Boxing gloves. There are numerous pairs to choose from when it comes to purchasing, different colours, shapes, sizes, and styles. Where do you start? Well, it all comes down to what you’re using them for, how often you’re using them, your size, and what your gym allows you to wear when sparring. The colour and shape of the gloves amounts to personal preference, however, some gloves are designed to cater more towards a specific martial art.
For example, the Fairtex BGV1’s. These gloves are designed to have a shorter cuff and more room inside the glove to give your hands a bit more freedom when clinching in Muay Thai. Whereas the Fairtex BGV9’s have a longer cuff and are more snug on the inside, which is great for boxing. However, not to be mistaken, both of these gloves are very popular in both boxing and Muay Thai, one being more than the other.
In terms of sizing, most gloves range from 8oz to 16oz; however, some are available in 18oz or even 20oz. The size all comes down to what you’re using them for and how much you weigh. For example, if you’re only using the gloves for bag work and pad work and weigh anything between 50-100kg, then I would recommend using 10 or 12oz. But if you weigh 100+ kg, I would recommend going for 12 or 14oz. If you’re using the gloves for sparring, bag work, and pad work, then I would recommend using 14oz as most gyms allow this size for sparring and it is also a good weight to get used to when hitting the bag or pads. Again, the heavier you are, the heavier you may want the glove. If you’re just using them for sparring alone, then I would go for 16oz, but again, if you’re someone who’s 6’5″ weighing close to 200kg, then that is when the 18/20oz gloves come into play.
That leads us to the style of the glove. Instead of getting a pair of 10/12oz gloves for bag and pad work, you get ‘bag gloves’ which cater perfectly to that exact use. Bag gloves have harder padding; therefore, it is forbidden to spar in them. However, when training, it allows you to really work on your technique and power. As well as ‘bag gloves,’ you can also get ‘sparring gloves’ which usually come in 14-18oz but can range in smaller sizes. Unlike bag gloves, sparring gloves are not forbidden from being used for other reasons; however, it can affect the lifetime of the gloves as they could lose padding a lot sooner.
If you’re training often, around 3-4 times a week, I would recommend spending a little bit more and getting a top-quality glove in order to get the maximum usage out of it for a longer time. For example, any leather glove is extremely durable and can last up to 5+ years, especially Twins, Fairtex, and Cleto Reyes. The Rival Microfibre leather gloves work just as well, for example, the RS100’s, RS1’s, and RS11V’s.
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