Buying Guide: Boxing Gloves

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned boxer, using a pair of dependable, high-quality boxing gloves is essential to your safety and success. Boxing gloves are cushioned gloves that boxers wear during matches and training sessions. They’re designed to protect the wearer and his or her opponent from injuries while fighting. The padding in boxing gloves helps soften blows from punches while also making it easier to land a punch without hurting your hand.

There are several types of boxing gloves, each used for a specific purpose or scenario. These include training gloves, sparring gloves, bag gloves, and competition gloves. Different kinds of gloves may vary in terms of weight, level of padding, design, and other characteristics.

Types of Boxing Gloves

Training Gloves

Training gloves are used for boxing fitness classes, sparring, and punching bag training. They’re made from leather or synthetic materials like polyurethane. These gloves feature wrist supports, foam padding, and thumb locks to prevent injury and allow for prolonged training sessions.

If you’re looking for an all-purpose boxing glove, training gloves are likely your best option due to their balance between speed and protection. They’ve been designed to withstand the impact and demands of a training routine that includes a lot of work on heavy bags, but are also effective boxing gloves for pad work, drills, and even aerobic work like boxercise. Some training gloves may also be suitable for sparring depending on their padding, but you should consult your coach or instructor before using them in that kind of environment.

Bag Gloves

Bag gloves are used for training with a heavy bag to increase stamina and endurance. They feature a thin, light design that allows for fast punching. Bag gloves offer some protection against injury, but not as much as padded training gloves. For this reason, we recommend using a pair of training gloves if you plan to do a lot of heavy bag work.

Sparring Gloves

Sparring gloves are used in a bout with a sparring partner. They’re similar to training gloves but feature a comfortable, contoured design with wrist support and padding. Sparring gloves are built to protect you and your partner from accidental knockouts, as well as head and face injuries. Their light weight allows for lengthy workouts, but sparring gloves are not as light as competition gloves. For your safety, you and your training partner should agree on the type of gloves you’ll use before a sparring match. Any gloves approved for sparring may technically be considered sparring gloves. Some boxers may prefer wearing training gloves for sparring purposes, for instance.

Competition Boxing Gloves

Competition boxing gloves, also known as professional boxing gloves, are used in professional boxing fights. Professional boxing rules require that competition gloves weigh either 8 oz. or 10 oz. depending on the organization sponsoring the match. Professional gloves are generally lighter than non-competition gloves, made with firmer padding, and almost always have a lace-up design. These features serve the following purposes:

• A lighter weight allows competitors to move quicker.
• Meeting professional regulations and standards. Laces are used, for example, because most high-end competitions don’t permit the use of hook and loop fasteners. Trainers often tape the laces before the match to prevent them from coming loose.
• Maximizing your ability to knock out your opponent. The firmer padding helps you inflict as much damage as possible with your punches. However, it’s important to keep in mind that you’ll also be sacrificing the protection that softer gloves provide your own hands.

Given the design and the purpose of professional boxing gloves, it’s best not to use them outside of competition often, both for the safety of your training partners and the health of your own hands.

Weighing in at 10 oz., ProForce® “Pro” Boxing Gloves offer a number of valuable features, including a lace-up and hook-and-loop design for secure closure, high-quality leather for maximum durability, and molded foam and thumb locks to promote proper form for safety.