How to Choose the Perfect Boxing Glove Size & Weight
If you’re a beginner boxer, knowing how to land a punch is only half the battle. To realize your full potential as a boxer, the first step is figuring out the perfect glove size and weight for you.
Every set of hands is different, but more importantly, punching a bag and fighting a pro match require different kinds of equipment.
There are a lot of factors for you to consider, but we’ve made it easier for you with the ultimate boxing glove specs guide.
What Is the Perfect Boxing Glove Size & Weight?
Boxing glove sizes are usually represented in weight units. You can find gloves ranging from 6 to 20 ounces, and you should pick yours based on your body weight, hand dimensions, and what you plan on using them for.
Body Weight
| Boxer’s weight | Ideal glove size & weight |
| Up to 45 kg (100 lbs) | 220 g (8 oz) |
| 45 – 57 kg (100 – 125 lbs) | 280 g (10 oz) |
| 57 – 68 kg (125 – 150 lbs) | 340 g (12 oz) |
| 69 – 79 kg (150 – 175 lbs) | 400 g (14 oz) |
| Above 79 kg (175 lbs) | 460+ g (16+ oz) |
Needless to say, the less you weigh, the lighter your gloves need to be to adjust for that. Even if you have perfect form, it can be hard to execute a proper punch if your gloves are bogging you down.
Also, if you’re a complete rookie, the worst thing you can do as a lighter boxer is learn with oversized gloves. The habits you pick up early on are difficult to change down the line, so you need gloves that won’t restrict your range of motion when working on technique.
Boxers weighing under 100 lbs should generally use 8 or 10-oz gloves when training. Any more than that can seriously affect your mobility under most circumstances.
On the other hand, heavier boxers (literally) pack a bigger punch. With that in mind, they need a pair of gloves with more padding to prevent self-inflicted injuries from punching too hard.
This goes double for sparring or pro matches, where adrenaline kicks in and you lose the sense of how heavy your hits are.
If you’re an average-sized guy, you’ll probably want to go for 12 or 14-oz gloves. Heavyweights clocking in at over 200 pounds should go for 16-to-20-oz gloves.
Hand Circumference
In order to measure hand circumference, you’ll either need fabric tape or a piece of string. You should wrap it just below the knuckle, as this is the widest part of your hand. Try to make sure the tape meets at the very center of your palm for added precision.
Most major boxing glove manufacturers will have their own custom circumference guides. Once you have your measurements, consult the company’s website to adjust for possible design differences.
When running the measurements, it’s important to use your dominant hand. After all, whether it’s offense or defense you’re after, this is the hand that’ll be doing most of the heavy lifting, so you need to make sure it’s comfortable.
Also, the dominant hand tends to be slightly larger. It may not be visible to the naked eye, but measuring your non-dominant hand can lead to an uncomfortable fit for the other hand.
Finally, remember that a tighter glove is not a substitute for bandaging your hands. Although your fist may be comfortable, an overly tight glove can chafe or otherwise damage your wrists. Even with the perfect boxing glove size and weight, you shouldn’t forget about peripheral equipment!
Occasion
The ideal boxing glove weight also depends on whether you’re training or duking it out with someone in the ring.
If you’re looking to warm up with a speed bag or you want to do some shadowboxing, try to aim for gloves up to 10 ounces in weight.
The main purpose of these exercises is to perfect your punching speed and technique, as well as to practice your footwork. Adding unnecessary weight at this stage would only hinder your progress.
Things get a little more serious when you start dealing with heavier punching bags. You can scale up to 16 ounces with these, but there’s no need to go over that if you’re of average size. Bone-to-bone contact is a lot more dangerous for your hand than punching a bag, so there’s no need for the extra padding.
On the other hand, you’ll definitely need the padding during a sparring match. The last thing you want is to hurt yourself or your training buddy during practice, so you should go over 16 ounces to ensure your safety and to be a good sport.
It might be a bit counterintuitive, but for professional matches, you’ll actually want lighter gloves than you do for sparring.
The most important factor during a match is often speed, and that’s exactly what a lighter pair of gloves gets you. On top of that, reduced padding means more direct contact with your opponent, meaning your punches will be landing harder.
Glove Style
On that note, there are important design differences between bag boxing and ring gloves, and one of the big ones is weight.
For the most part, professional boxing gloves only go up to 10 ounces. This gives you optimal performance in terms of speed and manoeuvrability.
In other words, if you want to take your boxing to the next level, a single pair of gloves isn’t going to cut it. It can be a bit of an investment, but with proper maintenance, you can keep your training and competition gloves alive and healthy for a long time.
If you feel uncertain about the intended use of a pair of gloves, it never hurts to take a look at the manufacturer’s website. You can usually find detailed information on there about which gloves work best for which situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should my boxing gloves fit?
If you found your perfect boxing glove size and weight, your gloves should fit snugly around your wrist without feeling constrictive. If you can’t close your fist or your glove keeps shifting and sliding, you need to go for a different size.
Should I bandage my hands before putting on boxing gloves?
Seasoned boxers almost never put on their gloves without bandaging first. This is especially important if you’re still working on your technique, as it helps keep your knuckles safer.
Also, bandaging goes a long way in keeping your wrist tendons and ligaments safe. Instability in your wrist during a punch can lead to sprains or worse, so it’s worth taking the extra minute to keep yourself safe.
Finally, when it comes to shock absorption, every little layer helps. Bandages might seem insignificant compared to the padding of your gloves, but the more layers you have between your hand and the point of contact, the better off you’ll be.
Will a heavier glove make me punch harder?
A lot of people seem to think that a heavier boxing glove must lead to heavier punches. This isn’t really true, as the main thing that affects the weight is the amount of padding.
The heavier you are and the harder your punches land, the more cushioning you need to prevent damaging your own hands.
Extra padding also plays an important role in defense. If you’re in a higher-weight category, you’ll be fighting people with comparable punch strength. The better your padding, the more of the impact gets absorbed.
What do I do if my hand is between sizes?
In this case, the perfect boxing gloves size and weight comes down to personal preference. Some boxers are more accustomed to the feeling of a snug fit, in which case they size down. Others prefer to size up since they find the slightly-too-snug fit a bit too distracting.
If your hand is between sizes, you may want to borrow a couple of pairs of gloves from another boxer and test out which size works better for you.
Can younger children use adult boxing gloves?
Just because a featherweight glove fits a child’s hand, that doesn’t mean they should be wearing them. If you want to introduce your kid to the world of boxing, invest in a pair of junior gloves instead.
Children, especially preteens, aren’t fully formed yet. Since their bones are easier to damage, you’ll want a specially designed pair of kids’ gloves because of their extra padding and lower weight.
Are there special boxing gloves for women?
When it comes to training, glove standards are generally the same for everyone – the boxing glove’s size and weight are determined by the same factors for men and women.
Things work a little differently in competitive settings, though. There are brands that design boxing gloves for women – these have a bit more padding around the wrist and the hand itself.
Conclusion
We hope our guide on the perfect boxing glove size and weight helped set you up for success! Long story short, you should consider your hand and body dimensions before committing to a pair of gloves. You should also invest in separate pairs of gloves for training and actual boxing matches.
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