Without boxing gloves there wouldn’t be boxing. The boxing glove has been around for a couple hundred years and although the design and safety of the glove has changed, the reason behind them has not. That reason is safety and protection. Although we won't touch on it in this article some type of hand wrap or gel glove should be used underneath boxing gloves. This will not only increase the protection of the hand during training but will help with the life of the boxing glove. We will discuss the pros and cons of a Velcro boxing glove and why more choose them over a lace glove, what size glove and why there are different ounce gloves, and what type of training the glove should be used for.
First up, why a Velcro based boxing glove. The main reason is quick training sessions are just not possible when using a laced-up glove. You will need someone to help you get your gloves on and laced up between training or sparring sessions. Also, due to potential of cutting your opponent a laced glove must be taped over for sparring or fight night. A Velcro glove will also give solid wrist and hand support as it acts like another layer of hand wrap since it goes around the wrist. These gloves can be easily put on and taken off without the help of another person. This past year is a perfect example of why using a Velcro glove is much preferred because many fighters have solo sessions, especially a beginner. A final note is that for the most part a Velcro glove will be cheaper than that of a laced-up glove. Although both gloves have their positives and negatives, I would think a Velcro glove would be the way to go.
A boxing glove tends to range from 8 ounces to 16 ounces and although it doesn’t sound like a huge difference, it can make a difference in training and on fight night. Some fighters use the heavier gloves to train on a heavy bag and during sparring for two reasons. One, it will help protect not only your opponent but your hands when connecting with your target. The second, is by using a heavier glove to train, then you will more than likely have faster hands for fight night. Most fights have boxing gloves range in the 10–12-ounce range and by training with a 14–16-ounce glove improved hand speed and stamina is possible. Your weight can also play a part in which size glove you should use. The smaller gloves such as the 10 ounces are seen in fighters up to 150lbs, while the 16-ounce gloves are seen in fighters over 175lbs. It may take some testing out but for the most part we see 14 and 16-ounce gloves used for training and fight preparation.
The three main boxing glove uses would be training/fitness aka pad work, sparring, and fight night. Each require a specific glove because the glove weight/size will depend on what the task at hand is. If you are doing things such as the heavy bag or sparring an opponent, then we would recommend the heavier types of gloves. Particularly the 14 or 16-ounce gloves. As mentioned above this will help with stamina and protection of you and your opponent in preparation for fight night. The only time I would see a laced-up glove making sense is on fight night and those gloves would range in the 10–12-ounce range. Overall, it is up to the fighter to decide what type of training session they would want, whether it be stamina or speed they are trying to increase with the glove they choose.
Boxing gloves are an essential part of boxing and making the right choice is critical. Each fighter must decide on what glove best suits them and the correct glove weight for what they want to achieve. We at Boxing Highs have our own glove, which is made of leather, has reinforced stitching, shock absorption padding, and extra interior padding for all areas of training. Our gloves range from 10 ounces to 16 ounces and can be used on heavy bags, for sparring, and pad work. You might just need to get yourself multiple pairs!
What size boxing gloves do you like most? What's your favourite pair of boxing gloves? Let us know in the comments below!
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