I did a search and found something interesting:
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article ... |||todd=08BOXING
No White Trunks
IN preparing for the first television of professional boxing in England a couple of weeks ago, the B.B.C. made the apparently innocent request that a coloured fighter should wear white shorts and gloves to help in the clarity of the picture. The British Boxing Board of control said: "No, white trunks and white gloves are banned under our rules; they don't look pretty if there is any blood flowing, and we are not going to waive the point, even for television." So the B.B.C. said: "All right; we'll ask him to wear yellow trunks." "No, you don't," said the Control Board, "the best we can do for you is cherry." So cherry it is; the gloves, of course, are brown.