Boxing is one of the world’s most popular sports. Some of the world’s biggest sporting names made their reputation in the world of boxing. Famous boxers such as Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather are known across the globe for their dynamic performances in the ring. Boxing was made more famous by movie series such as Rocky and Creed, which showed the gruelling lives of boxers. Previously, boxers usually fought with bare hands. It didn’t take long to realise that boxing with bare hands wasn’t such a wise idea. The boxers suffered major injuries, which often led to debilitating long-term effects.
As a result, boxing gloves were introduced. Glove designs were pretty crude in the beginning, covering only the knuckles and not providing proper impact protection. However, over the years, sporting companies around the world have introduced a variety of different designs. As research and technology has improved in the past century, companies have introduced a variety of different types of gloves that are designed to protect the boxer’s hands and avoid serious injuries. However, if you are interested in buying gloves for boxing, there are many important factors that you need to know.
Size
The first thing that you need to check is the size of the glove. These gloves are generally available in three main sizes: small, medium and large. Some gloves are designed specifically for men, while others are designed primarily for women’s or children’s hands. Women’s gloves are more flexible and run much smaller compared to men’s gloves. You should know that the glove sizes aren’t standardised, which means that the sizes will vary from one manufacturer to another. You need to buy gloves that are big enough to allow hand wraps to fit inside. Hand wraps offer additional protection. Make sure the gloves aren’t too tight with the hand wraps inside. The leather must not stretch once you insert your hand in the glove.
Weight
The weight of the glove generally depends on upon the amount of padding. If you buy gloves with additional padding, they will have more weight. More weight means slower punches, which may throw you off your game. The types of gloves you buy depend on upon your weight class. Before buying any type of gloves, you should always put them on and shadowbox a bit in order to get an idea of how the gloves feel on your hands.
Material
Most gloves are either made out of leather or vinyl. Leather gloves are obviously more expensive. However, you will get a lot of benefits for the added premium. For starters, leather gloves are breathable. They last longer and are also made from high-quality materials. Vinyl gloves are less durable, but they are more affordable and also quite easy to clean.
When it comes to buying gloves for boxing, you should set up a budget and then consider your options. Branded gloves are obviously more expensive. If you are just getting into boxing for the first time, it might not be a wise idea to buy expensive gloves.
