| After many years of Boxing based training and now | | | | gloves made in Pakistan or China and imported here |
| coaching Mixed Martial Arts from a striking point of | | | | under a whole host of brand names, some are ok, |
| view I often get asked which are the best boxing | | | | some even good but for the most they are |
| gloves to buy. | | | | untested, unreliable and poor quality. I recommend |
| The first point is all about size. Boxing gloves | | | | going for a proven brand name such as Top King or |
| don’t come in sizes they come in weights | | | | Fairtex. A good pair of boxing gloves if looked after |
| between 8 and 18oz. 8 or 10oz gloves are | | | | will last years of training whereas a cheap pair |
| competition gloves designed for actual fighting not | | | | you’ll be lucky to get a year out of, the old |
| really for sparring or training in however a lighter pair | | | | saying buy cheap buy twice really applies here. |
| of boxing gloves can be handy for pad work and | | | | The quality of the gloves also has an effect on the |
| very light sparring although generally speaking | | | | safety aspect of using them. I ban cheap gloves |
| purpose built bag gloves are better for pads or bag | | | | from my gym for this reason. Boxing gloves are |
| work. | | | | designed to protect the person you are hitting (an |
| I recommend no smaller than 12oz gloves for any | | | | obvious but often misunderstood concept in |
| training that is likely to involve sparring, 14 or 16oz | | | | beginners) Poor quality padding which wears down |
| however are the norm for sparring with moderate | | | | fast will soon offer only a little more protection than |
| contact. 18oz I tend to see as cumbersome but can | | | | bare knuckles, the Velcro on cheaper imports is often |
| be useful for heavy sparring or for very large guys | | | | not properly covered either so can cause grazes and |
| needing to lower their impact level. For heavy | | | | often infections when making contact with peoples |
| sparring headgear often available from the same | | | | skin. |
| manufacturers as the gloves is probably going to be | | | | So it really is a massive factor to consider if you are |
| more appropriate than really big boxing gloves. | | | | starting out or have been doing this for years, |
| Buying Muay Thai brands such as Top King, Fairtex or | | | | otherwise you could cause some serious damage to |
| Twins gloves is generally a better bet than western | | | | not only yourself but to the person you are fighting |
| boxing brands although most good boxing brands will | | | | with. Is it really worth saving a little bit of money |
| do a job.. In Muay Thai the clinch is an integral part | | | | when in the long run you could be doing some serious |
| of the sport therefore the gloves are a slimmer | | | | damage to yourself? If you are passionate about |
| design which fits in well for MMA training too. | | | | what you do then just take this small factor into |
| Quality is a massively important consideration when | | | | consideration and you will have the last laugh. |
| purchasing boxing gloves. There are many cheap | | | | |