Boxing has long been regarded as one of the most demanding competitive sports. Big numbers with single events, countless cultural legends of the sport. In Australia, where boxing gyms play a central role in both elite sport and community-level training, that raw appeal has translated into steady grassroots participation alongside a growing professional scene.
Despite boxing’s reputation as a highly demanding sport, the equipment involved in training and fighting has received little to no innovation over the decades. This has been particularly noticeable in gyms, where trainers often rely on legacy gear designs that prioritise durability over evolving standards of athlete safety and performance. A driven man behind one American brand has chosen to make a difference.
Ozhan Akcakaya, founder of Hit N Move is trained by world-class coaches across the DMV. At the same time, ‘Ozzie,’ as he is known in the boxing world, is a licensed medical professional in the pharmaceutical industry, specializing in orthopedic and dermatological therapies. That dual background resonates with trainers, where sports science and injury prevention increasingly sit alongside traditional coaching methods. He has used his knowledge to bring together both disciplines in a more science-focused approach to boxing equipment.
From gloves to protective equipment, the changes in the last few decades can be described as barely marginal. Boxers have to trust that the same design that someone came up with over 20 years ago would still be the most protective and high-performing option today—but that’s unlikely, isn’t it? For athletes training year-round, often balancing competition with work or study, the cost of injury or downtime is especially high, making protective innovation more than a theoretical concern.
For Ozhan Akcakaya, this was hard to understand, given that in his field, claims concerning health and safety must be backed by science and research. The initial line of thought that led to the founding of his brand, Hit N Move.
As a result, a range of scientifically developed patents and innovations—tested by institutions such as Virginia Tech and informed by deep experience in the sport—has significantly influenced the industry over the past several years.
The emphasis on verified performance aligns closely with Australia’s broader shift toward evidence-based training, seen across institutes, high-performance programs, and independent gyms alike.
The American brand proves that there is more to innovation than marketing and influencer deals, and that at no point are they interested in the production of outdated designs with their logo attached to them.
Image credit: HitNMove
‘No True Innovation Without Ongoing Optimisation’
While other brands have tried to catch up, with more or less successful attempts, Hit N Move often seems two steps ahead again. The headgear is positioned as one of the lighter options available, while aiming to maintain comparable levels of protection. Akcakaya’s drive for perfection and improvement doesn’t stop there. Their newest innovation, a Hexagon padding (Hex-Tech), is aimed at giving existing models an update and providing even more protection.
The new padding technology was tested by Virginia Tech University, which was already involved in testing the brand’s original headgear design. The faculty that gained expertise on the topic through testings around helmets for college football players and the consequences of impact attested the Hexagon padding offers significantly better force absorption compared to other materials used in common headgear models.
The faculty that gained expertise on the topic through testing around helmets for college football players and the consequences of impact, testing suggested that the Hexagon padding demonstrated improved force absorption compared to several commonly used materials.
Product upgrades are standard procedure for the American boxing brand. Another example of this is their already popular Süvari Horse Hair glove line receiving a leather and padding improvement recently. ‘Ozzie’ doesn’t believe his brand deserves the label innovative, unless innovation is continuous. For the designer, innovation extends beyond a single product.
24oz conditioning gloves, 12oz compact gloves, Reflex Trainer, Turtle Mits, Face Saver, and AirArmor headgear are some of the products in Hit N Move’s equipment lineup. Several of these products have begun to attract attention within boxing circles, particularly among trainers focused on technical development rather than brute conditioning alone.
Strict No-Gimmick Policy & The Best Is Always Yet To Come
In the fitness industry, there’s always been a lot of gimmicky products, marketed as the new revolution. From the early days of tele-shopping and shake-weights to pop-up gyms around the world’s capitals, selling device-based workouts that disappear as quickly as they showed up.
Ozhan Akcakaya knows and understands that boxing offers no space for such experimental play. It is a sport of consequences, serious ones if performance and safety do not fulfill what’s promised. Therefore, his ideas go through rigorous development and testing phases, with the guidance of scientists and health professionals. The testing by Virginia Tech was no marketing trick. Instead, the brand’s design team developed numerous prototypes over almost two years, optimizing designs based on test results until the final version was finalized for launch.
The bar was set from the beginning to have at least the same protective performance, with reported advantages in weight, visibility, and range of movement. The AirArmor head guard met its design objectives while maintaining protection levels comparable to existing models, but it is yet to undergo its biggest upgrade.
Image credit: HitNMove
Strict No-Gimmick Policy & The Best Is Always Yet To Come
In the fitness industry, there’s always been a lot of gimmicky products, marketed as the new revolution. From the early days of tele-shopping and shake-weights to pop-up gyms around the world’s capitals, selling device-based workouts that disappear as quickly as they showed up.
Ozhan Akcakaya knows and understands that boxing offers no space for such experimental play. It is a sport of consequences, serious ones if performance and safety do not fulfill what’s promised. Therefore, his ideas go through rigorous development and testing phases, with the guidance of scientists and health professionals. The testing by Virginia Tech was no marketing trick. Instead, the brand’s design team developed numerous prototypes over almost two years, optimizing designs based on test results until the final version was finalized for launch.
The bar was set from the beginning to have at least the same protective performance, with reported advantages in weight, visibility, and range of movement. The AirArmor head guard met its design objectives while maintaining protection levels comparable to existing models, but it is yet to undergo its biggest upgrade.
Putting The Big Guys On Alert This Year
Following a year marked by several high-profile bouts, undisputed champions, and a continuing surge of new interest in the sport, ‘Ozzie’ is preparing Hit N Move for another big year. He has already announced that the brand is working on entering the boxing shoe market this year, where they will be competing with new global players that are currently dominating the field. With the same approach, standards, and values of experience, the established brands will surely have to look out for the U.S.-based designer.
The brand follows a credo that any fan of the sport would agree on—‘boxing deserves better’.
In 2026, boxing is bigger than ever. It’s sport, spectacle, passion, and industry. And the only way to make something better is to start where it truly matters. In the gyms, including those across Australia, in the training, with the unbreakable spirit that tomorrow’s performance has to beat today’s.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider
Switzer staff were not involved in production of this article
