A question every boxer will ask themselves at some point in their journey, and one with different answers - depending on who you ask. However, there are a few less negotiable factors that help choosing the correct size boxing gloves for yourself.
First of all - size isn’t always the correct phrase, even though we commonly use it. What would be more accurate is ‘weight’. The oz clearly indicates the total weight of each glove, usually mostly representing the amount of padding material used inside the glove.
Actually size, both of the hand compartment as well as the exterior of the glove, vary immensely between different models and brands.
For example, a 16oz HitnMove glove will usually be a lot more compact than common Japanese or Mexican glove models. This is preferred by my many fighters and professionals, as it feels less bulky and allows you to fire off combinations a lot more naturally.
The hand compartments are usually snug as well, designed to shape around your hands as the gloves are broken in - a tailored experience.
The weight on the other hand is much more important when it comes to the actual purpose you have for your gloves. Lighter gloves up to 12oz are exclusively used to work on bags and mitts (unless you are a professional fighter - then your fight gloves will be 10oz or 12oz).
For sparring, anything under 14oz is unacceptable and would lead to exclusion in any serious gym.
Even the 14oz are only suitable for sparring for very light boxers, for others 16oz is the benchmark. Ensuring your gloves have enough padding to not hurt your sparring partners in training is a basic rule in boxing. Therefor, the choice of the right gloves and weight is crucial.
Now this doesn’t tell the whole story yet - as there are variations and exceptions when it comes to 16oz gloves and their compatibility for sparring.
Details Matter, So Does Padding
A great example is Hit N Move’s Compact Series, which is - as clearly disclaimed - only suitable for bag and mitt work. The gloves, which are in the size of a professional 10oz fight glove, hold the weight of 16oz due to the special padding mixture the design team has come up with. However, this padding is only designed to protect your hands - not a potential training partner. Hence, the gloves are a no-go for sparring, despite the fact that they weigh 16oz.
Then there are also brands that are simply known for very hard padding. Especially some of the Mexican brands that prefer Latex padding or mixes are known to come out of the box as a very firm glove, and in some cases also don’t soften up much during a break in process. While a grey zone, those gloves are not the most ethical to use in sparring either.
Hit N Move’s Süvaris and Vector series are both fantastic sparring gloves, with different properties, though both provide comfort, feedback and protection.
With the Süvari series - a true best seller - the team designed a revolutionary new mix of horse hair and foam - offer the puncher the feedback of a horse hair glove, but the training partner the protection of a multilayer foam glove. A palm that allows for very free movement to catch and parry shots, as well as Hit N Move’s staple perfect wrist protection.
The Vector series is introducing a new design, such as a brand new gripbar and lacing system, as well as a mutli-foam padding suitable for both sparring and all other areas of training. More details are to be revealed very soon, when the glove becomes available for pre-order.
Concluding our look into the different sizes and weights of boxing gloves, it is important to note that when it comes to bag and mitt work, sizes and weights are very much down to personal preference and purpose. It is the sparring part of training where there is such thing as serious rules to be respected, in order to protect our training partners.
