In 1910, 17-year-old Jacob Golomb, the son of a tailor and an avid swimmer, started the company as a manufacturer of swimwear designed to last longer than previously available swimsuits; he guaranteed his suits would last longer than one year, and named them "Everlast".[1][2] Everlast expanded into supplying a wide range of sports equipment. The company first produced boxing gear in 1917 after a young Jack Dempsey asked them to supply him with headgear that would last for more than 15 rounds.[1] It subsequently sponsored Roberto Durán, Joe Frazier, Marvin Hagler, Larry Holmes, Sugar Ray Leonard, and in particular Muhammad Ali and became the most recognizable boxing brand.[3]
Golomb died in the 1950s and was succeeded as head of the company by his son Daniel,[1] who made the Everlast logo on the company's boxing gloves larger to increase visibility on television.[2] Ben Nadorf purchased 50% of Everlast Sports Mfg. Corp in 1958 and became sole owner in 1995. In 2000, the company was acquired by George Horowitz's Active Apparel Group,[1] which had manufactured men's and women's sportswear under license for Everlast,[4] and in 2007, Sports Direct acquired Everlast Worldwide.[3][5][6]
The company has expanded its activities into MMA[3] and has been awarded the World MMA Awards for Best Technical Equipment Brand five times,[7] most recently in 2016.[8]
Everlast boxing equipment is made in a factory in Moberly, Missouri; other products are manufactured outside the US by licensees.[4] The company also made boxing equipment at a factory in the Port Morris section of the Bronx from the 1980s until 2003.[1][2]
UK gym chain
In 2020 Frasers Group bought a number of DW Sports Fitness (previously JJB Sports) locations out of administration,[9] and started the Everlast Gyms chain. In late 2023 they had nearly 60 branches located across all four countries of the United Kingdom.[10]
