How to Choose Boxing Gloves
Choosing the right air of boxing gloves for you is not just about colour and style, you’ve got to consider what you’re using them for and your own size. Boxing gloves are designed to protect the wearer so if you don’t have the right size gloves, you won’t have adequate protection for your hands.
Let’s start with the basics so you know how to choose the right boxing glove for you.
Why Boxing Gloves are Sized by Weight
Unlike other clothing and equipment, boxing gloves are not sized by small, medium and large hand size as you might think. While there are some options like this from some specialised boxing equipment suppliers, boxing gloves are usually sized according to their weight, from 6 to 18 ounces (oz).
The weight of the glove is not about adding strength to your punch either. The weight of the boxing glove is to determine how much padding is in the glove itself. There are usually four layers of material in a boxing glove, with at least two layers of foam.
This is meant to cushion the knuckles of the boxer as well as absorb the impact of their strikes to prevent a shockwave tearing through the boxer’s hand and arm potentially causing injuries right through from the knuckles to the wrist, shoulder and neck. This is why the heavier you are, the stronger your punch and the heavier boxing glove you need. The following size guide is useful for picking your first pair, and most average pair of boxing gloves.
- People under 45 kg need 6 – 8 oz gloves
- People weighing 46 – 68 kg need 10 – 12 oz gloves
- People weighing 69 – 80 kg need 14 oz gloves
- People over 80 kg need 16 – 18 oz gloves
But it’s not one-glove-fits-all types of training either; each boxer needs a few pairs of boxing gloves to serve different purposes.
Boxing Gloves and their Purposes
While your weight matters when choosing boxing gloves, when looking to buy boxing gloves you also have to think about what types of training you’ll be doing in them. Different aspects of boxing training require different levels of padding to protect your hands or your training partner, or to hurt your opponent. Let’s look at each in more detail.
Sparring Gloves
Sparring is the closest training element you’ll have to a real fight; you’ll be in the ring with your sparring partner, throwing your strong punches and combinations, utilising your quick footwork and all of the other boxing skills you’ve learned. But you don’t want to hurt your sparring partner, so you’ll need boxing gloves with a great deal of padding to absorb the shock of the punches and prevent injury to your hands and your partner’s body. That’s why sparring gloves are the heaviest boxing gloves you’ll need in your kit.
If you’re wondering what size boxing gloves you’ll need for sparring, it largely depends on your strength and ability. However, using the above size guide, choose a pair of boxing gloves at least one size above the recommended gloves for your weight.
Heavy Bag Gloves
The boxing gloves you need for training activities like punching heavy bags are the most average gloves you need and can be chosen according to the size guide above. The punching bags are filled with sand or water and are designed in size and weight to replicate hitting a real opponent. Since you want to practise your strong punches but don’t need to protect the bag, you’ll want an average amount of padding in the gloves.
Fighting Gloves
Contrary to what many people think, the boxing gloves used in a real fight are the lightest pair in a boxer’s kit bag. Yes, you need to protect your hands, which is why boxing gloves are required in the first place, but you want your opponent to feel the full might of your punch, so a thinner layer of foam in the glove prevents shock absorption and increases the impact of your punch.
It’s very hard to achieve a knockout in heavy boxing gloves, so professional boxers will use the thinnest gloves, usually 8 or 10 oz gloves when participating in real fights.
Your Hand Size
Most boxing gloves are unisex so men and women can choose the same types, but dependent on their weight. However, if you’re training as a professional and need the perfect fit, or if you have particularly small or large hands for your weight, it can be beneficial to also choose boxing gloves according to your hand size.
Your hand size is measured by taking the circumference of your hand. Wrap a cloth tape measure around your palm, above your thumb knuckle and below your finger knuckles for the circumference of your hand. This can be used to determine what size gloves are needed.
- 6 – 8 oz gloves for 5.5 – 6.5” (14 – 16.5 cm) hands
- 10 – 12 oz gloves for 6.5 – 7.5” (16.5 – 19 cm) hands
- 14 oz gloves for 7.5 – 8.5” (19 – 21.5 cm) hands
- 16 – 18 oz gloves for 8.5 – 9.5″ (21.5 – 24.1 cm) hands
As boxing is a sport preferred by men, they can choose boxing gloves simply according to their weight in most cases. However, as women tend to have smaller hands than men and shouldn’t have to risk injury for the sake of participating in a great sport, women should factor in their hand size when choosing boxing gloves.
When You Need a New Pair of Boxing Gloves
While we wish all good things would last forever, they must come to an end – and that includes your favourite pair of boxing gloves. After many strikes, it’s natural for the padding in your gloves to wear out or become somewhat distorted, and when this happens, your gloves are no longer providing sufficient protection for your hands. That’s the first thing to look out for when wondering if you need a new pair of boxing gloves.
Boxing gloves should last upwards of 18 months, although leather gloves can sometimes last longer than those made with synthetic leather, but, if you notice your knuckles begin to hurt after your training sessions or the shape of the glove isn’t quite as round and spongy as it used to be, then it’s time to look for a new pair of boxing gloves.
The second factor you should pay attention to is the condition of the gloves. If your boxing gloves are cracked on the outside – this happens more with real leather than synthetic leather as they can dry out more easily – or if they start to smell, then you should look for new boxing gloves.
The smell of the gloves isn’t just an issue because it may be unpleasant, if they smell it’s because there is a build-up of bacteria in the gloves which is then a hygiene issue. Bacteria growing in your gloves can cause skin irritation as well as exacerbate previous skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis so should be avoided at all costs.
Fortunately, we’ve got some helpful tips and tricks for cleaning your boxing gloves and helping them last longer.
Maintaining Your Boxing Gloves
After each training session, you should clean your boxing gloves, making sure to disinfect the inside, open them out fully to air dry, and moisturise the outer material, or skin, to ensure it doesn’t become dry and crack. Unfortunately, you can’t throw them in the washing machine, so you must take care of your boxing gloves by hand.
Here are the steps for keeping your boxing gloves bacteria and odour-free:
- Wash your hands before use
- Use fresh hand wraps each time
- Spray disinfectant on the inside of the gloves after each use
- Let them air-dry in a warm, dry place out of direct sunlight
- Gently rub leather conditioner or essential oils into the dry skin
By following these steps, you’ll keep your gloves fresh and usable for longer.
Buy Your Boxing Gloves Today!
Maxx Pro Boxing has a wide range of professional high-quality and affordable boxing equipment – but don’t just believe us, have a look for yourself! Browse our range of boxing gloves today.
