How Boxing Gloves Protect and Support Your hands? – FAQ, Uses, Care

It goes without saying that whether you are a pro boxer or a beginner, having dependable boxing gear is critical to your success, safety, and protection. The most important tool for boxing is a pair of quality boxing gloves.

At Infinitude Fight, we love all things boxing and, most notably, the boxing gloves available in the USA.

But what are boxing gloves, and why are they important? And how do they protect and support your hands? And what factors affect the boxing gloves price? And why are they measured in weights and not in sizes?

All of these and much more, in this blog, we will answer all your boxing gloves questions that we repeatedly get on our Instagram and website.

Back to the boxing gloves basics:

A bit of History About Boxing Gloves

Boxing gloves have been around for centuries – hundreds of centuries – in one form or another. Boxing is an ancient sport that has been evolving for ages, and so have boxing gloves. The early forms of the gloves were very different from those available in the 21st century.

Boxing gloves are a treasure trove of evolution and the intelligence of sporting accessories – keep this in mind when you decide to buy boxing gloves. Not only are they prestigious, but they hold massive value in terms of protection and security of your hands.

Let’s address the elephant in the room; where did boxing gloves come from?

Boxing Gloves Available in the USA

The history of boxing goes back to ancient Greece; however, in those days, fighters only used their bare knuckles for a duel. Boxing gloves as we know them today didn’t gain much recognition until the 19th century.

Jack Broughton first developed padded gloves for his students and termed them “mufflers.” Though his gloves never made it to a professional fight – relatively, the concept of protecting hands caught on and became mandatory later on.

The Marquess of Queensberry Rules of 1867 made wearing boxing gloves compulsory for all fights. The rules were strictly adopted in the USA, and since then, boxing gloves have remained compulsory for all US boxing championships.

During the 20th century, boxing gloves evolved quickly, eventually turning into the recognizable form they have today. Like all other boxing styles and equipment developed for specific uses, the boxing gloves caught the current needs, and sport-specific ones such as – bag and sparring variants were created.

So there you have it, the concise history of boxing gloves’ evolution. – Now, let’s discuss the points on how they are essential:

How do boxing gloves protect and support your hands?

The key purpose of boxing gloves in the USA or anywhere else is to provide support and protect the boxer’s hand from injuries. As it is with full contact sports, hand injuries are extremely common in boxing despite protective gear.

If you want to analyze the importance of boxing gloves and how they protect and support your hands – tune in to the next old-school bare-knuckle boxing duel – trust us, you’ll know!

When it comes to bare-knuckle boxing, fighters are only allowed to wrap their wrists and thumbs – and not their knuckles – that is why most fighters end up breaking or seriously hurting their hands in every fight.

The main reason fighters end up hurting their hands is because of the density of the skull compared to the hands. The bones in the human hand are hard. Still, the joints and cartilage connecting them are considerably delicate and tiny – thus allowing us the use of our fingers and hands in precise movements, like grabbing, drawing, catching, or writing.

In contrast to the hands, the human skull’s primary purpose is to protect and enclose the most fragile and vital organ of the human body, the brain. Owing to this, the human skull is one of the hardest bones in the human body.

Think about this, what will happen to the delicate bones of your hand when you strike another fighter’s head? – Not a great visual, right? This is the chief reason why most fighters end up hurting their hands.

Thus, it is extremely important for a fighter training in a combat sport to use proper and quality boxing gloves.

How do Boxing gloves prevent finger joint displacement?

Boxing gloves serve many essential purposes; one of them is to provide enough cushioning for the finger joints of your hands. The finger joints in the hands are the most delicate and vulnerable to the impact of a power punch. The infliction of a hard impact could lead to some serious and sometimes irreversible damage to your knuckles. In this case, boxing gloves act as an important armor of protection.

How do boxing gloves protect your opponents?

Imagine a hard punch coming your way – how hard could it be? Well, that depends on its momentum, the impact of a moving object is its force, and boxing is all about how strong of a punch you can throw.

Without the buffer of padding and protection of the boxing gloves – this momentum can get much higher and effective than with the gloves. Without the protective gear, the force of a punch might result in severe and heavy damage to your opponent.

The padding and larger surface area dissipate the shock of impact, thus protecting an opponent from more severe injuries.

How do Boxing gloves reduce the blood bath?

Boxing still gets a bit bloody, even with the high-quality gear and precautions; it is common knowledge that fighters sometimes bleed from the nose to their foreheads. So lightning-fast and power punches can lead towards a literal bloodbath.

Blood loss is much more common during a boxing match if the fighters don’t use boxing gloves. The bare-knuckle boxing radically reduces the surface area of impact and multiplies the force of impact. That results in increased damage, causing bleeding in both contenders.

Boxing Gloves and Wrist Support

From a medical perspective, the shock resulting from the impact and its momentum from a punch might result in severe damage. However, boxing gloves can provide powerful protection from that force.

It is common knowledge that wrist injuries leave a lasting effect that takes ages to heal with proper medical attention and care. This alone poses a huge threat to the career of a boxer.

Boxing gloves to the rescue hold immense importance when it comes to wrist support and stability during the shock of a power punch. Boxing gloves are the lifesavers and help fighters avoid severe injuries to their wrists and hands.

FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions for Boxing Gloves

Now, we have covered and understood why it is important to wear gloves and how boxing gloves protect and support your hands. Let’s get into detailed FAQs:

What are the best boxing gloves?

This question alone is the most asked question regarding boxing gloves on the internet – the answer to it is subjective and thus a bit hard to answer. The word “best” is different for each person, and it highly varies among different types of boxing and fighters – depending upon your unique and specific needs.

Instead of asking about “best boxing gloves,” the better query would be asking about “The main purpose of the boxing gloves.” The minute you work out the purpose, you can go ahead and look for different types to meet your specific needs, for instance, boxing, training, sparring, heavy bag work, or Muay Thai.

While you buy boxing gloves, ask your trainer/coach for sport and size-specific advice to be a bit more careful. Or reach out to us on our Instagram.

So, let’s move onto the specific sizes;

Do boxing gloves come in different sizes?

Boxing gloves do not come in different sizes as your shoes do; the gloves come in various weights measured in ounces, to be precise. The weight of the boxing gloves is dependent on the amount of padding inside the gloves. The more padding inside, the heavier the gloves will be and thus offer more protection to your hands.

Weight of Boxing Gloves

Boxing gloves are manufactured in various weights/sizes ranging from 4oz to 20oz. Each manufacturer and their custom molds are different, so they might fit a bit differently.

However, boxing gloves start to get bigger hand sleeves as they go up in weights/sizes. For instance, if 10oz ones are usually your perfect size with a particular brand, but if it gets too tight with another brand – then go up a size, like upwards to 12oz, doing so will fetch you more room for your hands.

Ok, so if you’re wondering what weight gloves do I need? – Below is a general weight class guide:

If you are into sparring, 14oz to 18oz is recommended – subjective to your weight and size.
To train on a punching bag, 12oz to 14oz boxing gloves will do just fine.
Beginner fighters can use from 10oz to 12oz ones following their weight class.
Pro fighters/boxers use between 8oz to 10oz boxing gloves, depending on their weight class.

However, as expected, there are exceptions, so do not shy away from taking an expert’s opinion; for instance, talk to your trainer/coach. Furthermore, you can contact experts at Infinitude Fight. Our experts are boxing pros and love the manufacturing process of the boxing gloves – who else can be better than them to seek guidance from?

Boxing Gloves Price

How much should boxing gloves cost? – The cost of a quality pair of customized ones depends on the various independent and codependent features, for instance, materials used, sizing, brand, and general quality of the gloves.

You can find gloves anywhere from $50 to $300. However, it is important to remember that boxing gloves do not promise quality only because they sell for a higher than usual price. Expensive gloves do not always mean that they are better or more exclusive than their counterparts.

Buy Boxing Gloves

Buying your next pair of boxing gloves should be an informed decision. We hope that this article helps you choose the right pair that suits your needs and leaves an impression on you. When it comes to protective accessories, we suggest investing in a quality pair – as gloves are the most important part of boxing gear you will ever need.

When you buy them, please consider and buy hand wraps, too; not only do hand wraps protect, but they also help you stay on top of your hygiene game.

Boxing Gloves Care

Why do boxing gloves smell?

Taking care of your boxing gloves is very straightforward. Below are some tips and tricks to help keep them clean and odor-free.

The first thing to understand about the gloves’ smell is that they do not have an odor – it’s you! Hear us out.

When you wear your boxing gloves for a fight or a practice session, you are bound to sweat, and that sweat, if not tackled at the source, can become a cause of bacteria growth. The bacteria is the actual cause of those smelly gloves.

The smell and bacteria are not the characteristics of your gloves. Instead, they are dependent on your genetics. So, keep in mind that smell can’t be avoided altogether, and this smell depends on your DNA and not the type of gloves you choose to buy.

How to go about with my boxing gloves’ care?

To take care of your boxing gloves, and reduce the intensity of smell, follow the below-mentioned steps;

Go over your boxing gloves with an antibacterial wipe after every use.
Using paper towels, dry them inside and out as much as possible
Never leave your moist boxing gloves in your gym bag for an extended period – bacteria loves such an environment to grow – avoid doing it at all costs
Buy hand wraps that are of good quality to help you absorb as much sweat as possible
Last but most importantly, do not submerge them in water or put them in a washer

What style of boxing gloves should I choose? – Velcro Vs. Lace?

Velcro and lace boxing gloves both have their set share of the market. When it comes to Velcro gloves, they are mostly recommended to new boxers, owing to their practicality, as Velcro gloves are easy to put on and off in an instant and don’t require another person’s assistance.

The only drawback of Velcro boxing gloves? – They do not provide adequate wrist support and need to be supplemented with good hand wrapping techniques.

On the other hand, lace-up gloves are highly recommended to professional competition fighters. Lace-up boxing gloves provide optimum support to your hands and wrists. Moreover, lace-up boxing gloves are perfect for your hands’ security and also for keeping your opponent safe-er.

The only downside? You will require another person’s assistance to put the lace-up variants on – ideally your coach or the cornerman.

Conclusion

No one can deny the obvious importance of boxing gloves, and there are many reasons for their importance. If you want a quality pair – reach out to your trainer or coach, or better yet, reach out to Infinitude Fight experts – our experts will be happy to be of assistance.