What are boxing gloves and what should you pay attention to?

by Joost Nusselder | Updated on:  30 August 2022

I enjoy writing these articles for my readers, you guys. I don't accept payment for writing reviews, my opinion on products is my own, but if you find my recommendations helpful and you end up buying something through one of the links I may be able to receive a commission on that. More information

As you might think, boxing gloves are gloves that are worn when practicing boxing. It protects the hand from injury, and the opponent's face in combat.

In 1868, under the auspices of John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry, a number of rules were drawn up for boxing in which the wearing of the glove was made mandatory. Those rules became a kind of general basic rules for the sport of boxing.

Boxing gloves are softer and rounder than the gloves used in Kickboxing, San Shou and Thai boxing, among others.

For example, the harder, more compact and flatter gloves worn in those sports should not be used when training with a punching bag, as they can damage the punching bag.

Boxing gloves for personal training (1)

What are boxing gloves?

First, let's get an idea of ​​what boxing gloves are exactly. Boxing gloves are thus gloves that athletes use in boxing matches and exercises.

The main purpose of wearing these gloves is to protect yourself and your opponent from serious injury.

In Greece (cestus), the oldest form of fighting gloves consisted of something designed to increase pain on your opponent instead of reducing it.

They were leather belts that may or may not have had something in them like studs. Basically, they were introduced to make fighting more serious and full of blood. You can compare it with today's brass knuckles.

Best boxing gloves to protect you

Happy boxing became more sophisticated for those of us who are boxing these days.

Now we take advantage of boxing gloves made of improved materials.

You will discover a wide variety of different weights and designs when looking for gloves.

You will see that there are many different types of boxing gloves, and used for practice, sparring gloves, combat gloves, etc. So what's the difference?

Looking for the very best boxing gloves? You can find them here!

What are the types of boxing gloves?

If you are looking for the type of gloves you need, you need to know more about the different types. There are:

  • Punching bag gloves
  • Training/Fitness Gloves
  • Personal Training Gloves
  • sparring gloves
  • Fighting Gloves

To better understand what each type is for, we've highlighted the details of each type below.

Boxing gloves for boxing post or bag training

A pocket glove is the first form of a boxing glove. Generally this is the first glove you will use before switching to a sparring glove.

Bag gloves are specially designed for use when hitting the punching bag. In the past, these gloves were thinner and much lighter than competition gloves.

This meant that they offered the fighter less protection.

In addition, its lightweight nature allowed users to strike much faster than in a boxing match, when wearing heavier competition gloves.

Today, however, pocket gloves are designed with more padding precisely to protect the user's hands.

This extra padding also makes them last longer with regular use, as they take longer to wear and compress.

Training/Fitness Gloves

The most popular glove that you can discover on the internet or in the gym is a boxing glove for training or fitness.

Best boxing gloves for fitness and muscle building

These gloves are available in a wide variety of colors.

The weight you choose includes four main variables:

  • palm length
  • length
  • weight
  • muscle growth

Choose a glove that weighs more than 14 oz. if you are looking for the most excellent muscle building gloves.

The muscle development and the weight of a glove are proportional to each other.

Personal training gloves

As a trainer, the choice of boxing gloves depends on the person you are currently working with. You usually look for a smaller size and a comfortable, manageable hand when teaching women.

Boxing gloves for personal training (1)

For personal trainers, safety gloves are also a suggestion, as your client wants to have a sense of security with the gloves you provide.

Also read: best boxing pads and pads reviewed

sparring gloves

Specifically, 16 oz. or 18 oz. are weights for the best sparring gloves. You also need a lot more padding, as you don't need to hurt your opponent.

Boxing gloves for sparring

The weights of 16 oz. or 18 oz. can also help you before a fight. The cause is the heavier weight, which will make a combat glove feel lighter. You can then swing faster and hit your opponent.

Fighting Gloves

For a boxing fight night you need a fighting glove. Depending on the type of fight or promoter, the boxing glove is usually 8 oz., 10 oz. Or 12 oz.

Venum ring boxing gloves

What are boxing gloves filled with?

Hitting hard and fast in boxing can lead you to victory in the arena, but it can also damage your fingers.

To protect your hands, it is a must for professional boxers and enthusiasts who want to practice hard.

Initially, the use of horsehair padding in all boxing gloves was famous, but now the new gloves feature latex foam padding.

  • Horsehair filling:

Horsehair padded gloves are durable and will help you dissipate some decent force, but won't protect your palms from your opponent's skull or bulky gym punching bags.

  • Latex foam filling:

In recent decades, the fame and sophistication of foam padding have developed. A unique blend of shock absorbing PVC and latex is the fabric used in latex gloves.

Exercises on the punching bag

Here are some more beginner exercises to do on your punching bag to get you off to a good start:

Boxing Glove Care Tips

Use the above information as a guideline for the right boxing gloves and enjoy a more than satisfactory user experience.

Here are a few tips for maintaining your beautiful purchase:

  1. When you're done, spray the inside with a little disinfectant
  2. Then put some newspaper in the glove to let the air flow through the gloves
  3. Don't put them in a sports bag, let them air out in your garage or basement
Joost Nusselder, the founder of referees.eu is a content marketer, father and loves to write about all kinds of sports, and has also played a lot of sports himself for most of his life. Now since 2016, he and his team have been creating helpful blog articles to help loyal readers with their sports activities.