Introduction: The cushioned gloves which fighters wear on their hands at the time of boxing matches and practices are known as Boxing gloves. Not like “fist-load weapons” (just like the ancient cestus) which were primarily developed as a lethal weapon, modern boxing gloves are commonly found to be non-lethal, manufactured to protect both the opponent’s head area and the fighter’s hand during a match. Sparring and other types of boxing training have their own kind of unique gloves. As per the boxing gloves are concerned, they are particularly used in a variety of martial arts and combat sports along with the boxing, which has led to many transformations of gloves relying on the sport.
Different Types of Boxing Gloves: Whether you have been coaching for a while, or are just as long as taking it up, you’ll no doubt have definitely observed that not all boxing gloves are of the same type. So, following are different types of boxing gloves available:
1. Training / bag gloves: One will always find that, there are many brands advertising boxing gloves as training gloves or bag gloves. These are generally kind of your typical all-round boxing glove. Sometimes they’re manufactured for bag and pad work, but moreover they’re basically pretty versatile in nature and helpful in any kind of training. For most of training what you’ll be carrying, you’ll probably be utilizing a pair of these. Even it is found that, not all common purpose gloves are named as training gloves though, and are often just called as just boxing gloves.
2. Amateur competition gloves: When it comes to amateur boxing competitions, it tends to utilize a particular style of gloves, which are basically offered to the fighters by the promotion. These types of gloves are generally coloured red or blue, relying on the fighter’s corner. It’s also not abnormal for the knuckle area of the glove featured. These aspects make it much understandable for the judges to assess the fight.
3. Sparring gloves: In sparring, the main objective of boxing gloves is to protect both you as well as your sparring partner, not to bang them out. One can simply use any pair of boxing gloves for sparring, however there are different specific brands that sell specific sparring gloves which are optimized for this activity. Sparring gloves are found to be more similar to training gloves; however the padding is basically slightly softer in nature or more cushioned with good optimized distribution, to create impacts less sharp.
4. Professional gloves: If you are planning on competing, then you should really be bothered about professional gloves. As the name itself tells that, these are boxing gloves which are purposely developed for use in professional competition or sports, and also sacrifice hand protection and sometimes comfort to maximize anger. Usually the padding is much firmer in this type of gloves, also making the gloves more smaller and a kind of compact. In a way these gloves are particularly developed to deliver as sharp a move as possible with every punch. These types of boxing gloves, are not comfortable for everyday training however, and also recommended not to be used much outside competition.
5. Mexican style boxing gloves: In the past days of boxing when boxing gloves were consists of big bubbles of padding, Mexican style gloves were majorly different. The unique feature of this is their sleeker shape and tighter padding. Nowadays, the features are more standard and the word has been thrown around a lot more, however there are many number of ‘mexican style gloves’ available. In nature, they’re simply a sub-category of professional type of boxing gloves.
6. Muay thai gloves: Muay Thai is generally a different sport to boxing, and the boxing gloves have crated appropriately. The gloves are suited more at kickboxers who required a move versatile boxing glove. It is found that Thailand has a more number of glove manufacturers which each excel in different way, however all of them highlights a lot more on a more distributed padding feature for superb protection on the back side of the hand, and a lot more comfortable in the grip, to allow the palm to open more to catch kicks.
a) Winning Boxing Gloves: It is particularly made from 100% leather, as per the facts it is known that, winning brand develops one of the best gloves in the business market. These gloves come with good quality of padding, and are found to be incredibly lightweight in nature and come with flexible wrist support making it simpler for boxers to land a punch.
b) Everlast: The gloves of these brands are most commonly used by amateur boxers but also a quality product at the same time, Everlast is a brand, which is being loved by all. As the brand name itself depicts that, Everlast is popular for its durability, with gloves sustaining strong for minimum two-three years. It is been made in all category of price ranges, these gloves are perfect for everyone starting from amateurs to professionals.
c) Cleto Reyes: These are been used by professional boxers around the world, Cleto Reyes is known as one of the finest brands in boxing gloves aspects. It is been perfectly created for both practice as well as fights, Cleto Reyes are also found to be a little bit expensive. But its comfort level at the time of bag practice, sparring and finally, the actual battle, is a difficult one to match.
d) Sanabul: It is found to be one of the affordable brands for a beginner; Sanabul is the way to go if you are getting into the boxing field. With the help of engineered leather structure and gel cushion in front, boxer gets and additional shock absorbers are there in these gloves. With good comfort and availability in all arrays of sizes, Sanabul has ensured that it is the first option for every beginner boxer.
e) Hayabusa Boxing Gloves: Hayabusa’s T3 are found as one of the best gloves, which is ever made and is found as a lot of boxers favourite and there is an super reason behind it. Hayabusa’s Duel-X wrist give the boxer a good amount of support, which is also because their patented technology. Hayabusa is a summary of engineering in boxing gloves with good kind of 5-layer foam complex and 4x splinting for ultimate balance. So, overall Hayabusa’s S4 is also good gloves if someone is finding for a little cheaper pair to start with.
How to Choose the Right Pair of Boxing Gloves:
1. While choosing the right pair, safety point should be your top priority. Ensure that you get a pair of gloves with proper padding to safeguard your wrists as well as fists adequately.
2. You also want to opt for the appropriate size of gloves and the suitable weight. Here, it is required to measure the weight and the circumference of the dominant hand when buying for the suitable pair of boxing gloves.
3. Here, fabric tape works good for measuring the right size of the hand. Try to measure the dominant hand below the knuckle to get the most precise measurement.
4. If in the case you don’t have fabric tape, try to wrap a string around the wrist and mark the length. Then, you can simply use a ruler or stiff tape to get the real measurement.
5. Boxing gloves are available in many different weights and sizes. The weight of boxing gloves is basically measured in ounces, which ranges between 10 to 20 oz. The size of a boxing glove is finalized by how much proportion padding it has.
6. Heavier boxing gloves are basically offer protection but minimize punching power gloves. Lighter gloves are good to use for speed training.
7. The one who is new to boxing, initiate with one of the heavier gloves since they offer a good level of protection. Select a pair that fits easily and comfortably.
8. Here, notice that your fingers should be near the top of the gloves when you put them on.
9. In case if you plan to compete as a boxer, you might have to get multiple gloves. Heavier boxing gloves are particularly been used for sparring since they minimize the power behind punches while safeguarding the puncher’s hand.
10. One might find it difficult in finding training partners to spar with you if you only have a pair of eight-ounce gloves, which offers prominently less protection than 16-ounce gloves.
Conclusion: So, overall to conclude with, finding the right pair of boxing gloves can be find as a difficult task. Whether you’re a seasoned boxer or a total newcomer in the fight sports, the significance of high-quality equipment can’t be enlarged. So, a good set of gloves is very necessary for protecting your wrists as well as hands, but they also play a significant role in the safety of your training partners also. You must study details such as their overall weight, padding, material, and wrist support, while purchasing suitable boxing gloves.
References:
Different Types Of Boxing Gloves: A Guide To Choosing One https://evolve-mma.com/blog/different-types-of-boxing-gloves-a-guide-to-choosing-one/
Tommy Duquette, JULY 19, 2022, How To Choose The Best Boxing Gloves For Beginners https://blog.joinfightcamp.com/boxing-equipment/how-to-choose-the-best-boxing-gloves-for-beginners/
August 9, 2021, What Types Of Boxing Gloves Are There? https://fightquality.com/2020/12/11/types-of-boxing-gloves/
February 14, 2022, The Ultimate Guide To Boxing Gloves https://fightquality.com/2021/02/11/ultimate-guide-to-boxing-gloves-2/
JAN 20, 2024, The best boxing gloves in 2024, according to experts https://www.popsci.com/gear/best-boxing-gloves/
FAQs
Q1. How one can understand regarding which boxing gloves to buy? Ans: When it comes to buying boxing gloves, the general principle is to select a training glove that’s proportionate to your body weight. Basically for smaller weighted boxing gloves are found to be perfect for individuals who are very lighter, and vice-versa.
Q2. How can one prevent the boxing gloves from sweating? Ans: One of the suitable and preferable methods to soak up sweat in your gloves and particularly prevent them by getting moist is by using hand wraps. Hand wraps generally work like a sponge and tends to absorb the moisture from padding the inside of your boxing gloves.
Q3. What does size 7 of gloves implies? Ans: So, simply it denotes the measurement of your hand in inches, for example if your hand measures 6.5 – 7 inches, then go for selecting size 7, Small.
Q4. How one can keep the boxing gloves at home? Ans: Generally when you are storing the boxing gloves at your home, try to avoid keeping it in a closed container, and simply hang them in a well-ventilated area and keep away from heat or direct sunlight.
Q5. What are common sizes of boxing gloves available in the market? Ans: The most common boxing glove weights which are available in market are 8oz, 10oz, 12oz, 14oz, 16oz, and 20oz.
Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. Mr. Kiron is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor of Wikipedia.
