Many brands offer boxing gloves. And almost all of them offer gloves for both professionals and amateurs. It is easy to name a glove that is suitable for amateurs and another for professionals. But! Does the average consumer know what the differences between pro gloves and amateur gloves are?
I will try to clarify that in this article!
Table of content
Understanding the differences. The Size.
Best AIBA approved amateur boxing gloves
Understanding the differences between pro gloves and amateur gloves. The ring and the size.
- Amateur boxing gloves
There are usually two sizes used for amateur boxing gloves i.e 10oz and 12oz.
Many amateur boxers have not yet reached the point of full physical maturity. That is why Amateurs wear larger gloves as a precaution to prevent his body from suffering trauma. The rules for that are very strict.
Amateur fighters who compete between the middleweight and super-heavyweight divisions wear 12-ounce boxing gloves during their fights. Women use 10-ounce gloves regardless of weight class.
The Amateur who fights in the welterweight division and lower use 10-ounce gloves. This rule also applies to boxers who weigh 59 kg/152 pounds or fewer. The lowest weight class in men’s amateur boxing is the light flyweight category, which has a limit of 49 kg/106 pounds.
The Amateur boxing gloves usually come in two colors, red and blue. These colors indicate the color of the corner that the boxer starts the match from.
These gloves used in professional boxing mostly come in 2 sizes i.e 8oz and 10oz.
The strength of the professional boxer`s punch is unparalleled with the other sports, which makes wearing the proper gloves paramount.
When the boxer enters in the professional ranks, the size of his competition glove decreases.
In professional boxing, fighters in the heavier divisions compete in 10-ounce gloves. This rule generally applies for any boxer who weighs more than 67kg/ 147 pounds
The professional boxers who bouts in any class up to and including the welterweight division wear 8-ounce gloves during a match.
The lowest weight category (mini-flyweight) in professional boxing is below 47kg/105 pounds.
Fighters in these categories are extremely fast and the smaller gloves allow a boxer to strike and respond with increased speed. The bouts in this category usually run at high speeds and are very spectacular.
The padding and construction.
- Amateur Boxing gloves
All AIBA-approved amateur gloves are padded with foam.
The main characteristic that differs amateur boxing glove from the pro boxing glove is the safety. All amateur boxing gloves have an increased level of padding around the knuckle area.
The better padding level is specifically designed to absorb the shock and reduce the power of the punch. The distribution of padding in pro boxing gloves is fundamentally different.
To reduce the potential for eye injuring, the thumb on an amateur boxing glove is not independent of the main body of the glove.
Velcro is another feature that distinguishes amateur gloves from those of professionals. Amateur gloves have a Velcro system that allows quick insertion.
This makes it possible to quickly adjust the gloves, as in the rules of many amateur boxing associations the boxer must enter the ring without gloves so that the referee can check the boxer’s bandages.
- Professional Boxing gloves
Professional fight gloves are padded with foam or, more traditionally, horsehair.
The Professional boxing glove has a different type of padding. The purpose of this padding to make damage rather than protection.
The key design characteristic of pro boxing gloves is that the weight/padding tends to be more evenly distributed around the glove and the wrist section of the glove tends to be longer. This results in a thinner glove at the knuckle section. The main result of this design is that the potential for a knock out during a pro fight is greater than it is during an amateur boxing match.
Typically, professional boxing gloves are tied with laces and unlike amateurs, the inspection of the wrist bandages takes place in the dressing room before a pro fight.
The Rules.
- Amateur Boxing gloves
Amateur boxing is very strongly regulated by amateur boxing associations. The gloves must be quality safety-tested before being authorized.
Most amateur boxing associations demand that the amateur boxing gloves used during contests are approved by the Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA). This is mandatory at an international level like the Olympic Games.
AIBA approved amateur boxing gloves have on the wristband a small silver holographic sticker which shows that they are indeed AIBA approved.
Amateur boxing gloves have a white band across the knuckle area; this is the scoring area of the glove. If a punch lands and this white band is not in contact with the target, then this will be classed as a foul punch and the referee will issue a warning.
The AIBA Technical Rules stipulate what gloves must be used in amateur fights.
- The boxer must use for competition, red or blue gloves depending on the color of its corner to the ring.
- Boxers must put their gloves before entering the ring.
- The gloves should be removed immediately after the match is completed and before the announcement of the result.
- The soft filling should not be mixed or torn
- Only clean gloves in good condition are permitted All gloves should be cleaned with 10% sodium hypochlorite solution before reuse.
Specification of the boxing gloves authorized for AIBA
- The glove should weigh 10 ounces (284 grams) and 340 grams (about 12 ounces) with an admissible deviation of 5%, with the weight of the skin not more than half of the total of the weight and the weight of the soft padding total weight must be at least half of their total weight, with the tolerance of 5%.
- The size of the gloves must meet the criteria given in the illustration below.
- In all AIBA or AOB competition gloves with Velcro closure should be used. Closure of the gloves may be covered with a surgical band, a maximum of one layer around the portion of the glove covering the wrist to avoid arcade or skinning the opponent
- The leather part of the boxing gloves should be of high quality, genuine leather: cowhide leather, Grade A leather, other skin of equivalent quality – approved by AIBA
- The thumb must be attached to the main body of the boxing glove from the top, a maximum distance of 10 mm
- The name of the competition may be placed on the gloves, subject to the following positioning and dimensioning requirements: Up to 50 cm 2 / fifty / at the front, top of each glove. The logo of an official vendor can be placed under the following requirements for positioning and dimensions:
- A maximum of 24 cm 2 / twenty-four / on the wrist of each glove
- Any other form of advertising is forbidden, in particular: designer’s logo, logo, signature and manufacturer’s name, etc.
- The AIBA logo should be placed on the inside of the gloves.
- Professional Boxing gloves
AIBA PRO BOXING (APB) COMPETITION RULES
- All APB Bouts must be contested using new boxing gloves that meet the requirements of Rule 11.6 below and that are manufactured by one of the AIBA Official Boxing Equipment Licensees.
- The padding of the gloves must not be displaced or broken
- At Continental and World Level Bouts, APB will be responsible for providing identical pairs of new
- gloves to the Boxers to use in the Bout. At National Level Bouts, the National Federation will be
- responsible for providing identical pairs of officially licensed APB gloves to the Boxers for use in the Bout.
- Boxers must put on their gloves in the respective locker rooms in the presence of an authorized APB Inspector.
- The gloves must be taken off immediately after the Bout is over and before the decision is announced.
Specifications (Rule 11.6)
- The gloves must have tolerance of 5% up or downwards of which the skin portion must not weigh more than half of the total weight;
- Only APB approved gloves with a lace closure system must be used;
- The skin portion of the gloves must be made of high-quality leather such as cowhide leather, Grade A leather or other materials of equivalent quality subject to approval by APB.
- The thumb of the gloves must be fixed to the main body of the gloves with a maximum gap of 10 mm.
- No logos, otherwise than those authorized by APB, must be placed on the gloves.
- The logo of the AIBA Official Boxing Equipment Licensee must be displayed following the AIBA Official Boxing Equipment branding guidelines.
Best AIBA approved amateur boxing gloves
Adidas Aiba Boxing Gloves
Adidas Aiba boxing gloves are one of the gloves that are officially approved for amateur fights. They were the official boxing gloves for the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. Made of high-quality genuine leather and lined with super soft polyester fabric. They offer excellent protection made of High compression IMF foam padding. They are approved and licensed for all AIBA and USA BOXING tournaments and competitions.
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STING AIBA Approved Competition Gloves
Sting boxing gloves are well known among boxers involved in amateur fights. They were the official equipment suppliers for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Sting AIBA boxing gloves are made of a premium leather outer layer and have been tested to withstand more than 10,000 strikes.
They have included in their product several excellent technologies: ‘Hi-Flow Core’ technology, which is injection-molded padding that maximizes impact absorption, Sportline Plus lining (offering moisture protection to help maintain the inner core of the glove).
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Greenhill AIBA Boxing Gloves
These are some of the top-notch gloves in Greenhill’s arsenal. These calfskin boxing gloves are licensed to combatin all Olympic and amateur AIBA boxing competitions. They have Superb padding, they are lightweight, with excellent ergonomic design, good slip resistance, and remarkable wrist support.
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VELO AIBA Boxing Gloves
These gloves are specially designed to meet the requirements and standards of AIBA. They are made of multilayer foam which includes several excellent technologies: IMF injected molded foam, Zyno Teck foam for more durability and impact resistance, Gel Ex foam (absorbs and distributes impact evenly across the surface), Swill mash padding (provides added resistance when met with high-intensity force). They are made of Genuine Cowhide Leather and the wrist protection is provided by a 3 inches Wrist Strap.
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Wesing AIBA Boxing Gloves
Don’t underestimate these china boxing gloves. Wesing is known as “China Adidas”, so there no issues with the quality as you probably will expect from one china made product.
The gloves are made from Full genuine leather gloves with microfiber lining. The padding is IMF with a double attachment for the thumb. These are very well balanced gloves with a Compact design and good quality Velcro strap. They have all features that one excellent glove should have –ventilation holes, grip bar, elastic strap for better fitting.
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Our Choice
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Best Pro boxing gloves
Everlast MX Professional Fight Gloves
Perhaps Everlast is the best-known brand in the world. Its popularity is due to its wide variety of boxing equipment which is offered at very affordable prices. Unfortunately, this affects in most cases the quality they offer. However, they do not compromise when producing gloves aimed at professional fighters. Probably everyone who is a fan of martial arts has noticed that most professionals use Everlast`s boxing gloves.
MX PROFESSIONAL FIGHT GLOVES is one of their most popular gloves designed for a professional bout. They can be classified somewhere between “pillow gloves” and “punch gloves”, providing an excellent balance between protection and impact force.
MX PROFESSIONAL FIGHT BOX GLOVES are handmade in Mexico, combining Mexican leather and custom horsehair. These are the best professional gloves they Everlast offer.
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RIVAL RFX Guerrero Boxing Gloves
Rival`s professional gloves usually have a simple design, but on the other hand, they are visually very beautiful, especially their personalized gloves.
The RIVAL Boxing RFX Guerrero model is one of the handmade works that has been trusted by both professional men and women and have been used in Championship fights in almost every continent.
Rivals used two different types of foam to extract maximum impact strength and excellent protection. The gloves have excellent ergonomics and are equipped with HDE-F technology:
(The leather is laminated with a high-density EVA foam and padded with a Rubitex foam giving this glove a stiffer, firmer feel with the accent on power and protection.) Rival have implemented their patented 15º Angled Lace-Track system which makes these gloves ones with the best fit on the market.
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CLETO REYES Safetec Pro Fight Gloves
There are no professionals who have not heard of “The Punching Kings”! These are brilliantly made gloves with excellent characteristics. The perfect weapon for a quick knockout. Their only drawback is that it is aimed exclusively at inflicting maximum damage on the enemy in exchange for the protection of your own hands.
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Winning Professional Boxing Gloves
The Japanese brand Winning is probably number one in terms of workmanship, quality, and protection. They are also the most expensive brand that offers gloves for professional fights. They are known as the “pillows” in the world of boxing and are preferred by professional fighters mainly during their training.
However, these gloves are the first choice of professional boxers who have injuries and want to protect their hands during their professional matches.
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Grant Gloves
These Mexican gloves are the most famous among professional athletes. Along with Winners, they are one of the most expensive boxing gloves. Unlike Winners, it is very difficult to find original Grant gloves on the free market as they are geared exclusively to personalized gloves and produce almost nothing for the mass consumer. You can read more about this brand here…
Our Choice!
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Conclusion
Let me briefly summarize the main differences below:
Amateur boxing gloves
- Accent: prevent injuries
- Craftmanship: cowhide leather, Grade A leather
- Closure system: Velcro
- Padding: Soft foam, increased level of padding
- Common size: 10-12 oz
Pro Boxing gloves
- Accent: knock out
- Craftmanship: cowhide leather, Grade A leather
- Closure system: usual laces
- Padding: Horsehair, hard foam
- Common size: 10-12 oz
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