One of the most important pieces of equipment or gear you need as a boxer is, of course, a pair of boxing gloves. By pairing your gloves with the right weight can help boxers with the quality of their punches. It is not only your technique and the hours you out in your training, but it is also the gloves you use.
Boxing gloves are protective gear and they perform best when they are properly sized. It depends also on how you are using those gloves because there are gloves for heavy bag training, for sparring and competing. Your body weight is also a key factor when it comes to choosing the right gloves for you.
How to measure for the right size boxing glove?
Boxing gloves are at their very best when they fit snug on your hand. Therefore, you need to know how many ounces work best for your boxing goals. Yes, we mean ounces because boxing gloves sizes are measured in ounces, from 6oz. to 20oz. However, your height, weight and circumference of your dominant hand also play an important role.
So, first of all, you need to measure your height and weight yourself. Then, you need measuring tape to wrap around your dominant hand to know what the circumference is. With these facts, you will be able to know the ounces on boxing gloves that you need.
If you do not have a measuring tape, you can wrap a string around your hand, mark it, and then place it next to a ruler to know the measure. You should do this in the center of your palm to get a clear number. In fact, according to Dick’s Pro Tips, the hand measure will be more accurate than the height and weight measures for choosing your boxing gloves.
What type of boxing gloves are there?
As we told you before, there are different types of gloves, depending on what you want to achieve or the purpose you will be using them for. In total, there are three types of boxing gloves and two styles that are for competition.
Bag gloves
These are meant to be used on the heavy bag, speed bag, or pad training as well (you may want to take a look at some of the best boxing gloves for men and women this year). Bag gloves have less padding in the knuckles and the reason is to allow the boxer to feel the punches and become used to the impact, which will help them correct the technique and improve.
Training gloves
These gloves are ideal for those who are new to the sport. They have sufficient padding that is good for both the heavy bag and for sparring as well. However, they are more of an introductory glove for novices, but it doesn’t mean that veterans in the sport won’t use them for training sometimes too.
Sparring gloves
These gloves are specifically for sparring and they come with extra padding to protect your partner and also yourself when punching. You can use the same size chart for your sparring gloves, but it is ok to go up a little bit for extra protection.
Competition boxing gloves
Finally, there are boxing gloves specifically for competitions and fights. They have less padding in the knuckles and your opponent will feel the strikes you give him or her. They come for two different levels: amateurs and professional fighting gloves and they follow sizing according to the weight divisions (you can read more about weight classes here).
“A good way to typically identify amateur gloves is by the red or blue color scheme accompanied by a white knuckle overlay for easier scoring by judges”, you can read in Dick’s Pro Tips.
Boxing gloves sizes, how to choose the right one?
This information will help you know what boxing gloves you need for your boxing training:
Amateur boxing
Amateur boxing gloves come in three sizes:
| Weight class | Boxer weight | Gloves |
| Under light welterweight | 141 pounds | 10 ounces |
| Welterweight – Super heavyweight | 152 pounds – over 201 pounds | 12 ounces |
| Masters division fighters (+41 years old) | — | 16 ounces |
Professional boxing
As for pro fighting gloves, these are divided into two categories:
| Weight class | Boxer weight | Gloves |
| Welterweight | 147 pounds | 8 ounces |
| Super welterweight and up | 154 pounds | 10 ounces |
What gloves do I need for training?
The above are gloves used for competition in amateur or professional settings. However, if you are just looking for gloves to train at your boxing gym or at home, you can use this chart as a reference:
| Boxer’s Weight | Hand Circumference without Wrap | Weight Size |
| 90 – 120 pounds | 5.5” – 6.5” | 8 oz. |
| 120 – 150 pounds | 6.5” – 7.5” | 10 oz. |
| 150 – 185 pounds | 7.5” – 8.5” | 12 oz. |
| 185 pounds and over | 8.5” – 9.5” | 14 oz or 16 oz. |
The first ones on this chart are best for bag or pad workouts and the others, including 18 and 20 oz. are more commonly used as boxing gloves for sparring.
If you are also wondering about how to choose headgear, you can use this chart to figure out what you need (which is also useful if you are buying your gear online):
| SMALL (S) | MEDIUM (M) | LARGE (L) | X-LARGE (XL) | |
| inch (circum.) | 20.875″ – 21.625″ | 22″ – 22.75″ | 23.25″ – 24″ | 24.375″ – 25.25″ |
| cm (circum.) | 53 cm – 55 cm | 56 cm – 58 cm | 59 cm – 61 cm | 62 cm – 64 cm |
| US Size | 6 5/8 – 6 7/8 | 7 – 7 1/4 | 7 3/8 – 7 5/8 | 7 3/4 – 8 |
| Boxer’s Weight | Up to 132 lbs(Up to 60 kg) | 135-165 lbs(61-75 kg) | 165-190 lbs(75-86 kg) | 190 lbs & over(86 kg & over) |
Have you decided yet what boxing gloves you need? We hope you have found this information useful and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate and leave your comment below! And don’t forget to take a look at these amazing boxing home workouts you can do while in quarantine!
