Boxing Gloves

Boxing gloves are cushioned gloves that are worn by boxers during training sessions and boxing competitions. Training gloves  are usually more padded than competition gloves. The purpose of boxing gloves is to protect the hands of the puncher so as to reduce damage from landing heavy blows. As a side effect they also reduce the impact and force of the landed blow by around 30%. This leads to less cuts and facial injuries which allows matches to continue for longer.

Boxing gloves come in different styles and weights, and are often worn over hand wraps, which help stabilize the fist area against injuries such as the eponymous boxer's fracture of the fifth metacarpal.

Boxing Glove Types

Speed gloves are relatively light vinyl or leather mittens primarily designed to protect the athlete's hands against scrapes and contusions when doing very light "bag work" such as on a stand-mounted speed bag.

Bag gloves are cushioned to protect the boxer against the heavier impact from hitting punching bags; this type of boxing glove is often recommended by trainers for all boxing training, especially for non-sparrers.

Sparring gloves are designed to protect both athletes during practice bouts.

Sparring gloves are also commonly called training gloves, and range in weight from 6 to 20 oz.  Junior boxing gloves tend to be lighter gloves ranging between 6 and 8 oz. Adults use 10 to 20 oz gloves the most popular weight being 14 oz. Many athletes train with heavy gloves between 16 and 20 oz to increase endurance.

Training gloves usually use velcro rather than laces so that athletes can more easily get their gloves on and off.

Contest gloves are also designed to protect both athletes, but are generally less padded. Boxing gloves are 8 ounces in weight for Contests from Flyweight to Welterweight and 10 ounces for Contests from Light-middleweight upwards. Breaking by twisting, removal of padding by fingering and thumbing from the potential part of the boxing glove is prohibited. In all female contests boxing gloves are 10 ounces in weight. All boxing gloves used for professional boxing must be thumb attached. In competition, the gloves are laced up and then sealed with tape before the match. The tape is then signed by an official to ensure that it is not tampered with.

Amateur boxing gloves are usually red or blue, with a white "scoring area" to help judges more easily see and record points. All Amateur contest gloves have to be approved for use by the ' Amateur International Boxing Association '  ( AIBA ). AIBA approved boxing gloves are 10 oz in weight. 

Care and Cleaning of Boxing Gloves

The damp and warm conditions found within worn boxing gloves are a breeding ground for germs. If possible try to dry out your boxing gloves in the fresh air, don't leave them to fester in your kit bag. A good tip is to stuff your boxing gloves with scrunched up newspaper or paper towell immediatley after use and then open them up and allow to fully dry. Some people like to use air freshner or baking soda to freshen up their gloves and this seems to work to some degree but can lead to skin irritation. Another method  is to place the boxing gloves overnight in a freezer. Freezing does not kill all the bacteria, yeasts or molds present in the boxing gloves, it does however prevent their multiplication if the gloves are held at 0°F or less. Of course when thawed, the surviving organisms can multiply again, so this is not a method we can recommend. Don't forget that you wraps are also harbouring a lot of bugs, get two pairs then you can have one pair in use whilst the other is in the wash.

Impact of boxing gloves on safety and injuries

The impact of boxing gloves on the injuries caused during a fight is a controversial issue. Most reputable studies have shown that gloved fights cause more severe and more long-term brain and eye injuries than bare-knuckle fights, although the incidence of superficial injuries (cuts, bruising) is reduced. In part this can also be attributed to more, shorter rounds in modern fights made possible by the use of gloves, which results in longer fights than previously. Modern boxing gloves allow boxers to punch harder while reducing the hand injuries suffered . It is interesting to note that before gloves were introduced, boxers rarely hit to the head, because of risk of breaking their own fists. Such research is often ignored by boxing promoters, as there is a feeling that the public prefer longer matches to shorter fights with early knockouts.

History

The use of hand protection in fighting contests undertaken for sport has been known since at least Ancient Greece. In the 2nd Century, Clement of Alexandria credited the mythological Amycus, son of Poseidon and King of the Bebryces in Anatolia, with having invented boxing gloves. However, both the boxing gloves and the sport of boxing itself were very different from modern boxing. In Ancient Greece, it was common practice to tie strips of leather round the hands for protection. In Roman times, this developed into the gladiatorial cestus, with metal added to the gloves to inflict greater damage. The use of the cestus was banned c. 50BC, and 'boxing' was banned under Arcadius in 393AD.

Boxing experienced a revival in Britain around the 17th century. Many bouts were fought with bare knuckles and with no standard rules until the London Prize Ring rules, though sometimes gloves were worn. Gloves were mandated by the Marquess of Queensberry rules which were published in 1867. Subsequently, the popularity of bare knuckle fights has waned, and they are now of dubious legality in some countries.

The modern padded glove probably owes its origin to Jack Broughton, who created a form of boxing glove (referred to as 'mufflers') in the 19th century.