Boxing gloves are cushioned gloves that fighters wear on their hands during boxing matches. The term also refers to gloves used in training, though these often differ from competition gloves. Modern boxing gloves were developed to protect the hands of the striker during a bout (as opposed to the ancient cestus, developed as a weapon), though specialised gloves are now available for competitions, sparring practice and other types of training. The use of modern boxing gloves typically results in fewer superficial facial injuries but greater brain damage to participants, also it is known that gloves reduce about 70% of the punching force of the striker.
Boxing gloves come in different styles and weights, and are often worn over hand wraps, which help stabilize the fist area against injuries such as the eponymous boxer's fracture of the fifth metacarpal. Speed gloves are relatively light vinyl or leather mittens primarily designed to protect the athlete's hands against scrapes and contusions when doing very light "bag work" such as on a stand-mounted speed bag. Bag gloves are cushioned to protect the athlete against the progressively heavier focuses of striking other punching bags; these are the gloves most recommended by trainers for all boxing training, especially for non-sparrers. Sparring gloves are designed to protect both athletes during practice bouts. Professional fight gloves are also designed to protect both athletes, but are generally less padded. Sparring gloves may range from 14 oz to 20 oz, while bag gloves, amateur and professional fight gloves range from 8 to 10 ounces. In competition gloves are laced up and then sealed with tape before the match. The tape is then signed by an official to ensure that it is not tampered with. However training gloves usually use velcro rather than laces so that athletes can more easily get their gloves on and off.
Gloves used in amateur boxing are frequently red or blue, with a white "scoring area" to help judges more easily see and record points. Common weights for gloves in the United States are sixteen, twelve and eight ounces. Many athletes train with heavier gloves than they will use in competition as a way to increase endurance.
The most common sizes for gloves run small, medium and large. The most common sizes for gloves are:
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8 oz. - common for competitive boxers
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10 oz. - common for competitive boxers
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12 oz. - common for women and people with small hands for training
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14 oz. - common for average size people for training
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16 oz. - common for people of all sizes for training
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18 oz. - commonly used for larger weight classes for training
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20 oz. - commonly used for larger weight classes for training
Is it therefore possible to have for example: 12 oz. gloves in small, medium, and large? The answer is yes, but not in all cases. It will depend on the manufacturer of the glove.
It is common for you to see this:
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Small - 12 oz.
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Medium - 14 oz.
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Large - 16 oz.
Professional boxers that fight in the ring always wear 8 oz. or 10 oz. gloves. But since there are so many different sizes of fighters and so many different weight classes these fighters will need different sizes of gloves.
In this example you can have a 10 oz. glove in small AND you can have a 10 oz. gloves in size medium, large, and XL.
Common sense would indicate that as the glove gets bigger the weight increases. In many cases this is true. However, professional fight gloves are manufactured to have the same weight regardless of the size.
Two important things to note when choosing glove size:
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The glove will stretch - like a good pair of shoes. The more you use them, the more they will stretch to fit your hand. So the best gloves for you will probably not fit perfectly when they are brand new. You might want to consider buying them to be a little tighter fitting than you think.
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Make sure there is room for hand wraps. Do NOT buy gloves without wrapping your hands and trying them on. It is very important for you to wear hand wraps and you do not want to get your new gloves and realize after the fact that they won't fit while you are wearing your hand wraps.
Leather vs. Vinyl:
Generally leather gloves are higher quality and will last longer than vinyl gloves. However, these days it is possible to find good quality vinyl gloves. As you would expect leather gloves are more expensive. Many people associate vinyl with cheap boxing gloves.
Most vinyl gloves are used for cardio kickboxing and leather gloves are used for most anything else. When it comes to boxing gloves.
What are the most common mistakes made when caring for boxing gloves?
The most common mistake people make after using their gloves is to drop them in their gym bag and zip it up. This is a problem because after their use, the gloves are usually sweaty and wet. If gloves do not dry out properly they grow a fungus that causes a foul smelling odor. The next time you pull them out of your bag you get a whiff of some foul smells!
The best method for glove care is to let the gloves dry out after each use. You can do this by making a drying tree or hanging the gloves somewhere when you get home. Also it is very popular to buy a glove deodorant. It is common now to find glove deodorants that you can spray in the gloves after each use. These deodorants kill the fungus that causes the bad smells and will prolong the life of your gloves.
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