Rocky Balboa styleGold markingLong knitOne size
The essentials: black long beanie in Rocky Balboa style, aged gold marking on four lines: BALBOA, PHILADELPHIA, PA, BOXING CLUB, 19 (USA) 47. Printed on both faces, 28 cm / 11 in tall by 26.8 cm / 10.6 in wide flat. One size. €29, free delivery.
The club jersey, before the brand logo
The marking does not imitate a sportswear brand: it imitates a boxing gym stamp. Club name large, city and state small, the words boxing club, founding year in a box. It is the typography of American gym bags from before the equipment makers, when a boxer's identity was the name of the room he trained in.
It is also the reason for the worn finish: the letters are deliberately cracked, like a screen print that has been through the wash. A crisp new marking would tell you about a new club. This one tells you about a gym that has been running a long time.
What is on the beanie
Plain black ground, ochre gold print taking the whole side and repeated identically on the other face. Four lines set in heavy slab capitals: BALBOA at the top, PHILADELPHIA, PA on a fine line, BOXING CLUB framed by two rules, and 19 - USA in a cartouche - 47 at the foot.
At three metres you read BALBOA and BOXING CLUB; the city line and the year come out at one metre.
Technical specifications
The tip: the marking being repeated on both faces, the beanie reads whichever way round you pull it on. Folded into a short cuff, the 19 (USA) 47 line goes under the fold and only BALBOA stays visible.
You may also like
- Balboa silver - the same club in silver grey, with a handwritten signature - if you want the character's signature.
- Boxing Enthusiast - white lettering and a boxer pictogram - if you want a marking with no reference behind it.
- Cassius Clay - boxing gloves and gold lettering on black - if you want another gold marking.
Going further
Frequently asked questions
What is written on this beanie?
Four lines: BALBOA, PHILADELPHIA, PA, BOXING CLUB and 19 (USA) 47, in aged gold lettering on black.
How does it differ from the other Balboa beanie?
This one carries a gold marking on four lines. The silver model takes the same club in silver grey, set on a diagonal, with a handwritten signature added.
What size is a long beanie?
One size: the knit stretches both ways and absorbs the difference in head size. The guide is visual - the beanie should cover the top of the ears without squeezing the temples. Flat it measures 28 cm / 11 in tall by 26.8 cm / 10.6 in wide.
What is the difference between a long beanie and a turn-up beanie?
The long beanie, or slouchy, falls on the nape with no cuff and is worn loose: that is the cut of this model. The turn-up knit folds over and lays a double thickness of knit on the ears, for a height of 21.5 cm / 8.5 in once folded.
Does the marking survive washing?
Hand wash cold, no spin, then dry flat. A beanie hung up or put through a tumble dryer stretches out and loses the hold that keeps it over the ears. The print is made for that wash; it is the iron and the tumble dryer that damage it.
