What are the Best Boxing Gloves for Beginners? (2023)

If you’re new to boxing, finding the bestboxing gloves can seem pretty daunting. There are hundreds of boxing glove types, brands, and not to mention how confusing the sizing can get.

Choosing the right pair of boxing gloves is one of the most important things you can do when you’re just getting started. In addition to affecting the quality of your training, wearing the wrong boxing gloves can increase your chance of injury over time.

To save you a bit of trouble, we’ve created a guide with everything you need to know in order to choose the best boxing gloves for beginners.

How to pick the right size for your boxing gloves

To find the best boxing gloves forbeginners, you must first determine the right size for your needs. Boxing gloves are displayed in ounces (oz.). The most common boxing glove sizes are 10 oz, 12 oz, 14 oz and 16 oz. 10 oz gloves arethe best boxing gloves for heavy bag workouts while 14, 16, 18, and 20 oz gloves are the best boxing gloves for sparring.

As the size is determined by the amount of padding inside the boxing glove, a heavier weight means your hand will have more protection, but will also slow down your punching speed.

Most beginners opt for bigger boxing gloves to be on the safe side and work their way down towards competition weight as their skills improve. The size and type of boxing gloves you use will really depend on your body weight and purpose.

Your boxing gloves should have a snug, comfortable fit with your fingertips grazing the top of the gloves. Be sure to try on boxing gloves with hand wraps on. Boxing gloves should be snug around the straps but not tight, and it should be easy to make a fist.

If you’re buying online (and will not be able to try the boxing gloves on in-store first), an easy why to find your glove size is to measure the circumference of your hand. Use your dominant hand to wrap a tape measure around the fullest part of your hand, excluding the thumb. You should also take into consideration your body weight. The following chart uses both hand circumference and body weight to recommend a size for your pair of boxing gloves:

The best type of boxing gloves for beginners

There are several different types of boxing gloves, each with its own purpose. Professional and advanced boxers tend to have multiple pairs of boxing gloves for each training activity. However, beginners usually only need a single pair of boxing gloves that will adequately protect your hands.

Most beginners opt for general training gloves or bag gloves. There are slight differences between the two, so it will really depend on what activities you’ll be doing. Note: many brands refer to both glove types as “boxing gloves.”

All-Purpose / Training Gloves: These are multi-functional boxing gloves that can be used for a variety of activities and are probably your best bet if you’re just starting out. Opt for all-purpose boxing gloves if you’re planning on doing a mixture of sparring and bag work. They also work for other types of boxing, such asThai Boxing.

Bag Gloves: As the name suggests, bag gloves are boxing gloves designed to be used when doing bag work. These boxing gloves are particularly partial if you plan to train at home and won’t be doing any sparring. Modern bag gloves are essentially training gloves with more padding. They are designed to protect your hands when hitting aheavy bag.

The most important aspects you should look out for when buying the best boxing gloves for beginners is the quality of materials, and the appropriate size and weight. Start with something basic and relatively inexpensive, and work your way up to more specialized boxing gloves as you gain experience. If you’re planning to do martial arts, opt for a flexible boxing glove. Heavier boxing gloves are better if you’re training to enter the ring, while lighter boxing gloves are best if you’re competing in the ring.

Regardless of type, the best boxing gloves for beginners should always be comfortable to wear with hand wraps and perfectly fit the shape of your hand, wrist and fingers. A good pair of boxing gloves should never hurt your hands after a punch. However, it’s important to note that all gloves, even the very best boxing gloves,have a break-in period. Chances are your boxing gloves won’t be comfortable right away, so give them a few weeks to fully adapt to your needs and fit.

Are boxing gloves with laces or velcro best for beginners?

Laces do offer a tighter fit and better wrist support, however they’re also sadly not as practicable. You can’t tie laces by yourself, so you’ll have to count on your training buddy to lace you up before each training. For this reason, lace-up boxing gloves are almost exclusively used by professional boxers.

Velcro boxing gloves can be secured almost as tightly as laces, and can be done yourself. 9 times out of 10 the hassle of laces isn’t worth the benefits, unless you’re a pro.

Leather or vinyl boxing gloves?

The most common materials used for boxing gloves are vinyl and leather. The boxing glove material will likely impact your comfort, the durability of the glove, and the cost.

Vinyl boxing gloves are usually cheaper; ranging from about £20- £40. For that reason, vinyl gloves make for good boxing gloves for beginners. However, if you plan to train very regularly, leather boxing gloves may be a better choice, both for comfort and durability.

Vinyl is far less breathable, and may cause your hands to get excessively hot and sweaty. It’s also not nearly as long-lasting as leather. However, this is still a great option if you plan to use your boxing gloves to partake in fitness classes, or any other activity where there is little actual hitting.

Leather boxing gloves, while more expensive provides quite a few more benefits than vinyl. In addition to durably, leather boxing gloves will mold to your hand and become better fitting over time.

The best boxing gloves for beginners

When choosing the best starter boxing gloves, brand does play a significant role. Brands vary greatly in terms of value and quality. Some boxing glove brands specialize in a certain area, and offer more protection than others. We’ve rounded up a few of the top rated boxing gloves for beginners.

Fumetsu Shield Boxing Gloves

Fumetsu generally produces the best value boxing gloves for both beginner and advanced boxers. These Shield Boxing Gloves are great boxing gloves beginners as they’re super durable, incredibly affordable and available in a stylish matte-look synthetic leather.

Venum Challenger 3.0 Boxing Gloves

The Venum Challenger Gloves are probably the best boxing gloves for training on this list. Now in their 3rd generation, these Venum boxing gloves include triple density foam for better shock management and added hand protection, as well as a breathable interior mesh.The added protection also makes the Venum Challenger gloves some of the best boxing gloves for beginners.

Ringside Pro Training Boxing Gloves

The Ringside Pro Training Glove offer excellent hand protection as they feature several layers of added padding around the wrist. Other top features include a leather exterior, and a velcro wrist strap for an extra secure fit; both of which are great for durability if you’re looking for high quality boxing gloves that are sure to last.

Browse Boxing Gloves