Types of Boxing Gloves
If you are associated with boxing or planning to take it up, you would doubtlessly be familiar with the importance of boxing gloves in the sport. A decent pair of boxing gloves should be able to deliver strong blows while protecting yourself from the same. Therefore, choosing suitable boxing gloves goes a long way towards dominating a boxing match.
In this article, we will talk about the different types of boxing gloves in vogue and compare their capabilities. We will try to help you choose the right boxing gloves for yourself, considering your own needs and abilities. As always, we will attach links for any significant information, surveys, and studies used in this article.
What Are the Different Types of Boxing Gloves?
The variation in boxing gloves comes from each kind of glove having its own unique use. Depending on the nature of use, the level of competition, etc., boxing gloves are of the following types:
- Amateur gloves
- Professional gloves
- Training gloves
- Sparring gloves
There are many other styles of gloves like Karate gloves and MMA gloves, which, although not technically related to boxing, are used for similar confrontations.
Professional Gloves
As the name itself indicates, professional gloves are made for boxing as a competitive sport. Professional gloves are specifically designed to land painful blows to the opponent, and they often tend to neglect the protective aspect of the gloves. Professional gloves are only suited for competitions, and should not be used for purposes like everyday training.
Professional gloves are usually quite expensive, and boxers go to great lengths to ensure they get the most vicious pair of gloves. Before choosing professional gloves for yourself, you have to consider the style of combat and your hand comfort, and you should ideally not compromise on the price because cheap professional gloves wear down pretty quickly and prove useless in the boxing ring.
Amateur Gloves
In contrast to professional gloves, amateur gloves tend to prioritize the protection of the boxer rather than his aggressive instincts. These gloves are heavily padded to protect the boxer from harm. On the downside, these gloves are not well-optimized to deliver effective blows on the opponent.
Amateur boxing gloves usually come in two sizes- l0oz and 12oz. Boxers who fight for under light welterweight category use 10oz gloves, while categories from welterweight till super heavyweight usually feature boxers using the 12oz gloves.
Sparring Gloves
Sparring is a practice activity that boxers engage in during training to improve their skill, stamina and resilience. Usually sparring occurs between fellow fighters at the same training facility, and both parties display some degree of control while delivering blows. Since the goal of sparring is not to deliver violent blows but to improve your technique, sparring gloves are designed to protect the boxers from getting injured.
It is possible to use any kind of gloves for sparring, but these days boxers prefer to have gloves that are specifically built for sparring. In many ways sparring gloves are similar to training gloves, but they are more intricately cushioned to soften the effect of the blows.
Before choosing your sparring gloves, you should ideally consult your coach; they would be able to guide you regarding the weight and safety issues. It is also a prudent idea to check the gloves your sparring partner will be using before the fight to know what you would be dealing with. As with professional gloves, the key to picking decent sparring gloves is to not be tempted by cheap ones and always buy them from reputed brands.
Training Gloves
Training gloves are characterized as the most versatile type of boxing gloves in existence. They are pretty much suited for any kind of activity, and irrespective of what your boxing credentials are, it’s likely that you would be using the training gloves a lot.
Training gloves are also known as bag gloves and are of two kinds- traditional bag gloves and super bag gloves. Traditional bag gloves are usually not sturdy enough to protect the boxer from blows effectively. It’s better to invest in super bag gloves to give yourself the best defence during your boxing activities.
Muay Thai Gloves
Muay Thai is a sport that has different demands from that of boxing, and the gloves are built accordingly. The padding in Muay Thai gloves is very evenly spread, which allows flexibility of grip and protecting the rear part of the hand from injury. These gloves also allow the hands to deflect kicks, seeing as that kickboxers are the ones who use Muay Thai gloves most frequently.
However, Muay Thai gloves are highly unsafe for heavy bag training and should not be used for regular boxing.
Boxing Gloves vs MMA Gloves
MMA gloves are technically developed for Mixed Martial Arts, but sometimes boxers tend to use these for training because of their greater penchant for power-hitting. MMA gloves differ from boxing gloves in several aspects; for example, they are fingerless and accommodate less padding. The reason for this is that MMA fighters engage in lightning-quick combats, and having heavily padded gloves would decrease their agility.
Boxing gloves also use hand wraps to ensure that the gloves are sturdy and stable, while MMA gloves usually do not use hand wraps because the lightweight gloves won’t be able to accommodate them. The priority in MMA gloves is always ease of use and compactness, as opposed to sturdiness and stability.
If we are to make a comparative study of boxing gloves and MMA gloves, then we can consider this test taken by MMA combatant Bas Rutten, who used boxing gloves and MMA gloves to hit a heavy bag and then compare the results. With the boxing gloves, Rutten was able to deliver 370 kilos of power, while with MMA gloves; he was able to strike with 295 kilos.
So it appears that although MMA gloves have the edge with respect to weight and speed, boxing gloves are not lagging behind when it comes to the power of the blow.
Can You Use MMA Gloves for Boxing Training?
You can technically use MMA gloves for training purposes, but if you are punching a heavy bag, then it’s far better and safer to use bag gloves. It’s important that MMA gloves were not actually designed for boxing training; they were made for MMA activities that are quicker and lighter.
Using the thinly padded MMA gloves to punch heavy bags can cause serious injuries to the boxer’s hands. In recent times there have been the introduction of specially-built MMA gloves, which has better protection for wrists and contain gel padding. You can use these gloves for your heavy bag training, but they still do not offer the level of protection that bag gloves can offer.
To sum it up, ideally, MMA gloves should not be used for boxing training, and it’s better to just stick to the regular training gloves.
Which Gloves Are Best When Using a Bag?
Heavy bag training can put a lot of pressure on your wrists, fingers, and forearms. It’s important to protect yourself with the right kind of gloves while hitting the bag.
Here are some of the most reputed gloves for heavy bag training: Hayabusa T3 Boxing Gloves, TITLE Gel World Bag Gloves, Cleto Reyes Hook and Loop Gloves, Winning Training Boxing Gloves, Ringside Apex Boxing Gloves, and Venum Impact Boxing Gloves.
A Brief Overview of the Best Boxing Gloves
According to boxing expert Anthony Crouchelli, the following gloves qualify for the accolade of the best boxing gloves around:
- Sanabul Essential Gel Boxing Gloves
These are the dream gloves for boxers who are trying to get decent protection at a lower budget. They cost only 30$ and are specially designed to provide better wrist support.
- Venum Elite Boxing Gloves
If you are just starting your career in boxing, these are the ideal gloves for you. It is designed to absorb the heavy impact of everyday training and will help you deliver more focused punches.
- Everlast Pro Style Training Gloves
These gloves are perfectly built for your rigorous training work and are designed in such a way that it is easy to remove them during hydration breaks. They are also extremely cheap at 27$.
- Nayoya Weighted Gloves
These gloves are ideal for the scenario when you are not yet ready to do heavy bag training. Working with these gloves will give you the high-intensity workout that you gain from punching a bag. They are also great for kickboxing and shadowboxing and improves your speed and endurance without compromising on protection.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right boxing gloves requires a lot of research and attention to detail. It depends on your experience, your level, and your weight, among other things. It’s always wise to get advice from experts or your coach before getting your gloves. While in the case of boxing gloves, the best does not necessarily mean the most expensive, it’s also better to not use cheap gloves for saving a few hundred bucks, as they might end up costing you an injury for life.
