Rival boxing gloves are one of the only ways to protect your hands during training and fights, along with boxing bandages. Even though there are different types of gloves for boxing, in this article we want to focus on the classic gloves.
Introductory overview of rival boxing gloves
Right at the beginning of this very long and informative article, we want to provide a small overview and compare a few rival boxing gloves in a table. Extensive details on the individual models can then be found in the linked test reports.
Why wear rival boxing gloves ?
Why should you even wear rival boxing gloves ? Well, that depends a little on the goal you are pursuing. In principle, however, the following applies: The boxer's hands and the face or limbs of a boxing partner, whether in training or in a fight, are protected by the padding of the gloves.
And even if the appropriate gloves are worn in real boxing matches, you can see again and again that the opponents have swollen cheeks, bleeding lips and black eyes. These supposedly minor injuries alone make it clear how important it is to wear these mittens to protect your opponent.
But your own body is protected, because every blow is followed by a rather abrupt and therefore violent impact. With every impact, an incredible amount of energy is released, which has to be absorbed by both your boxing partner or punching bag and your own limbs.
In one's own body, the energy is mainly absorbed by the bones and joints in the arms and partly in the upper body. This puts a lot of strain on the joints and tendons in particular and means an increased risk of injury for the boxer.
The following injuries are the most common in boxing: sprained wrists, overstretched tendons, broken fingers, chipped bones, hairline fractures and complete bone fractures.
To prevent such injuries, you should wear your pair of rival boxing gloves at all times when boxing! Therefore, please remember to order a matching pair of rival boxing gloves when you buy a punching bag . Alternatively, you can of course also buy a punching bag set directly, which includes the rival boxing gloves and other training material.
Different types of rival boxing gloves
In boxing, a distinction is made between three different situations when it comes to gloves, for each of which there is a suitable type of glove. A distinction is made between the situations of training on a punching bag, sparring (boxing training with a training partner) and real competition. We will now show you what that means for the rival boxing gloves :
Batting gloves
Punching gloves are often used for training on the punching bag. Unlike rival boxing gloves for competitions, the thumb is not sewn on to allow the gloves to be put on and taken off independently.
Another difference is the significantly thinner padding of the gloves, which allows for better impact feedback, making it much easier to improve your own impact technique.
When training on the punching bag, it is not absolutely necessary to wear appropriate punching gloves, but it is highly recommended, because depending on the punching technique, you will otherwise quickly have abrasions and other unnecessary injuries on your hands. Wearing at least bandages is highly recommended.
Common weight range is: 8 to 12 oz
Sparring Gloves
Sparring is boxing training with a real partner. In this case, not only your own hands but also the body of the partner with whom the sparring exercises are carried out must be protected.
Therefore, this type of mittens are much thicker than the gloves just described. Due to the thicker padding, the curvature in the front area of the glove is automatically larger. In addition to sparring, these gloves can of course also be used for training on the punching bag, but the feedback is not so good.
Overall, the sparring gloves are already very similar to the competition gloves that we will present next.
Common weight range is: 14 to 18 oz
competition gloves
As already mentioned, competition gloves are very similar to sparring gloves. However, they must meet certain standards that are prescribed by national and international boxing associations.
Such norms include, for example, the thickness of the padding, the padding material used, how the thumb is sewn on and how the rival boxing gloves are fixed to the wrist; usually always by means of lacing.
Corresponding competition gloves are usually significantly more expensive than the other two types and are specially marked by the manufacturer.
The usual weight is: 10 oz
Are boxing bandages necessary?
Bandages serve to protect the joints and bones. Although rival boxing gloves cushion the hardness of a blow, a not insignificant force can still act on the hand and wrist.
Boxing bandages stabilize the hand and the joint so that sprains or other injuries are less likely to occur.
Boxing bandages are worn in addition to rival boxing gloves and are another means of protecting your hands from damage. This also applies to kickrival boxing gloves , under which such bandages should also be worn.
However, mixed martial arts are different; here only the MMA gloves are worn as protection for the hands, because boxing bandages would otherwise restrict the freedom of movement of the hands too much.
Point loads can be distributed somewhat better and their damaging effect is thus mitigated. When training on a punching bag, you should at least train with bandages, better still with a combination of bandages and rival boxing gloves . But at least wear either bandages or rival boxing gloves .
One answer to the question of whether bandages are necessary is the answer at this point: yes! In order for the bandages to be effective, however, it depends on the correct winding.
Find the right size
Red rival boxing gloves for boxing training
When it comes to buying rival boxing gloves , of course you also need to know how to determine the right size.
This is where terms such as size and weight come into play, because rival boxing gloves are actually given a weight in oz (ounces) and less with an indication of the circumference.
However, we want to show you how you can derive the right weight below:
The size of the rival boxing gloves is determined using the circumference of the hand. This is determined by measuring with a tape measure at the height of the knuckles (below). The thumb is not included. Right-handers measure their right hand, left-handers measure their left.
On average, women have a hand circumference of about 17.5 to 22.5 centimeters. In males it is 17.5 to 24 cm. Rival boxing gloves are often kept in one size, one each for men, women and children, and differ only in weight.
However, if you find classic size information, you can use the following table to determine the right size:
Common sizes Hand circumference (cm)
S 15,4 – 17,8
M 17,8 – 20,3
L 20,3 – 22,9
XL 22,9 – 25,4
However, the choice of gloves based on ounces, i.e. weight, is usually more decisive. The following table shows how many grams each boxing glove weighs in oz:
weight in ounces weight in grams
6 170,1
8 226,8
10 283,5
12 340,5
14 396,9
16 453,6
18 510,3
While 6-8 ounces is a good size for kids and sometimes lightweight or women's competition size, 10 ounces is the standard competition size par excellence. 12 ounces is a commonly used weight for punching gloves, so suitable for punching bag training.
From 14 ounces we are in the realm of sparring. 16-18 ounces are also intended for sparring or for heavyweight fights.
Rival boxing gloves for children
Rival boxing gloves in sizes from 6 to 8 ounces are suitable for children. Especially as a beginner, you usually use lighter rival boxing gloves at first. If the children get older and reach adolescence, rival boxing gloves with 10 ounces can also be used.
What you should pay particular attention to with gloves for children, we have described in detail in the article about children's rival boxing gloves . Because especially the small and still growing children's hands need sufficient protection when boxing to avoid permanent damage.
Rival boxing gloves for women
There are no special women's rival boxing gloves . Only the weight of those for women should be chosen correspondingly lower, so that they also fit ideally in terms of size. In addition to the weight, there are also various pairs of gloves in feminine colors such as pink and rose. Whether that meets the respective taste is of course up to each lady herself.
Rival boxing gloves for beginners
As a beginner, you will probably start with gloves around 8 to 10 ounces. The 10 ounce version in particular is also suitable for competitions. If you then want to do sparring, you can use rival boxing gloves with 12 to 14 ounces.
Rival boxing gloves for professionals
Professional boxers rarely only have one pair of rival boxing gloves , but usually three or more pairs, i.e. one each for punching bag training, sparring and the actual competition.
Buy the perfect boxing glove cheaply
If you buy rival boxing gloves you should not save in the wrong place, because these mittens protect your hands and joints with every punch. In this buying guide we explain step by step how to buy the perfect boxing glove.
It doesn't matter whether you're training on a punching bag or in a ringfight; You should always wear rival boxing gloves , because this is the only way to protect your hands and joints from injuries caused by the hard impact. When fighting properly, the boxing glove also protects the opponent from serious injuries.
After we have already reported in detail about size, weight and tips worth knowing about rival boxing gloves , we now want to come to the purchase of perfectly fitting rival boxing gloves .
Choosing the right type of rival boxing gloves
The design of the rival boxing gloves is not the same for every type of boxing, but there are sometimes significant differences, which we would like to briefly list again below. In this article we only deal with gloves for adults and present the children's rival boxing gloves again in a separate article.
The glove for classic boxing is available in three different versions, which mainly differ in weight. This is given in ounces (oz), with 1 oz corresponding to about 28.35 grams.
Competition rival boxing gloves :
The weight of competition gloves is precisely defined and the closure must be done with lacing. The weight is 8 oz, 10 oz and 12 oz. In general, the competition gloves are lighter than those used during training and the thumb is sewn in, which makes it impossible to put them on or take them off yourself.
Punching gloves:
These 8 to 18 oz gloves are mainly for training on the punching bag and can also be used for sparring.
Sparring gloves:
These are extra soft rival boxing gloves with 16 to 18 oz so that the training partner is not put under too much strain.
Summary: In general, punching gloves should be used for training on the punching bag. These can also be used for training with a partner, but in this case an additional pair of gloves (sparring gloves) would be highly recommended. Before you buy any gloves for competitions, you should read the regulations of the umbrella organization and buy rival boxing gloves according to these specifications.
Choose the right size or weight
After the decision for one of the 3 types has been made, it is a matter of choosing the right size.
In most cases, rival boxing gloves are sold in one size because most adult hands are similar in size. However, the hand sizes between men, women and children differ greatly. Therefore, with one size, you should make sure that the model is for men, women or children's rival boxing gloves .
When ordering a glove, however, you should also pay attention to the weight. Although this is already roughly specified by the type of boxing glove, it can differ depending on the size. Here it also partly depends on the preferences of the boxer.
Faux leather or real leather?
The question of whether buying a boxing glove made of real leather is really worth it is asked to us quite often and we have therefore decided to include the answer here.
In general, we recommend buying rival boxing gloves made of real leather because they are simply more robust and therefore more durable. Even if today's artificial leather has gotten better and better and the tear resistance has also been significantly improved, artificial leather simply does not come close to the quality of real cowhide.
However, we must also say very clearly that such leather rival boxing gloves are usually significantly more expensive. So you should think carefully beforehand whether boxing is just a short-term phase or whether you really want to train for the long term.
Buy expensive or cheap rival boxing gloves ?
This question also reaches us more frequently and unfortunately it is not possible to give a general answer to this question!
Rival boxing gloves are simply part of boxing and cost money. Depending on the brand, material and design, you can pay €25 or over €300 here.
As with many other products, one cannot say that expensive is better. It is much more important to buy rival boxing gloves that fit very well and are made of good materials.
Our recommendations
Our absolute favorite among the rival boxing gloves for private use is the BENLEE Marciano made of genuine leather.
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