Competition gloves are professional boxing gloves used for combat sports and competitive purposes in boxing, kickboxing, MMA, and Muay Thai. Ideally, competitive gloves are somewhat lighter than regular boxing gloves as they have less padding. Less padding enables the fighters to lend more impact and damage to the opponent.
Infinitude Fight competition gloves weigh from 8oz to 10oz depending on the body type and weight division.
The first rule of thumb to buy boxing gloves is to go a size up if the glove doesn’t fit you properly; however, this is highly subjective.
So let’s discuss the different kinds of competition gloves, shall we?
Boxing Gloves and Amateur Competition Gloves
When it comes to amateur competition gloves, you probably never need to buy these, but one should always know what’s available in the market. Amateur boxing matches usually use a specific type and style of gloves, traditionally provided by the promoters.
The gloves are stereotypical, colored in blues or reds, depending on the fighter’s corner. The knuckles of the amateur competition gloves are highlighted; both of these color features make it easier for the judges to score the fight.
Professional Boxing Gloves
As far as the professional boxing gloves are concerned, one should only worry about them if planning on competing.
As the name represents, professional boxing gloves are specifically designed and built to be used in professional competitions, and due to this fact, the professional gloves sacrifice hand protection and occasionally comfort to maximize the offense and force of impact.
Padding in professional gloves is much firmer, making the gloves small and more compact in design. Pro boxing gloves mean business, as they are designed to land as sharp a blow as possible with each hit.
Pro boxing gloves, however, are not suited for everyday training, and for that matter, should not be used anywhere outside the competition.
Professional boxing gloves USA for most competitions will weigh around 8oz to 10oz max, depending on the weight. Pro gloves are almost always lace-up; as it is with high-level competitions, they do not allow Velcro boxing gloves at all.
What to Avoid?
Never be fooled by the ‘pro-style boxing gloves that are sold at dirt-cheap prices in your local sports shop. Mostly off the rack boxing gloves only use the term “Pro boxing gloves” as a marketing gimmick to sell just your everyday basic training products.
The professional boxing gloves do not come cheap at all, and many pro athletes pay in hundreds of dollars for a quality pair.
Mexican Style Boxing Gloves
The gloves in the early days of boxing were normally big bubbles of padding; however, Mexican-style gloves were unique even then. Why? – the Mexican-style boxing gloves stood worlds apart from boxing gloves due to their sleeker shape and tight padding.
Nowadays, the features of the Mexican gloves are more standardized, and the name has been thrown around a lot more, yet there are few manufacturers that design and sell actual ‘Mexican Style Gloves.’ Mexican gloves are now regarded as a sub-category of professional boxing gloves.
Many a brand create premium gloves that are an excellent example of Mexican style gloves. Mexican gloves have a slightly more snug fit to the hand, along with a longer cuff. However, the prime difference lies in the padding, which is more compact.
Some Mexican gloves still use horsehair to achieve a much firmer padding along with a goatskin leather exterior.
Muay Thai Gloves
Muay Thai is entirely different from boxing, and its specific boxing gloves have developed accordingly.
These gloves mainly target kickboxers as they require a more versatile boxing glove. Thailand, for that matter, has a huge number of manufacturers that are known globally for their specific unique aspects.
Still, many of those focus a lot more on the equally distributed padding – for better protection on the back of the hand. Not only has that but an equally distributed padding but also a better flexibility in the grip, allowing the palm to open and catch kicks.
Many brands also have extra padding down the side of the palm too, and some people look for this shape of Muay Thai gloves, while others do not prefer it at all. However, it is essential to keep in mind the subtle features that make the gloves a bit more suitable for Muay Thai and kickboxing.
Other Types of Gloves
There are few other options of boxing gloves that you should know about. Let’s look at them quickly and break them down, so you know what else is out there in the market while you search for boxing gloves.
However, these gloves are made for much more specific uses and mostly are not suitable for boxing, Muay Thai, or kickboxing.
Traditional bag gloves are relatively smaller in size when compared to regular boxing gloves and also offer minimum protection. The gloves lack a lot of protective properties of full-fledged boxing gloves.
Most gyms won’t even let you use them for training; still, they are sold by many retailers and are mostly thrown into a package deal with punching bags.
However, we personally do not advise using them; in fact, you should steer clear altogether if you can. The shape of such gloves is mostly generic, with minimal wrist support and a little padding.
MMA Gloves
MMA gloves are special gloves that are specifically designed and developed for Mixed Martial Arts. Not actually boxing gloves; they are still used for similar purposes. In contrast to boxing gloves, they are fingerless and often come with an open palm, allowing straightforward grappling.
If you are in training for Muay Thai, you should not use these at all.
Semi-Contact Gloves
Semi contact gloves are another type of boxing gloves that are specifically used as Taekwondo and Karate gloves. To put it out there again, semi-contact gloves are not suitable for Muay Thai or boxing.
At most, these gloves are often a midway point between MMA and boxing gloves. The padding in these gloves is minimal, and usually, they are made from dipped foam.
As they are designed and used for semi-contact sports, they don’t need to, and neither do they offer much protection as the boxing gloves do.
What Boxing Gloves Should I Buy?
Planning to buy competition boxing gloves and wondering what you need? Below are a few major factors to consider before you buy boxing gloves. Ask yourself;
- Do I need gloves for training or competition?
- If for competition, what weight class of gloves is suitable for me?
- If for training, what will the gloves be used for? Bag/pad work, sparring, or both?
- Will you be using the gloves for sports that require catching/blocking the kicks?
- Are you interested in buying specific gloves for each different activity, or only a single pair which you will use for everything?
Ask these questions to yourself, and in light of the information provided above, you will easily be able to identify gloves that you will need.
However, if you are still in doubt, go with your coach’s recommendations or reach out to Infinitude Fight experts for a detailed consultation and advice.
