirovich Popenchenko.
It seems that some club members have also benefited from some equipment. This is also the case with this superb pair of boxing shoes from 1984. The exterior features brown leather, while the interior has reddish leather. They look flawless. The simple and clean style combined with high-top design makes them a good deal.
Final Thoughts
Vintage boxing shoes are wonderful proof of the history of this sport.
You can call me old fashioned, but I would always choose a vintage pair over a brand new one from these days.
Don’t get me wrong, both are cool. But the simple design of the vintage ones without excessive detailing, logos, or vivid colors tells more than the story of boxing.
They also highlight the story behind their manufacturing. This highlights the true craftsmanship of the artisans that made them and the attention to detail that was added during their development.
If you need my help to buy one of these, please let me know in the comment section.
