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Everyone who is remotely serious about boxing needs their own pair of boxing gloves for training and competing.

Knowing how to choose the best boxing gloves for you can be pretty daunting at first, and it remains a big decision to make, regardless of how many years you’ve been in the gym.

Here, I list my 5 best boxing gloves, and cover everything you need to know before choosing the right pair for you, from what size boxing gloves to get, right through to whether you go for velcro or lace gloves. As a former amateur boxer myself, here are my top picks based on years of experience in the game.

5 Best Boxing Gloves

My top picks for the best boxing gloves available online are:

• Best cheap boxing gloves: RDX Ego (£33.99) 8oz-16oz
• Best boxing gloves for kids: RDX Boxing Gloves
• Best “cool” boxing gloves: Islero EVO
• Best punch bag boxing gloves: Ringside Boxing Gloves
• Best boxing gloves overall: Ringside Boxing Gloves

Best for Budget: RDX Ego

The RDX Ego boxing gloves are the perfect gloves for those on a budget looking for a cheap option which also offers high quality protection. I started with these myself as an amateur boxer and I don’t regret it one bit. They are affordable, nice looking and offer a striking design to match. RDX Ego’s are, quite frankly, the perfect boxing gloves for beginners.

RDX boxing gloves are famous for their affordability along with quality, so you’re in safe hands here.

Best for Kids: RDX Boxing Gloves for Kids

These 6oz and 4oz RDX boxing gloves are ideal for young boxers and the best option for kids who are into training martial arts. With foam padding surrounded by maya hide leather, your child’s hands will be safe and well protected. The hook and loop strap is also perfect for kids, as it’s easy to put on and take off.

Best Design: Islero EVO

Islero Evo are the best ‘cool’ boxing gloves, with their striking design and unique pattern. You’ll certainly turn heads with these, but they are also practical. Islero boxing gloves provide protection and shock absorption via their multi-layered high-density foam core and gel protection. Uniquely, these trendy boxing gloves also include mesh interior for improved breathability. Plus, they’re actually very cheap considering they are so well designed. RDX are likely a better quality glove, but you can’t go wrong for this price, given the protection offered and unique design – just be sure to check the reviews first.

Best Punch Bag: Ringside Pro Fitness Boxing Gloves

These Ringside boxing gloves are the best option for those using the punch bag and especially the heavy bag. After I moved on from the RDX beginner boxing gloves, I actually purchased a pair of Ringside gloves (you’ll see them below) and still use them to this day.

If you want the best protection for your hands, choose the 16oz (most padded) option at checkout. This, along with some hand wraps, will keep your hands safe while hitting the bag. They are durable, easy to use (Velcro straps), and provide plenty of protection.

Best Overall: Ringside Boxing Gloves

Overall, the top-rated, best overall boxing gloves are Ringside gloves. These are my personal favourites. They are well-designed, offer great hand protection, and extremely durable. I have personally experienced this, as the Ringside (gold and black) gloves that I bought over 8 years ago are still fully intact today. Their primary aim is to be used as fitness boxing gloves, but I’ve used these on the bag and in sparring (as long as they’re 14oz or ideally 16oz) and they have served as durable and comfortable boxing gloves.

Read more…

Choosing the Best Boxing Gloves for Training

Best Boxing Glove Brands

What Size Boxing Gloves Do I Need?

What Are the Best Boxing Gloves for Heavy Bag Training?

What Are the Best Sparring Gloves?

Best Punching Bag Gloves

Cheapest Boxing Gloves

Best Boxing Gloves for Beginners

Choosing the best boxing gloves for training

If you’re already training or thinking about heading to a boxing club to start training, it’s important that you know a little bit about boxing and boxing equipment. When you’re deciding on the best boxing gloves or mitts to get, consider:

• Your size (weight) and the size of the gloves you need
• Your style preferences
• Whether you get all-purpose, punch bag, or sparring-specific gloves
• Whether you need any additional padding and protection

And you’ll also have some design preferences, if you want to look as good as you feel while hitting the bag.

What are the best boxing glove brands?

You’ll be bombarded with a variety of different brands if you start looking into gloves online or in-store, but here’s a quick list of the most popular brands:

• RDX Sport
• King
• Grant
• Title
• Rival
• Adidas
• Everlast
• Reyes
• Lonsdale
• Pro-Box

And that’s not the end of it; there’s hundreds of brands out there for you to explore over the course of your venture into boxing.

What size boxing gloves do you need?

What size boxing gloves you opt for depends on many things, including whether you’re a junior or senior, your weight, and what you’re going to use them for (bag-work and pads, sparring or competing).

Boxing glove weights can be quite confusing at first, but there are general guidelines and recommendations to follow, as noted below!

Boxer’s weight	Recommended boxing glove sizes
54kg or less	12oz to 14oz
55kg – 68kg	14oz to 16oz
69-84kg	16oz to 20oz
85kg+	18oz to 20oz

8oz boxing gloves

Let’s be clear – you’ll never want to train in 8oz gloves, regardless of your level.

They’re simply too light and there’s not enough protection.

Some lower-weight professional fights are fought in 8oz gloves, but we’d highly recommend against getting yourself some for training.

Sparring should only ever be done in gloves 14oz and up, depending on your weight – however, the standard is usually 16oz.

10oz and 12oz boxing gloves

10oz boxing gloves are the smallest adult gloves used for training, and their main purpose is to be used on the punch-bag or during pads sessions.

They don’t provide the best padding and the support for your knuckles is limited, so be wary of hitting the heavy bag or doing any sparring in these.

As we mentioned, sparring probably won’t be permitted in 10oz gloves anyway, at most gyms at least.

12oz gloves, on the other hand, can be used for some sparring, but there are some gyms that will only let you spar in 14oz and over.

Because of that, we’d avoid getting yourself these if you want to use them often in the gym.

14oz boxing gloves

14oz boxing gloves are very common for adults, whether they’re professional fighters or casual gym goers.

They provide good protection and there’s plenty of padding for hitting the bags and pads, but heavier boxers may still need to spar in slightly heavier gloves.

These are good all-rounders, they can be used comfortably on the bags, on the pads, and in some lighter sparring.

16oz gloves for boxing: the best size for training

16oz boxing gloves are the most universally accepted sparring gloves, whatever your weight.

They provide incredible support and padding, without feeling like you’ve got giant inflatable toy gloves on.

Anyone 65kg and above should really spar in 16oz gloves, for the sake of everyone’s safety – keeping your hands in good shape and not causing too much damage in sparring.

They are heavier, so expect to feel a little slower than usual if you’re used to training in 12s or 14s, but you’ll feel much better on fight night in 10oz or 12oz gloves if you become accustomed to 16oz.

18oz boxing gloves and above

18oz and 20oz gloves aren’t used very often, unless:

• A) you have very brittle hands and want to protect them,
• B) you are a heavyweight or super-heavyweight.

If you want extra hand protection, then by all means use these boxing gloves, along with a good set of hand wraps.

I recommend getting yourself a pair of 14oz or 16oz gloves to start, but the latter is probably the safest option for most because they are generally accepted in almost all gyms across the globe as sparring gloves, as well as gloves for bag and pad-work.

If you’re a beginner, it’s worth borrowing a pair from the gym for your first couple of sessions and asking a trainer for their advice.

What are the best boxing gloves for heavy bag training?

If you’re going to be slugging away at the heavy bag, you’ll need some gloves that are well-padded, well-made and provide a lot of protection for your hands.

That means you’ll probably be best off using a pair of bag-specific gloves, typically weighing from 14oz to 18oz, depending on your weight and whether or not you have a history of hand injuries.

Be sensible – while it’s tempting to start whacking the heavy back as soon as you walk into the gym, make sure you’re wearing good, strong hand-wraps and an adequate pair of gloves.

What are the best boxing gloves for sparring?

Sparring is no joke. While it may be the most exciting and nerve-racking part of training, it can be dangerous if precautions are not taken. Don’t worry though, your trainers will oversee all of this and ensure the safety of everyone – it’s what they’re there for.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t help them out by wearing the correct size gloves.

There’s always that one person in a gym who thinks they can spar with 8oz or 10oz gloves on – this is a big no. BIG, BIG no.

Gloves around the 16oz mark are the best for sparring, because they will provide great protection for both sparring partners, reducing the damage done to the puncher’s hands and the punchee’s head. Make sense?

It depends on your weight, but rarely will you be allowed to spar in gloves weighing less than 14oz, as it can be dangerous.

Remember, sparring is for learning and trying different techniques, not taking each other’s heads off.

Obviously, we’re talking about adults here. Children have totally different rules, and parents, you will be advised by their trainers.

The absolute priority when sparring is safety – please do wear a safe and well-padded pair of gloves, plus a head-guard.

Related article: How Long is a Boxing Match, Round and Camp?

Best punching bag gloves

The best punch bag gloves can be lighter than those used in sparring, but the general consensus is to get a pair around 14oz and 16oz if you want to properly protect your hands.

Beginners – don’t slam away at the bags until you get your technique right – focus on the basics and really mastering your shots before thinking too much about power.

Remember, you’ll never KO a punch bag; the only casualty will be your poor knuckles.

Get well-padded, punch bag training-specific (or all-purpose) gloves and you’ll be absolutely fine.

Are there any cheap boxing gloves?

Best cheap boxing gloves: RDX Ego 8oz-16oz

Buying cheap boxing gloves is becoming easier today, thanks to the incredible rise of online shopping. Before then, it was actually pretty difficult to pick up a nice pair of gloves, with boxing being such a niche sport.

The best cheap boxing gloves are available online, but be wary of who you buy from. Buy from the most trusted and well-renowned brands that are authorised and have done all the relevant safety checks prior to selling any equipment.

There are tons of genuinely great deals out there on boxing gloves, though, so be sure to shop around before you commit to buying any.

The best boxing gloves under £50 are likely to be bag or all-purpose gloves for beginners, and this is a pretty reasonable price for what you’ll get out of them.

You’ll get a lot more scope and range to choose from if you’re looking for the best boxing gloves under £100, because there’s really no need to spend any more on gloves if you’re just starting out.

Best boxing gloves for beginners

The best boxing gloves for beginners are no different to the best boxing gloves for elites – they need to provide you with good hand protection and padding, they should be comfortable to avoid any thumb breakages, and most of all, they should be within your price range.

Don’t break the bank buying gloves for beginners, you don’t need to.

Beginners should use the gloves provided at their gym for the first few weeks, at least, until they’re sure they want to commit to the sport.

Once they’re sure, ask the trainer for advice and go for a pair that suit your weight and what you’re going to use them for, as mentioned above.

Where To Buy The Best Boxing Gloves

You can buy boxing gloves in-store or online, but in my experience, your best bet is to use a reliable online retailer. Some of the most commonly used retailers are RDX, Amazon, Venum, Sports Direct, Geezers Boxing, and Made4Fighters.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What boxing gloves do professionals use?

The boxing gloves professional boxers use varies between each fight depending on the fighters’ preferences. Some of the most commonly used by professional fighters include:

• Grant
• Reyes
• Adidas
• Everlast
• Fly
• Geezers
• Rival
• Ringside
• Winning

What boxing gloves does Tyson Fury wear?

Tyson Fury’s choice of boxing gloves for Fury vs Wilder 3 was Paffen Sport branded gloves. Notably, Paffen gloves use horsehair padding, whereas most modern boxing gloves use foam padding. These horse hair gloves are considered, in the boxing world, as punchers’ gloves as the padding absorbs sweat and moves around.

Should I get 10oz or 12oz boxing gloves?

Using a heavier boxing glove essentially means that you’re providing your hands with additional padding and protecting. As a general rule of thumb, I always use at least 12oz for bag work and anything above 14oz for sparring. You might find that different boxing gyms have different rules for this.

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