By James Blears

US based Grant Boxing is demanding a proper and fair settlement from British Based Lonsdale after Grant Gloves used by Joe Calzaghe in his fight against Mikkel Kessler were plastered with Lonsdale’s logo.

Grant Elvis Phillips of Grant Boxing explained that his company was approached by Jay Larkin who’s the former head of Showtime, who works with Promoter Frank Warren’s Sports Network. He was asked to develop a glove for Joe Calzaghe to protect his notoriously brittle hands for the crucial fight against Mikkel Kessler.

Grant  who’s better known as Elvis, explained this was make or break time commenting: “Of course this fight with Kessler was the most important of Joe’s career, against a young tiger against whom he was going to need everything he had to hold him off. We developed the gloves for him, we sent the gloves to Frank Warren’s people, and the next thing we know, they show Joe Calzaghe in the dressing room and the gloves no longer say Grant, they say Lonsdale.”

Elvis explained that the Grant logo is actually ironed into the leather of the gloves and is questioning how Lonsdale’s trademark replaced it.

He explained that he was asked to send the glove to Britain early because they would be inspected by the British Board of Boxing Control.

He said: “I was going to send the gloves with Jay Larkin, so he could take them on the plane with him to know that they were safe, because I knew how important this was for Joe’s career.”

However he was told by Frank Warren’s people to send them via courier to Mike Goodall of Ring Craft who works for Frank Warren. 

Elvis said his initial reaction after he realized the Grant logo had been replaced was: “Furious and hurt, because Joe and I have developed a nice relationship. But let me make this clear. I don’t blame Joe Calzaghe at all. Joe is a fine young man.

“After the fight when HBO was interviewing him, and as they went to say congratulations, Joe said I must thank Elvis from Grant Boxing for the Great gloves. They protected my hands great. So he made it very clear and thanked us. There, took any doubt away as far as who made the gloves and how important the gloves were to him. Unfortunately people just went behind our back and without permission removed our logo and put theirs.”

Elvis also revealed that Amir Khan also wears Grant gloves, and in this last fight the Grant logo was removed and RBK was put on the gloves without permission.

Elvis said his company have already been in touch with two law firms in Britain, who are very interested in taking up the cases. But he added:

“We’re not looking to go to court. We would like to settle it, and work out an arrangement so if these boxers want to continue to wear Grant gloves they will wear Grant gloves or they will wear Grant gloves made for Lonsdale or Reebok. But it will be a legal arrangement.”