When you start boxing, you want the winning choice of boxing gloves, the gloves used by the champions, so you know you are using the best gear around.

By wearing a winning pair of boxing gloves, you will feel like a pro and confident in the equipment you are using, as you wouldn’t want anyone to laugh at your boxing gloves as if they have just come from a Sports Direct bargain sale.

So, what makes a Winning Pair of Boxing Gloves?

Today, everything is about fashion and looking good, and training in boxing is no exception. Gone are the days you would go down to the local boxing club for a sweaty training session. Everyone wants their photos and videos to share on their social media channels, and now, boxing gloves are not just for performance, but they are also a fashion statement.

Evolve MMA suggests that:

‘The type of boxing gloves that are common and easily accessible to most of us, and which are also relatively inexpensive, feature fully synthetic construction. They are convenient and easy to clean.

They feature foam padding that offers good protection for the knuckles and better shock absorption. These gloves usually come with hook and loop closures or velcro, which is most common. This type of closure, however, loses grip over time.’

Boxing gloves used to come in only a few colours with limited designs. However, there is now a considerable choice of colours with striking designs, and we all have been in the boxing gym when a member rocks up with an expensive new pair of boxing gloves.

You think to yourself, “I don’t want to spar that guy”, but do these types of boxing gloves make real winners or do they make someone all show and no go.

Let’s be honest; it’s the guy that turns up with some worn-out pair of vintage boxing gloves that look a bit distressed, saying, “These were my dad’s boxing gloves back in the day,” that you need to be wary of. Of course, it is essential to buy high-quality boxing gloves for your protection and others safety, but they won’t necessarily make you a better fighter. To make a winner is about the grit and determination that will get you there.

What is the Purpose of Boxing Gloves?

A boxing gloves task is about three main factors to produce a high-quality product: to protect, perform, and the price.

An essential part of the boxing gloves is to protect the hand and wrist from any injuries. Boxing gloves should be made with excellent dense padding and solid wrist support to keep everything in tack. The boxing gloves need to be exceptionally handcrafted with the highest quality of materials that can offer high performance so that a fighter can focus on their training without any interference.

They also need tight stitching and a natural inner hand mould with a firm grip bar over the fingertips to create a comfortable fit. The longevity of boxing gloves is essential, too, as you don’t want them to wear or tear after only a few months of training.

Read our article ‘How long should boxing gloves last?’ here. The price needs to be affordable, and in line with the quality of boxing gloves, you are buying.

What Types of Boxing Gloves are there?

There are quite a few different kinds of boxing gloves suited for various purposes. Check out the comprehensive list below to determine which type of glove would suit your individual preference and purpose.

1. Training/Bag Gloves: These types of boxing gloves are considered your typical all-around boxing glove. They are quite a versatile boxing glove and are used by many different fighters for general all-purpose use. Top tip: There is a difference between modern bag gloves and traditional bag gloves.
2. Sparring Gloves: These gloves are designed for sparring, not for knock-outs. Although they may be similar to training gloves, the padding is usually slightly softer or more cushioned, which makes any impacts made by them less sharp (hence why they’re used for sparring rather than knock-outs). They are available in a wide variety of different weights and different colours too, as mentioned earlier in the article.
3. Amateur Boxing Gloves: In some cases, amateur boxing competitions require a specific type of glove. These are usually provided to the fighters by the promotion, and features such as the knuckle area of the glove are highlighted to make it easier for judges to score the amateur fights.
4. Professional Boxing Gloves: Just like the name suggests, professional boxing gloves are used in professional competitions and they usually have there own approved boxing gloves. Although they often sacrifice hand protection and sometimes comfort, they maximise offence. This is because the padding is often much firmer and works to deliver sharp blows. These types of gloves aren’t used in everyday training as a result of this.
5. Mexican Style Boxing Gloves: When boxing was in its early days, these gloves featured giant bubbles of padding and were incredibly unique. However, nowadays, these gloves are more fitted to the hand, with a more extended cuff. The padding is now compact and moulds to the hand after breaking them in, making them comfortable to wear.
6. Muay Thai Boxing Gloves: As Muay Thai is different from boxing, the gloves have been individually designed to suit the sport. This means that Muay Thai gloves are intended to be more versatile boxing gloves. They usually have a more distributed padding for better protection on the back of the hand and more flexibility in the grip.
7. MMA Gloves: Again, similar to Muay Thai gloves, as MMA is a different sport, these gloves are uniquely designed. They have been developed specifically for Mixed Martial Arts and feature a fingerless grip with an open palm.
8. Semi-Contact Gloves: These gloves are usually used for either Karate or Taekwondo and are not suitable for use in boxing or Muay Thai. These types of gloves have minimal padding and are sometimes made out of dipped foam, so they don’t offer nearly as much protection as some of the gloves listed above.

Final thoughts

Remember, if you are starting, don’t stress about getting the most expensive boxing gloves on the market; as much as we love to watch the champions of the sport, by wearing their same boxing gloves, we won’t perform quite like them.

Start with an affordable but still good quality pair. A synthetic is a good option to save on a few pounds. Read our article ‘Leather vs Faux Leather: Which is better for boxing gloves?’ here.

“What’s your winning aspiration?”

Check out our Boxing Glove review below:

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