Viswa Vanapalli
Season 13 episode 24 of ‘Shark Tank‘ featured a host of budding entrepreneurs presenting their ideas to the Sharks, hoping for an investment. Tony Adeniran, a boxer himself, came up with the innovative concept of a different kind of boxing gloves – the Aqua Boxing Glove. Tony’s product aimed to provide a more travel-friendly option for people who incorporate boxing into their physical training. So, if you’re curious to find out more about these gloves, we’ve got you covered.
Aqua Boxing Glove: Who Are They and What Do They Do?
Tony Adeniran is a professional boxer and fitness trainer based in San Antonio, Texas. With a degree in business management, he worked as a personal trainer at a boxing gym for over five years before starting his own gym in the city. Tony has owned Black Stallion Boxing Plus for close to six years now. But the idea for Aqua Boxing Glove came to him sometime in April 2020.
To use the product, all you need to need to is fill each glove with the requisite amount of water through a receptacle that is provided. Once you begin training by punching, the water sloshing inside results in a boxing-type workout. Tony said, “The energy or inertia you create by extending your punches works against you when you are retracting. It’s very similar to the feeling you get during a fight when the lactic acid builds in your muscles, causing fatigue and failure.”
Aqua Boxing Glove aims to provide an affordable and travel-friendly resistance boxing workout. The pairs do not need a heavy bag kit or setting up. Moreover, they weigh only 1.5 lbs (per glove) when empty, making them easy to carry around. Usually, with weighted boxing gloves, the weight distribution is closer to the wrists, unlike the Aqua Boxing Glove, which provides an even distribution as the water moves freely.
Furthermore, Tony has maintained that the product doesn’t cause any chafing. While the gloves are not made to withstand heavy impact, they are great for calisthenics, HIIT, core workouts, and strength training. They are sturdy and built to last, being made out of commercial vinyl. The Aqua Boxing Glove has been used by athletes like Rudy Gay, a basketball player for the Utah Jazz, and Pato O’Ward, an INDYCAR racer, among others.
Where is Aqua Boxing Glove Now?
Through a Kickstarter campaign in August 2021, Tony raised more than $40,000 for his San Antonio-based business, Aqua Boxing Glove. While the production was supposed to begin in late 2021, the pandemic affected the production and supply chain, with delays from the manufacturers’ end. By May 2022, Tony was able to find an independent designer to make some design changes and was close to production.
For now, interested customers can pre-order the Aqua Boxing Glove on the company website; they cost $99. Apart from that, the website offers quick hand wraps and a sports duffel for $20 and $39.99, respectively. The company also ships a 16 oz measuring bottle with gloves to ensure they are filled accurately. For stability training, it is suggested that the gloves be filled halfway (with the maximum they can hold being around 5.5 lbs).
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