How Heavy Are Boxing Gloves?

Gone are the days where boxing was frowned upon as the black sheep of the fitness world. Today, boxing has made a comeback to become one of the most highly anticipated sports broadcast on ESPN and one of the best ways for those looking to get in great shape.

Although growing in popularity, many people used to not even think twice about boxing for exercise. It was an underground sport for monstrous heavyweight men to take out their frustrations on one another. Back in the day, if you entered a fight camp you were either there as a contender or you did Tae Bo no matter if you were middleweight, featherweight, or welterweight. In addition, with the rise of popular movies like “Rocky” and “Ali” throwing punch after bloody punch in a gruesome battle for the win, it is no wonder why boxing got such a bad rep. 

Okay, So What Changed?

As society evolved, a much-needed focus on fitness and nutrition was born with consumers doing everything that they can to better their overall health and wellbeing. Specialty gyms like CrossFit began to saturate the market showing the benefit of HIIT or high-intensity interval training. People started to notice the astonishing benefits from these HIIT workouts, but everyone is different, and CrossFit just wasn’t for everybody. Consumers began to search for other options that didn’t consist of balancing hundreds of pounds over their heads, but still gave them a full-body workout that left their hearts pounding. 

Around this time, boxing returns to the forefront, rising in popularity and causing fans to take notice of their favorite top rank fighters in the ring constantly waiting for the next showdown or rematch. Some of the most popular have been Tyson Fury, Floyd Mayweather, Anthony Joshua, Mike Tyson, Eddie Hearn, Deontay Wilder, Roberto Duran, Dillian Whyte, Muhammad Ali, and Manny Pacquiao. Although intimidating to many, they all happened to have one thing in common: a perfect physique that helps them become boxing champions. Now, we are always looking forward to the next Las Vegas rematch, World Title match, heavyweight title fight, or just constantly paying attention to boxing news.

Boxing gyms slowly started to enter the fitness industry eventually becoming one of the most highly sought-after ways to exercise. Great clubs like Legends Boxing were created, teaching safe boxing practices while having fun and burning tons of calories! However, if you are just getting into this exciting world of fitness, it is important to understand one of the most important pieces of equipment you’ll need when it boils down to boxing: the gloves.

Boxing Equipment: Gloves

It wouldn’t be boxing without the boxing gloves! Before investing in any type of boxing gloves, it is a good idea to speak with your trainer for recommendations. Gloves come in many different sizes and styles, so it is important to get a good idea as to what you need prior to spending your hard-earned cash. If you find that you are asking yourself, “How heavy are boxing gloves?” then keep reading because what many people do not realize is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. In fact, boxing gloves vary in weight ranging from 6oz. youth mitts to 20oz. heavyweight gloves – it just depends on the purpose of the glove!

Training Boxing Gloves

Training gloves can be used for all types of boxing training to include sparring in a matchroom and hitting bags ringside. The bigger the glove you use, the more padding you will get. This means that the larger gloves will offer your hands more protection. Furthermore, training with a larger padded boxing glove will help beginners to become more accustomed to the weight, therefore their hands will be faster when switching to smaller sized gloves during competition. 

The type of gloves that is purchased is determined by a person’s weight:

• 8oz – 10oz: Common for competitive boxers who compete in main events
• 12oz: Common for women and those with small hands for training
• 14oz – 16oz: Common for people of the average size used for training
• 18oz – 20oz:  Used for people in larger weight classes for training 

Sparring Gloves

Sparring gloves are essentially just gloves that are extra-padded to protect your sparring opponent. Regardless of your weight and size, most boxers will use gloves weighing 16oz or more to spar. However, if you weigh over 175Ibs, 18oz or 20oz is most commonly used.

Bag Gloves

As the name implies, bag gloves are meant to be used in speed bag, heavy bag, or pad training. Bag gloves are designed with less padding in the knuckles than other boxing glove styles. Sure, it may seem counterintuitive to have a glove with less padding, but these specific gloves are constructed this way to allow fighters to feel their punches and become accustomed to the impact. Is a weird or awkward punch is thrown, the fighter should be able to feel it in their glove allowing them to adjust their technique accordingly. 

Competition Boxing Gloves

With less padding in the knuckles, competition-level gloves are designed with the fight in mind. These gloves are built for a fighter’s opponent to feel each strike. There are two levels of competition boxing gloves: professional and amateur. Each has specific sizing per weight division, with amateur gloves being a little bit more regulated due to the stricter rules at this level. 

Sizing

Professional fighting gloves are separated into two size categories:

• Fighters in the welterweight (174Ib.) class and under most commonly wear 8oz gloves
• Fighters in classes super welterweight (154Ib.) and up commonly wear 10oz gloves

Amateur boxing gloves come in three sizes:

• Fighters under the light welterweight class (141Ib.) commonly use 10oz gloves 
• Fighters in classes welterweight (152Ib.) through super heavyweight (over 201Ib.) most commonly uses 12oz gloves
• Masters Division fighters, who are 41 years of age and older most commonly use 16oz gloves

In Closing

So how heavy are boxing gloves? The short answer is: it varies. Boxing is an incredible sport that has come a long way since the gladiator days when fighters would wrap their hands in tough leather enhanced in special copper and iron brackets – ouch! Now we have boxing in the Olympics, alongside organizations like the WBC, WBO, and WBA. Boxing gloves vary in weight, size, style, and have many different purposes. If you are thinking about exploring boxing as a form of exercise, we suggest checking out a top-notch gym like Legends Boxing. The trainers are highly equipped and extremely knowledgeable to help make sure you are protecting your hands and wrists with the correct gloves to help avoid injury. In addition, classes are fun and always changing to keep you on your toes and motivated throughout your fitness journey!