Handcrafted gloves still a hit with boxing stars

MEXICO CITY, Mexico City - In a boxing world often dominated by promoters, self-promoters and glitz, 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.

Reyes likes to tell the story of the best publicity his company ever received, when it made the gloves for one of Ali's last fights: his 1978 match to reclaim his heavyweight title from Leon Spinks.