TOLEDO, Ohio — From Olympic Bronze Medalist O'Shea Jones to undefeated heavyweight Jared Anderson, boxing is Toledo, Ohio. So much so that when thinking about the importance of footwork, it isn't just talking technique. It's also about fashion.
Local custom shoe designers, Dennis Velliquette of The Source Design Kings and Kia Cabell of Kia'z Kickz, have been taking boxing shoes and making them star-worthy.
"Everyone wants to stand out and be different," Velliquette said. "When they hit me up, they're like, 'Aye, what do you have going on? Yours are definitely different.'"
Velliquette and Cabell are business partners and have been designing shoes for the last eight years. They're proud of the work they've done so far and are beyond happy to know their noteworthy customers, like Anderson, are happy too.
" We've also done Toledo's own MVP Chris Darrington, and upcoming one of the best high school players in the nation, Jerry Easter Jr," Cabell said.
For one week in July, the USA Boxing National Women's Championships took over the Glass City Center. While some may see the conversation as trivial or even a little sexist to assume these boxers want to talk about shoes, Tennessee boxer Casey Dial said it's just another important part of being in the ring.
"It's important to have good quality," she said. "You can't be worried about whether or not your gear is going to hold up. That distracts you from training and what your main job is."
Dial (8-1) has been boxing for about a year and a half. While she and her team have joked about her future sponsors and favorite brands, there are a few she's partial to due to comfort.
"The shoes. These have been my favorite so far," she said, pointing to her Everlast shoes. "I like the Everlasts. They felt broken in the first time I put them on."
While Velliquette has worked out a deal with Everlast for shoes, he's ready to grow even more with his talents. Cabell said the shoes both TSDK and Kia'z Kickz create are not just for show, either; they function as pristine shoes. The average wait time for a shoe is two weeks, but for a price, they can be expedited. The reason for the wait is because Cabell and Velliquette can spend hours on just one shoe.
TSDK, Kia'z Kickz original shoes
"It could take anywhere from six to eight hours. That's like, I'm locked in, I'm in there huffing and puffing," Velliquette said.
Cabell said the quickest he has ever turned around a shoe order is 24 hours.