Making the Ringwalk a Catwalk
On the night Terence Crawford became the first male boxer in the four-belt era to hold undisputed titles in three weight divisions, defeating Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez in what Netflix is calling the "most-viewed men's championship boxing match this century,” a different kind of history was also made.
This fight marked the first time Off-White™, the luxury fashion house founded by the pioneering Virgil Abloh, had entered the boxing ring.
Crawford stepped out wearing an outfit inspired by Antonio Banderas’ character in the 1995 film Desperado. The boxing shorts and robe were both crafted from black velvet and Duchesse satin, over 1,000 Swarovski crystals in various sizes hand-embellished across the bespoke fight kit.
“It’s a fight that’s gonna go down in the history books and be rewatched for years to come, so having the right fit was so important to me,” commented Crawford about his custom look made possible through a team effort by Off-White™, Everlast, and fight wear specialists Bespoke Boxing.
Crawford’s opponent on the night, Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, had a similarly style-minded outfit. As in previous fights, he wore a one-of-one get-up created by Los Angeles luxury fashion house AMIRI.
This isn’t a unique situation. While extravagant ringwalks have long been a fixture in boxing (Tyson Fury is especially known for his pre-fight theatrics, for example), the combat sport is suddenly more fashionable than ever.
Boxing has become increasingly popular, the professional sport's marketability spurred on by viral celebrity match-ups, and fashion labels are getting involved at an unprecedented rate.
This year, we’ve seen Italian technical fashion label Stone Island make its first inroads into boxing during Oleksandr Usyk’s five-round dismantling of British boxer Daniel Dubois and Moses Itauma wear a bespoke leather outfit by Nike and Slawn for his first headline fight.
Elsewhere, undefeated boxer Gervonta Davis (who is set to fight Jake Paul in November) has previously worn boxing outfits by streetwear label Denim Tears, NIGO’s Human Made, and the celebrity-favorite leather label Chrome Hearts.
While we’ve seen brands as disparate as Chanel and adidas take direct inspiration from boxing gloves or the sport’s slim-shaped boots, never has there been so much fashion in the actual ring.
The ringwalk is really becoming a catwalk.
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