Your Personal Guide to Boxing Glove Sizes
Wearing the right boxing glove during training is essential for your success. Think of it like running. The right shoes can make a big difference.
A solid running shoe won't turn you into an ultra-marathoner overnight, but have you ever tried running in heels? (You don't have to answer that.)
Here's another way to look at it: imagine hitting a heavy bag with your bare knuckles for eight, 3 minute rounds. Sure, you can do it.
But eventually, you will hurt your hands. Or (at the very least) break the skin on your knuckles.
There's no shame in that. Even bare knuckle boxers wrap their wrists during competition.
In order to help you avoid injuring your hands, we'll help you understand how much boxing gloves weigh, why it matters, and which gloves we recommend.
Understanding Boxing Glove Sizes
For boxing gloves, sizes are determined by how much they weigh in ounces. Most boxing gloves tend to weigh between 8 and 16 ounces.
Keep in mind that weight isn't the only factor. Hand size and purpose matter too.
Consider Your Hand Size and Body Weight
While your specific hand size and body weight can influence glove choice, we recommend that you wrap your hands and use the gloves that are most appropriate for the activity.
Some glove manufacturers offer size estimations based on factors like hand circumference. We prefer to offer guidance based on when and where you'll be using them.
What do we mean by that? Most boxing gloves today are designed for specific events or workouts.
For example, you wouldn't typically see 16 ounce gloves being used in a lower weight class boxing match. If you've never sparred before and get the chance to, your sparring partners are most likely wearing 16 ounce gloves on sparring days.
Common Sizes and Their Uses
As we mentioned, most boxing gloves you can buy fall somewhere in the weight range between 8 and 16 ounces.
8 and 10 ounce gloves are most commonly used during competition. 12 and 14 ounce gloves may also be used in competition, but are usually reserved for higher weight classes.
Most boxers wear either 14 or 16 ounce gloves for sparring, hitting the bag, and pad work.
The bottom line?
Heavier, denser gloves help protect your hands and softer gloves help protect your sparring partner.
Choose the Right Size for Your Training Needs
While this chart is a great reference, it doesn't account for the rules and regulations of different boxing and/or fight organizations. Think of the sizing chart as a general rule of thumb for most people.
For Pad Work, Sparring, and Heavy Bag Training
If you can only get one pair, go with 16 ounce gloves. This will cover all of your bases.
You can use them for pad work, sparring, and heavy bag training. While there may come a time when you want to branch out and try a different size, we always recommend that adults start with 16 ounce gloves.
It will all make sense after you spend some time getting used to hitting the heavy bag for multiple rounds throughout an hour long training session.
For Professional (and Amateur) Competition
Unlike during training, the gloves you wear in competition aren't for you to decide. Every respectable boxing, kickboxing, and Muay Thai promotion have rules and regulations that determine the size you wear.
In One Championship kickboxing fights, Bantamweights wear 8 oz. gloves and Featherweights wear 10 oz. gloves. The smaller the gloves, the higher the chance of damage or knockout (especially in higher weight classes).
Things to Consider When Buying Youth Gloves
Youth gloves are the exception to all of this. Kids sizes can drop below the typical 8 oz weight limit. (Just because a glove is an 8 oz. glove doesn't mean it will fit your kid's hands the way you want it to.)
You can get 4 and 6 ounce gloves that are pre designed to fit more snugly on smaller hands. When you're buying for kids, pay special attention to not only the weight in ounces, but the reviews.
Also, keep in mind that because most kids don't have the power to throw punches with a huge amount of force, they don't need the extra cushion that a 16 ounce glove provides.
Top 4 Recommended Boxing Gloves
If we had to offer one piece of advice, it would be this: don't sacrifice quality for cost. It can be surprising how fast a cheap pair of gloves wears out.
Plus, your hands are (mostly) irreplaceable. Learn how to properly wrap your hands and invest in your future health.
Based on that and all of the other factors we've discussed so far, these are our top 4 recommendations:
- Most Popular: Fairtex BGV1
- Most Stylish: Fairtex X URFACE Limited Edition Muay Thai Boxing Gloves
- Most Affordable: Revgear - S5 All-Rounder Boxing Gloves
- Most Versatile for Youth: RDX Kids Boxing Gloves
Most Pouplar: Fairtex BGV1
Comfort: 9/10
Durability: 9/10
Most Stylish: Fairtex X URFACE Limited Edition
Comfort: 9/10
Durability: 8/10
Most Affordable: Revgear S5 All-Rounder
Comfort: 8/10
Durability: 9/10
Most Versatile for Youth: RDX Kids Gloves
Comfort: 8/10
Durability: 8/10
Choose Wisely - Your Hands (and Training Partners) Will Thank You
The fact that you're reading our guide, proves that you understand the importance of investing time in making sure you do your research. While the perfect fit honestly doesn't exist, you can come pretty close.
Remember, if you can only get one pair, we recommend 16 ounce gloves. Protecting yourself and the limbs you use to train is just as important as training itself.
If you have any questions about which size to get, send us a message and we'll help you out.
