Boxing Gloves: Why Do They Smell? It is important to understand why your boxing gloves smell and need to be cleaned before we explain how to clean them. Boxing is undoubtedly a very physically demanding, high-intensity sport. Sweating is produced at a high rate as a result. A sweat's smell comes from bacteria breaking down protein, salts, and lipids found in sweat. In breaking down sweat, bacteria produce a by-product with...