My detailed comparison (and personal bias) of the best boxing punch trackers/sensors…by PunchLab, FightCamp/Hykso, Everlast PIQ, Punchlab, StrikeTec, and more.

They’re all promising to be revolutionary technology in boxing training, designed to increase your performance and training improvements (giving you helpful feedback about your training)…all at the cost of a couple hundred bucks…hmmm.

So the question is…are they worth it? And if so, which one is the best for you! It’s time you get an opinion from a real boxer who’s had them for 2+ years.

What are boxing punch trackers?

…and what do boxing punch trackers do?

“Boxing punch trackers” or “boxing performance trackers” or “boxing fitness trackers” are essentially like the Fitbit, but for your hands. Just like how the Fitbit tracks the number of steps you take, the boxing performance trackers will track the number of punches you throw.

Now, the Fitbit also tracks things like your sleep, heartrate and also sync with a scale to track your BMI and some other things…but the boxing punch trackers only track how many punches you throw and how fast you throw them (if even that). Some may be able to differentiate between straight and curved (hooks/uppercuts) punches. Others may try to add a “G-force” or “power” metric but it doesn’t do it accurately by any means. It’s just an extra metric for you to feel like it’s does more things.

What (some) people like about boxing fitness trackers

To be honest, I don’t even know. I think the companies want us to believe the trackers are totally cool and helpful to your training workouts. That “pros” use them for their helpful stats beginners love them for the “gamification” excitement that they’d bring to otherwise mundane training sessions.

I suppose if you’re a pro, punch trackers could be theoretically useful for tracking punch count. And it’s common that diehard pros are willing to do anything–and I do mean ANYTHING—to improve their game. If someone tells you of a new workout or new training tool, you can bet a professional would be absolutely curious to try it. Whatever gives you an edge, right?! The only issue is that the trackers don’t always track punches accurately. It might miss your shorter punches or the 2nd jab in a double-jab. Or certain inside short hooks and uppercuts. It’s still better than nothing if you don’t have someone counting punches but still…I really don’t care much for the counting punches function.

For the beginners or non-boxers, the idea of “boxing technology” is indeed cool. You don’t have any drills or anybody to train with. So it’s probably gonna seem cool to strap on some high-tech toys and connect with that one device you probably can’t live without—that mobile phone! I find little fitness gadgets like this especially fun for the person training without any real purpose or goal in mind. It’s another shiny new toy.

My bias against boxing trackers

I don’t like or use any boxing punch trackers.

THERE! I said it. I feel like I can breathe now. Like I’m being honest to the world and not having to lie to my readers. I was able to review all of these fun products for free and I love the passionate people behind these companies but deep down inside, I think they offer very little value to the serious boxer. I sincerely hope that because I’m honest and speaking from the heart, that these companies can use my feedback to improve their product and win me over. I may be biased but I’m willing to swallow my words and recommend these products if I honestly feel they’re worth recommending!

Let’s go over my personal bias about their flaws…

1. They measure quantity, not quality.

When was the last time you had a trainer pay attention to how many punches you were throwing? I’m willing to bet never! He was probably busy looking to see how often you dropped your hands. Whether you pivoted the back foot on the right cross. Whether you lifted your elbow for the left hook.

I can state emphatically that these trackers will not improve your boxing skills whatsoever. Your technique will not improve one bit. Not a single iota. That’s because these trackers can’t track technique or even strategy whatsoever. They simply track frequency, and maybe speed. Some of them will even combine both to give you an “intensity” rating. Basically, they’re trying to present you as many bits of information using what limited data they have.

The worst part of all, is that I think using these trackers can actually make your boxing technique WORSE! Hear me out. The more you use them, the more you feel inclined to improve your numbers and “beat your high score”. This is easily done by cheating on your technique and focusing more just punching faster instead of punching with better technique. Sure, some of you may argue that it’s just one metric and that technique is still most important. Ok fine, disregard my comment then.

If you’re just trying to improve your cardio and knowing how many punches you’re throwing really matters to you, these trackers are great for you. But if you’re a serious fighter trying to reach the next level of competition, I sincerely doubt these trackers will take you there. Of all the million things you’re worried about in your boxing abilities, your number of punches thrown on the heavy bag will definitely rank among the least important ones.

2. The trackers are only meant for the heavy bag (and maybe shadowboxing)

You can tell these trackers are made specifically for bagwork. They’re aimed at people who don’t have friends and stimulating environments to train in. The heavy bag is the quintessential ‘hermit-boxer’ training tool.

Why not for sparring or mittwork? Because nobody would bother tracking punches in those two. When you’re sparring, you’re busy adapting to your opponent. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes this angle or that angle. Sometimes a faster-paced brawling match, other times a calmer boxing match. Same goes for mittwork. Sometimes it’s high intensity non-stop combinations. Other times it’s drilling new combinations and fighting tactics. It would be great if the trackers could track your progress on the speedbag but this isn’t possible since they aren’t designed to count those small hammer-fisted motions.

If you really hit the heavy bag all that much and that often every week, that’s the only way you’ll get any regular mileage out of these. But if you only use the heavy bag for a small part of your workout…you’ll find these aren’t worth the hassle to put on just to track a few rounds of your workout.

3. The trackers are inconvenient

Almost all of them are annoying to put on. I don’t enjoy the process. It’s not like putting on boxing gloves and handwraps where I feel like I’m transforming into a super-hero. They always feel like an extra (unnecessary) step that you have to do before training. (Imagine having an extra set of laces to tie on your gloves and shoes.) Cumbersome and I think you’ll be tempted to skip it. But maybe that’s just me.

First you gotta figure out how to strap the device to you. Most of them, you have to wiggle into your handwraps somehow and make sure they stay oriented in the right direction and don’t move around during training. Everlast PIQ and Corner comes with nice straps that sit solidly on the outside of the glove–SMART! Punchlab goes right on the heavy bag itself (clever).

The second part is figuring out how to work the app with gloves on. It is extremely annoying to have to take my hand in and out of the glove to touch the phone with my sweaty fingers. (I think it’s so unhygienic!) It’s also not feasible if your glove is lace-up. So now, we’re in the realm of having to use someone else to operate the phone. It’s funny because I even noticed people doing video reviews and asking a friend to hold up the phone. Hahahaha. And then imagine in the gym when you’re trying to workout but there’s no place nearby the heavy bag to put your phone. Sure, you can put it in your pants and hope that it doesn’t flop around in your pockets and hit you in the balls during a combination.

Most of the reason why these trackers look appealing is because you don’t have anybody to train with. Otherwise if you’re in a real gym, you’ll have so much environmental stimulation that you wont need these to make your workout “fun”.

Let’s just face it, these are not “boxing performance trackers”, they are “boxing fitness trackers” at best. And like most fitness devices, I think they’ll be abandoned with time because you’ll eventually move on to a new toy.

What I DO like about boxing trackers

Time for some positivity…

• I love high-tech stuff – I do love innovation and companies trying to bring something new to this sport. Things may seem a bit crude and unimpressive in the early stages but I do think they’ll get better in the long run.
• They come with video guides/drills – some come with instruction videos, little fun games and drills/workouts. These are great for people who don’t know their own drills and don’t have a coach to make new routines for them. The instructional aspect of it is what I feel is the biggest benefit of opening up the app and best correlates to the “training alone” demographic.
• They’re somewhat cool – some people just like cool gadgets even if they may not seem so substantial, people love accessories. Why not?
• Their app improvements – these app tracking companies soon figured out their app has greater impact on their user experience than the trackers themselves. The thing is the trackers don’t really track all that much…so the only thing left is to keep improving the app to make it more fun and engaging and make up for the tracker’s limitations.
• Evolved for TV training – it seems these apps are designed more for training at home in front of your TV. And that does make a lot of sense. Instead of staring into a tiny mobile screen, you can beam it to your TV (using Apple TV).

The best boxing punch trackers (best-to-worst)

1. PunchLab (FREE for app & basic workouts, $49/yearly for belt tracking & premium workouts)

OVERALL EXPERIENCE

Clever app/tracker that gets the job done simply and with the best user experience. This may come as shocking to many people who are carried away by the more popular gadget-ey trackers like “Hykso”, but this Punchlab is the best to me because it’s the only one I could see myself using over the long run. It’s easy to use, takes 10 seconds to setup and also that I get visual feedback of my progress.

PunchLab is the simplest and yet my favorite punch tracker by far. It’s just a belt that straps your phone to the heavy bag. Some people might complain it limits you to only training on a heavy bag or that it’s not as fun as tracking exact punches from your hand (straights vs curved). But on the other hand, I love that there’s no annoying trackers punch trackers to buy or strap to your hands. You simply download the app to your phone and then attach your phone to the heavy bag. The app gives you different drills and workouts, and then counts your punches based on the number of times you hit the bag.

But aside from the technical “tracking” aspect, the PunchLab app is what really makes it the superior tracker app for boxers. It has real boxing coaches on there (myself included) among other notable boxing trainers. And works on teaching you good technique from a purist boxer POV. This last point alone makes it the best for me.

It’s my absolute favorite if you love “punch tracking”. If you want something with more “features” (which I assume is most people), my #2 pick will be for you!

TRACKER PERFORMANCE

So cheap to start off, clever and easy to use. There’s no “tracker” to buy; you just use your phone! Phone easily straps to the heavy bag in 2 seconds, and you now have a nice feedback screen to look at while you’re hitting the heavy bag. Thanks to this design, you can use it in a noisy gym where you can’t turn on (or can’t hear) the sound. In a way, this simple “tracker” is the most interactive compared to all the other trackers since you can see your visual progress (instant feedback) right as you’re training. Honestly, all of them should adopt this idea and allow you to the strap the phone to the heavy bag.

• Tracks punches based on your impact to the surface (where phone is strapped)
• Obviously it can’t differentiate between rights/lefts or straights/curved. But the tracker tells you which punches to throw so that’s how it knows.
• Can’t track your punch speed or power either…but that’s really a gimmicky metric IMO anyway.
• Ok, so it does measure “power” but it does this based on how much your phone shakes during your impact. Which isn’t accurate from a physics POV but may be useful for comparative purpose in context against your other punches.
• Since there’s no tracker for your hand, I think this app would be able to track kicks as well.
• The belt comes free if you subscribe to the paid plans.
• Mounting the phone to the bag can be super annoying if the bag spins when you punch. I suggest PunchLab also sending you a strap that can go around the heavy bag and then attached to a floor weight (or heavy object) to prevent the bag from spinning so much.

APP FUNCTIONALITY

Simple design and easy to understand. The design doesn’t look as polished and full of goodies as the one by Corner but it gets the job done perfectly.

There are 3 modes:

• FREESTYLE – do whatever you want
• TRAINING – follow along a workout (guided instruction) by one of the coaches on the system (again you can find me “ExpertBoxing” on there)
• HISTORY – see your results from past workouts. Shows the time spent, punches thrown, calories burned, and power exerted.

IMPROVEMENT SUGGESTIONS

The app design could be redesigned better (ease-of-use and also feel more “premium”). Make it easier to filter for certain boxing trainers. I think would be cool if the app could record or livestream video footage of your workouts; that would be fun since the phone is already mounted to your face. It might also be cool if the app could show a virtual sparring opponent on the screen for you to “fight” against. Really, i think there are so many opportunities here because of the screen.

2. Fightcamp aka Hykso ($400-500 for trackers, $40/month for app workouts)

OVERALL EXPERIENCE

The easy 2nd choice for me and for many people, this would be their #1 choice. FightCamp (formerly known as Hykso) is the most established brand in the “boxing performance tracker” space. This is the company everyone knows and think of first when they think of punch trackers. I even have non-boxing friends sharing their social media stuff with me and asking me if I’ve heard of it before. Their marketing is great…excellent social media videos with lots of viral content being shared, sexy website, beautifully-designed trackers in neat little boxes. Feels like a truly high-tech brand rather than just another gimmicky “innovative fight product”.

I like that FightCamp/Hykso has real boxing people behind it…but the original Hykso trackers and app were underwhelming for the high price you paid. It didn’t do anything other than counting punches like a simple fitness tracker counting your steps. Look past the fancy branding and social media hype and you feel like it’s kinda gimmicky. There’s nothing much to it. It doesn’t feel high-tech at all. You feel like somebody added bluetooth capability to an old school tally counter and that’s it. I seriously think you’ll be bored of it within a week (month tops).

Hykso itself has already dropped further support for their trackers and now rebranding everything under the new FightCamp label. So what’s the difference? Hykso was focused purely on the trackers whereas FightCamp is not only trackers but also adds the full workouts-from-the-app like Corner is doing. Basically…everybody is learning that it’s more about the boxing-workout-from-home experience that matters more than the boxing-tracker experience itself.

TRACKER PERFORMANCE

I like the slim and simple use of the FightCamp/Hykso trackers. There’s a clear distinction between LEFT (blue light) vs RIGHT (red light) and super easy process of connecting them to your phone…just double-tap and that’s it. You have to align them pointing forward and they don’t really track anything except how many straight punches you throw and how fast you throw them. They couldn’t read some hooks, uppercuts, hayemakers. The devices are truly meant to track only going FORWARD! So weird small punches may not track.

• Tracks mostly only straight punches. Some curved or small/short punches don’t register. But still more accurate than Corner IMO.
• The charging unit is compact and holds both trackers. Nice.
• The trackers can be annoying to secure in place. FightCamp does sell the easy-wrap slip on gloves that hold these trackers in place….but I’m not sure how purist boxers would feel about those over real handwraps.
• I like the double-tap functionality to enable the trackers…it feels like they aren’t sitting around wasting battery.

APP FUNCTIONALITY

The original Hykso app looked kinda plain and simple. You can go straight to training (which is a boxing timer and tells you what punches to throw), drills (where you make up your own workout intervals), or feed & activity which show you stats from previous workouts. There’s no training videos or workout guides, or 3rd-party drills like the other apps. It looks like a very simple unfinished beta-app…and once you really look past its design, you realize it doesn’t do anything except track your punch count and average punch speed.

The FightCamp app however is much more polished, very sexy, with sleek modern UI and feels premium. Definitely the best tracker app. Great workout videos and caters to both diehard boxers as well as regular fitness users. And yes, there’s stats and also leaderboards where you can compare your stats with other people as well. I like that the design feels more mature and not like such a high school game like Everlast PIQ app. The workouts have nice stats and great instruction…you’ll probably want to use an iPad or AppleTV so you can see everything going on.

There are some nice extra touches…the FightCamp app lets you choose what type of music to listen to during your workouts. And the recorded videos looks premium and more boxer-ish (with the dark backgrounds). Whereas Corner videos can feel more fitness studio (with the wood floors). While FightCamp doesn’t have 3rd-party instructors on there, the core FightCamp instructors (like Tommy Duquette, former USA national team) have solid technique…unlike the ones on Corner who don’t have solid technique IMO.

• I’m disgusted that the FightCamp app won’t work with the Hykso trackers. Honestly, it feels like the same darn trackers. It’s a shame that they would abandon their early users so quickly like that.

IMPROVEMENT SUGGESTIONS

• Trackers need to be improved to track more curved punches, also track softer punches thrown by females (and ones with bad technique).
• Design a wrist-strap for the trackers instead of relying on the easy-wrap-gloves that real boxers won’t like.
• The app should have 3rd-party instructors like other apps. Or at least more instructors in general.
• While the app is nicest and with high video production quality, the FC membership price of $40/month feels too high. Sure, I’m aware the membership allows up to 5 users but it’s really unlikely that I’m using this with anybody else.
• The FightCamp app should have allowed you to use the original Hykso trackers.
• I wish the FightCamp app let you skip back and forth through the workouts in case you wanted to skip some parts, or rewind because you didn’t hear something.

3. Corner ($139 for trackers, free basic workouts, premium workouts $9-14/month)

OVERALL EXPERIENCE

Corner was the easy 2nd place (among all hand-trackers) until the new-and-improved FightCamp came along. What I initially disliked about Corner is for being a general boxing tracker for the overall fitness market. You’ll see even yoga stuff on there. But when you think about it in the longrun…their app will have the widest variety of workouts to choose from and it’s also nice they have non-boxing workouts on there as well.

You can think of Corner as being a home fitness app experience that happens to have boxing trackers. And on top of it, their boxing trackers are actually well-designed and easy to use! The other thing I like is the low pricing and simple tracker straps. Corner is a cheap place to start if you’re not even sure you’re into boxing trackers.

TRACKER PERFORMANCE

Corner has the best hand tracker design all around. I don’t even know where to begin.

• Nice slim-design black straps that the trackers slide into. You can even see their “corner” lights showing through the strap. The straps look great and easy to use (unless the annoyingly fussy Everlast PIQ straps or Hykso which doesn’t even have straps).
• Corner trackers are also the easiest to charge. Each tracker has a micro-usb port. Much more convenient than others (like Hykso, Everlast PIQ) which have to be plugged into a charger which is then plugged into USB port. It’s basically fewer parts to carry around, fewer things to lose.
• Also very nice you can charge the Corner trackers from their straps (the charge port is accessible). This is helpful so you can leave them in their straps and don’t lose the tiny trackers.
• Like other trackers, Corner tracks straights vs curved punches. It doesn’t differentiate between hooks & uppercuts.
• The Corner trackers however were less sensitive to me than say the Hykso trackers. The Corner ones would miss double jabs, some hooks (as most trackers do).

APP FUNCTIONALITY

The app is based around home virtual fitness classes off your phone. Like you following along fitness instructors off your phone. And it’s built very nicely and designed in a sexy sleek way…I can’t decide which app is sexier (FightCamp vs Corner). There is however, nearly zero mention of your trackers or tracker stats (punch count, speed, etc). It really doesn’t even feel like a boxing app.

I think the whole fitness thing is better for it by focusing on the workouts and not so much on the trackers. But it almost makes you wonder why even bother with the trackers in the first place? If you’re a diehard boxer wanting to use cool punch trackers…Corner will make you feel like A) this ain’t really a boxing product, B) this ain’t really a boxing app, C) the whole Corner experience isn’t designed for boxers.

I really like how the app integrates with Spotify music. Once again, you can choose your workout music and this is key thing for many gym rats. I’ve literally had friends spend more time making their workout playlist than actually working out.

IMPROVEMENT SUGGESTIONS

• Only basic tutorial videos were free. It seemed all workouts were paid through their “Corner On Demand” membership. They should have some free workout videos.
• Have some real boxing instructors on there. The ones I saw really didn’t look very experienced (technically) and therefore I can’t recommend this at all to serious boxers.

4. Everlast PIQ ($99 per tracker, all app workouts free)

OVERALL EXPERIENCE

I didn’t know this but Everlast & PIQ (2 separate companies working together) have already been making trackers successfully for numerous sports. They have lots of experience and brand presence in this fitness mobile app space.

They present the standard boxing tracker experience here (2 trackers + mobile app). The trackers are strapped on by some elastic straps that go on the outside of your gloves. The trackers are also sold in single boxes (I don’t get this). So you have to buy 2 of them. I guess it’s good since if you lose one, you only have to buy one replacement instead of a whole set. Right off the bat, I didn’t take Everlast seriously and thought their trackers would be generic and lame just like (most of) their boxing products…but I was wrong.

The trackers were fun to use (once you get them working) and the app is full of stats and gamified charts and scores. However…the pros don’t offset the awful battery life and fidgety trackers (and their issues). The lack of workouts will probably make this tracker boring sooner than later for most people. But honestly…the battery issue alone makes it virtually unusable for me. They better fix that ASAP.

TRACKER PERFORMANCE

Everlast PIQ probably has the most high tech trackers, has more capabilities and can track more metrics (and with more accuracy) than any other punch tracker out there. Clearly, you can see they are actually backed by a development company with actual tracking experience. Whereas the other brands seem to be using cheaper sensors with less tracking capabilities. Honestly, it’s no surprise considering that the Everlast trackers are double the size of Hykso and Corner. I imagine it has more chips and things in there.

• I love that they can also track hooks and uppercuts and also distinguish between straight vs curved punches whereas Hykso can mostly only track straight punches (some hooks, uppercuts, and haymakers are not counted).
• Everlast PIQ can also track your retraction time (time it takes to pull the hands back). Other brands seem to track only punches and punch speed. But then again…how accurate is this retraction metric? And will it affect if I move my hands in a certain way? Some styles don’t retract so straight like other styles.

Now let’s cover the horrible issues with the trackers.

• The first one is the awful battery life. All my other trackers worked just fine even after being left alone for months. The Everlast PIQ batteries seemed to have died very quickly during storage. They now refuse to hold a charge, or only very little if at all.
• Pairing them with your phone is a hassle. It searches and takes forever for you to know what’s ON, what’s CONNECTED, and which one (left or right) is which.
• The straps are annoying as well. You might like the bulkiness and substantialness as feeling more “premium” but will soon get annoyed with all the moving parts to adjust. There’s 2 velcro straps; one for the wrist, the other for the tracker holder. And putting the trackers into the holder takes more time than other trackers.
• I do love that the chargers have a magnetic backing to help them stick to a nearby metal surface. But I prefer being able to connect a cable directly to the tracker or at least having a combined charger (like Hykso). It’s annoying that each tracker has its own charger…so many pieces to carry around.

Being that setting up trackers is the biggest hassle of using them…I think you’ll just end up not using these. Sure, it’s all just an extra few seconds each time you use them but you will be annoyed!

APP FUNCTIONALITY

The app is very comprehensive in stats and charts. And feels the most like a sports game stat-board compared to the other apps which feel more fitness-training focused. Has drills, workouts, reports, instruction guides. Also a leaderboard to compare you against friends or other people. The whole app has lots of graphics, and getting close to the point of being too much.

At first, you may like that the app has so much numbers. But then after a while…it gets boring. You realize your numbers don’t engage you much. It’s like comparing how many punches you threw last week vs this week. Ultimately…who cares?

So you get bored and look for new workouts or training routines to try and that’s where Everlast PIQ fails. There aren’t many options as they haven’t built out this part of their app much. The training lab has like 10 videos to watch and then when you click on “Access more inspiring content…”, it hits an error page on the Everlast website. LAME!

The other part of my app complaints it the UI design. It’s not clear how to start a quick training session. I had to click around before finding it inside “Drills”. There should be a clear button immediately to “quick start” or “start training”. Honestly, the labelling of the different sections could be done better to reduce ambiguity. It’s not clear which sections are for training and which sections are for reports.

IMPROVEMENT SUGGESTIONS

The trackers were really finicky to connect to my iPhone. I later figured out they were related to battery issues. The whole strap need and tracker unit needs to be redesigned to be less hassle. I’d try to get rid of the charging base if possible. The app itself needs to have more training videos. And the app UI need to be cleaned up better so I’m not just pressing around random areas. Basically…everything needs to be improved even those these are the best trackers (from technical POV).

5. StrikeTec ($300)

OVERALL EXPERIENCE

I think StrikeTec intended to be first to the boxing tracker market but was slow to deliver a polished solution. Due to time lost in R&D and whatever other business snags they had, Hykso became the first brand to really break out in the market. To this day Hykso still remains the most recognized brand for boxing trackers. I see their ads and videos all over social media.

I was lucky enough to try StrikeTec for only a brief moment. Its founder sent me a set of sensors and also Android phone with the app installed to test. (I got it before it was publicly launched.)

I am frustrated as heck that they don’t even have an iOS app. For this reason only, I’ve written them off completely. I don’t know how it is in this day and age that a serious business can have an app for Android before they have one for iOS. I’m not biased against Android phones or their users, but I think it’s really poor business oversight. I also didn’t even get to try the trackers. They just didn’t work.

It doesn’t even matter as it seems StrikeTec has given up on this business. Their website home page was hacked when I checked in DEC 2020.

TRACKER PERFORMANCE

What comes to mind at first glance is their bulkiness. On one hand, I feel that makes them more annoying and potentially painful inside your gloves. On other hand, maybe the bulkiness helps keep them secure them in place. That’s all I have to say as I didn’t even get to try the trackers in actual use.

APP FUNCTIONALITY

I couldn’t even run it. By the time I was able to start testing…the app had to be reupdated with new code or something. And by then, StrikeTec wanted their sensor and phone returned.

IMPROVEMENT SUGGESTIONS

Next time, you send out review copies…give the reviewer time to get to it. A busy person like me gets hundreds of products offered every year. Make an iOS app before Android, otherwise your brand doesn’t feel as premium.

5. Generic boxing trackers (~$100)

Hahaha, why am I even reviewing this crap? If you haven’t already noticed. There are plenty of generic boxing tracker sensors on Amazon. I haven’t tried any of them personally but will leave the general thoughts I’ve read from the reviews for you:

• Looks cheap. (Seriously, look at the pictures for yourself).
• App doesn’t work or doesn’t exist. (And from my own eyes, the apps look like they’re still in beta mode.)

Just don’t buy them, ok?!

The quest for the perfect boxing tracker

I enjoy what I see but think we still have a long ways to go from creating the perfect boxing tracker. There’s plenty of room for innovation and improvements to make these tools truly useful for serious boxers. And more importantly to make this whole home virtual-training boxing experience more fun.

I’ll toss out some random ideas below:

• 3rd-party instructors – if they could allow more instructors to build workouts on their app platform would be great. Outside instructors bring their fanbase and also give much more variety of training styles.
• Technique videos – instead of workout videos. I’d like to see more technical instruction to actually help people learn new things. And then afterwards, they can go do a workout.
• TV integration – I think the future of virtual training will be like those TV’s over all the treadmills. We’ll see TV’s over punching bags as well. And it’s nice that many of the apps are already incorporating video workouts that are meant for a television.
• TRACKER DESIGN – they should all use the direct charge cable design like Corner has. I’d rather have a bigger tracker than to carry around charging pods. And yes, please use straps that allow charging access and not a glove to hold the trackers.
• METRICS RECORDED – punch count, soft vs hard punches, straights vs hooks vs uppercuts, speed and acceleration, also reaction time (from when punches are called out on the app).
• MULTIPLAYER – how about a multiplayer game feature where you go head-to-head against a friend or “fighting” against another person live. And they always match you up against someone on your level.
• GAME OPPONENT – how about making you fight a live on-screen opponent. And you’re being coached how to fight that character.
• HEAD & CHEST TRACKERS – to track head movement and also when your hands are back up on defense. This would also be useful in game modes or virtual-sparring modes. Hell at this point, you can practice multiplayer-fight another live person. Add foot trackers and now you can track foot movement! (And telling users to move back and forth, etc.) How cool?!

My review of this cheap glove brand from the UK (and definitely made in Pakistan).

If you want to save time…just don’t buy it, don’t read this guide, forget you ever heard about the brand.

But if you really need details, here they are:

Poor quality and protection.

(I apologize in advance for anyone offended by my dramatic intro photo.) Let’s just make this quick and painless. I already feel bad they sent me 2 pairs of gloves. I warned them I would hammer the brand if I felt it sucked and boy did they deliver (on the suckiness).

Sidekick is about the worst gloves you can train in…and I mean that in a good way.

On a scale of 1 (worst) to 5 (best), Sidekick gloves ranges from 1 to 2. Their worst ones are about 20 GBP ($25 USD) and their top ones are like 55 GBP ($60 USD). The ones I got were their “high-end” models and these were already trash for me. I can only imagine their other ones being completely unusable.

• Everything cheap – cheap outer material (sometimes leather, sometimes plastic…faint plastic smell), cheap lining, cheap piping. Cheap velcro straps but do they do feel secure.
• The cheap straps are part vinyl and part elastic…both of which I don’t expect to last long. The way the velcro is constructed on the inside of the strap is super cheap. Please compare with the ones on TopBoxer and you’ll see difference.
• Super stiff padding – way too hard for sparring. I suppose some people might generously call these “great support for bagwork”.
• Inside lining is floppy. Not held in place. I suspect it’ll come loose soon and your fingers will be clutching foam in no time.
• Stitching on the inside lining is already coming loose even though I’ve worn these less than 10 times. The 14oz pair didn’t have this issue but both gloves on the 16oz did.
• The inner wrist padding seems loose inside the glove. Not stitched or glue into place. It’s only loosely “held” in place by the floppy inside lining. So once your inside lining gets loose and whatever else glue wears out, I suspect you’ll feel layers of padding shifting around.
• Kind of funny that a small strip out of the fake leather fell out of the glove when I was digging my hand around inside it.
• I feel their design is more for MMA and kickboxing. You can tell by the tighter fit (usually for fighters not wearing wraps) and also the dual-strap velcro (which are usually too annoying for boxers with handwraps). Also the padding around the palm area and bottom edge of the hand.
• The aesthetic styling is very toyish. Looks like something from a sportstore. Weird street graffiti graphics from a Grand Theft Auto video game.
• I only took photos for posterity. This glove really doesn’t deserve any attention at all.

I don’t recommend these gloves at all, not even for beginners. If you want to be totally cheap and punch at 25% power with these on, sure they are better than nothing. But otherwise…you should use better gloves. It’s not a matter of price but HAND SAFETY, which you use for everything (not only boxing).

My honest and detailed review after messing with (2) pairs of TopBoxer gloves for 1 year.

• I ordered a 16oz custom pair with super cushion foam for maximum protection and sparring softness.
• And also a 14oz stock pair just for reviewing purposes. I told him to throw in any stock pair; I didn’t care what it was.

I’ll go over everything I saw, and the details I noticed.

Background on Muhammad Irfan of TopBoxer (from Pakistan)

Muhammad is a guy I heard of only from the magic of the internet.

I’ve never seen his gloves used anywhere. Never saw anything like his logo. He was a brand new boxing gear manufacturer starting around 2016 (that’s my guess). I think what really got me intrigued was that he was a Pakistan glove manufacturer with a cult-like following.

If you don’t already know, I hate Pakistan gloves. Hate them all. (Nowadays, I’ve softened that stance a little but only for very few companies.) But when I see Pakistan companies proudly worn by pro fighters and amateurs and not a single bad thing is ever sad…you get curious.

I heard about Muhammad on the Sherdog forums where tons of random people were raving about his gloves. And I usually don’t care about raving reviews unless people are actually comparing it to other quality brands (that I know), which some did. The other thing I noticed was that he could do custom gloves and his prices were very reasonable. That’s fine by me!

If he’s gonna price himself low and do many extra things that other manufacturers can’t, I’m not gonna knock a dude even if it does turn out to be junk. It’s when I see new brands toting themselves as “best gloves ever invented” with premium pricing and generic designs that I get angry.

Finally talking with Muhammad

When I reached out to him on Facebook in 2017, he was really excited to make custom gloves for me. A lot of generosity was offered but I refused a bit. His prices were already low enough, like geez…and these are custom-made gloves that HE makes…not mass-produced. I do respect artists. We talked a lot about the science of making gloves, different foam and padding combinations available. Then came the fun stuff like colors, materials (I wanted croc leather), name embroidery. No matter what concern I had in mind, he already had multiple ways to satisfy it.

I (metaphorically) walked away from that Facebook chat very impressed. Not with his gloves but who he was as a person. Listen when I tell you this…I pay very close attention when I speak with manufacturers about boxing gloves. I try to get a sense of who they are and where they fit into their glove-making operations.

Mainly, I see glove company people in 3 categories:

• CRAFTSMAN – they love to talk gloves.
• BUSINESSMAN – they love to talk money.
• MARKETER – they love to talk features.

Obviously, people love to talk about where they spend their time. Marketers are always trying to position their gloves. This feature, that feature, this new thing, that benefit, top 3 advantages, blah blah blah. Business people love to talk money and numbers…they’re always like, “Let’s make a deal, I give you 100 pairs for $17 each. I pay you $200 for review. I give you free shipping!”

But the craftsman? The craftsman loves to talk about his work. Why he chose this material. Why he put this here, why he put that there. How he discovered this trick, etc. And almost every single time I talk a real craftsman, they spill the secrets to all their craft. They’re so excited to share their wonderment for what they know and what they’ve created. These are things that businessmen and marketers can never talk about because they know nothing about it and have nothing to say.

I loved that for only a hundred dollars (USD cost at the time), I could speak to the actual maker of my gloves. You have no idea how incredible that is. Unheard of!

At this point, I was actually terrified of his gloves:

I was terrified that (what if) I didn’t like his gloves.

It would be so painful for me to criticize his work publicly on my website. I know some people think I’m harsh or really mean when I scrutinize boxing gloves but believe me I don’t like to be mean. I know it can affect some people’s businesses and I know it hurt the feelings of the people who designed them or made them. Most of all, it’s a slap in the face if you dis someone who’s been doing something for a very long time which you know nothing about. I’m not even a glovemaker so for me to judge does feel a bit wrong to some degree.

But I do it because I’m passionate about the sport. Glove quality is a matter hand safety to me (which I suffered from). I also hate when big companies exploit the sport for financial gain and nothing else. And I hate when big companies make the money that much smaller businesses deserve.

Leading the “custom gloves” trend

I definitely feel TopBoxer is one the companies most responsible for igniting this “custom gloves” trend you see nowadays. Sure, the very first were the Mexican glove companies…but that experience is very different. Those manufacturers usually didn’t speak English. You had to order through a middle-man and pray that they understood your request and will make it perfect (and that all materials needed won’t be on back-order). Usually, you communicate in images. A picture of what you want. There’s no back-and-forth chatting.

You would think TopBoxer would have had so many Pakistan copycats by now (since their glove-making culture is a whole lot of that) but there haven’t been any solid ones. There are other companies popping up but they don’t have a face and they don’t feel like the same one-man super personal experience you get with Muhammad. Also too, their gloves don’t have the same unique look as his…they have a more generic look and with generic options.

The order of 2019

Because 2017 never happened.

• He asked me what I was going to use them for. (Bagwork or sparring, or both.)
• What kind of padding I wanted. (Soft, hard, etc.)
• Hand measurements. (Length, width, wrist, etc.) You would have thought he was making a custom suit for my hand.
• What designs, colors, materials, custom embroidery or labeling.

After chatting back-and-forth exchanging excitement and pleasantries, I never ordered. I told my girlfriend (at the time) that I was excited to try these new boxing gloves made with croc leather and she got angry at me. Tried to tell me about animal abuse and how they farm and kill innocent crocodiles and what not. And then she said, “Johnny, you’re better than that.” And oooooh, that got me good. I respect her a lot and her words matter to me…so I never ordered.

But then we broke up…

So in 2019, I ordered my gloves but in CROC-PRINT leather (not real crocodile!)

I’m starting to believe in the vegan movement too and not hurting animals and all that. This was my compromise. And I would even say that I hope they find a better material in the future that isn’t made out of animal skin. Yes, I know leather is beautiful but we’re freaken humans…we’ve got scientists and doctors. We’ve invented so much shit. We put people on the moon. Surely, we can find a better boxing glove material that doesn’t have to come from dead animals.

Ok, enough of my hypocritical PETA speech.

My package arrived from Pakistan…1 pair of custom 16oz training gloves and 1 pair of stock 14oz training gloves. *in my fight announcer voice* LET THE REVIEWS BEGIN!

TopBoxer gloves quality and construction

Custom 16oz boxing training gloves

• Soft cushion foam, for maximum hand protection and sparring softness (can be used on the bag, too)
• Black & gold colors
• Croc-print leather (basically cow leather but with croc pattern printed on it)
• Custom-fitted to my hand measurements
• Lace-ups

Stock 14oz boxing training gloves

• Medium density foam, about a 6-7. (Better for bagwork but can be worn down to be soft enough for for sparring.)
• White, red, and blue Manny Pacquiao design.
• Regular leather.
• Not custom-made. These are stock gloves.
• Velcro (hook & loop)

Leather

Leather feels and smells like Pakistan leather. It’s soft and plastic-ey look, but not the bad kind. It’s also hard for me to see because the metallic gold color covered up the leather surface. The stock gloves were much easier for me to judge his leather and I’d say they are fine, good enough and only time will tell if they tear or not.

The piping is very nice. I think they look even nicer on the stock gloves than the custom ones. All I care is that he uses rolled leather piping, which he does.

Stitching

The stitching is very good. Very tight double-stitching obviously done by machine and not by hand. There’s no way someone stitching by hand will do them so close together. Very clean, very neat stitching, no ends sticking out or fraying anywhere. The stitching is still perfect after 100-200 rounds on the custom gloves and just a few on the stock gloves. Great job.

The custom gloves come with extra stitching and very unique since I never seen it in other gloves. You can see it on along the outside edge of your forearm down to where your pinky curls into a fist. Also on the inside edge of your forearm up to the where your thumb connects to your wrist. Then further up where your index finger curls into a fist. I feel the extra stitching adds more structural support and also intended for extra durability. I appreciate the attention to detail and that he has a little bit of his own take on glove stitching.

Padding

The custom gloves have a TON of padding. It looks AND feels like a big mushy pillow all the way around. Like the biggest most pillow-ey gloves ever. I think even big enough for some people to complain about it but for me it’s perfect. It’s a bit like when kids buy those “Hulk hands” toys. When I wear them, people at the gym ask me how much they weigh (thinking they’re like 20oz). In reality, the gloves feel like 16oz and a very light 16oz at that. Then again, maybe I’m just used to heavier Mexican gloves.

The custom gloves have a very interesting shape. Along the the blade edge of the hand/forearm, but on the palm-side of the glove is a thin padding strip. It’s very different from any other gloves I seen. Why he put that there, I think it’s his way of making these gloves MMA-compatible for blocking kicks. And I like that he’s doing something different.

Anyway, my custom gloves were very puffy. I’m sure you could ask for different foam and shape, too. After all, these are custom! You can specify whatever you want. I love mine as is but I’m sure some people might prefer different.

The padding on the stock gloves is very standard. A medium or slightly above medium density that I think is better suited for bagwork. The palm-side of the wrist area have 2 thick bars (one on top, one on bottom) that’s unique to him. I never seen from any other manufacturer. You feel like they add extra structural support for the wrist.

Shape (ergonomics)

Because the custom gloves were too big and puffy, you can’t actually see it’s structural shape as well as you can on the smaller stock gloves. The stock gloves have less padding and very streamlined, allowing me to see its shape better. I noticed a very interesting ergonomic ridge on the back of the index finger running down to the wrist. This is impressive because your hand feels much more natural inside the glove. The only other manufacturer I know to have this ridge is Di Nardo’s…which costs like 10 times more.

In contrast, most other gloves have a very flat back. Like your hand is being stuck to a tennis racket, and that’s what give it’s a boxy feel. Look at pictures of most Mexican gloves and you’ll see what I mean. Stiff boxy flat back that doesn’t exactly contour to your hands. Maybe you like the stiffness for “support”, others may like a more streamlined feel for the “ergonomics”.

Thumb

Another interesting point to make is the thumb. This is a fun area for me because every glove manufacturer tends to make their thumb differently. How they shape it, how they fold the leather to prevent ugly wrinkles. I think the most comfortable for me is the skinnier thumb but I think it’s hard to make that look good so many manufacturers just do a big floppy thumb so the leather can wrap easily over the edge. (Just think of it like gift-wrapping a shoebox vs a shoe. The box makes it easy to fold the wrapping over.)

The stock gloves have a skinny sharp tapered thumb. Very modern and stylish IMO. The custom gloves have a sharp hook at the edge…like an eagle claw. From the outside, it looks funny but inside is still very comfy! What I’m most amused is by how the eagle claw was made. It looks unique but actually is pretty much a typical old-school curved Mexican thumb like on Necalli gloves. Those of you who hate curved thumbs and prefer a straight thumb, I’m sorry but you’ll have to look elsewhere.

And of course after all that, we still care how it feels!

Do all these little details matter when you’re in the ring going 100mph and trying to dodge punches? No, I don’t think you will under all that adrenaline. But I think we can all appreciate a product that has a lot of conscious thought behind it.

Fit

This is probably the only flawed part and even then, not so much. The custom gloves feel too wide overall. I feel like a little kid wearing my dad’s gloves. If I pull the laces totally tight, it helps a lot but there’s a lot of space in there for sure. More than any other glove. Does this mean my hand is floating in open space? No. Does this extra space affect the hand protection in anyway? Nope. Is it uncomfortable in any way in actual use? Not at all. I spar and hit the bags just fine. Nothing annoying. I don’t mind it at all but yes, it is too big. It’s kinda weird that they felt too wide even after all the custom hand measurements.

The stock gloves fit pretty damn perfect. Good size, fit, everything. I think anybody’s hand would feel perfect in there. If I had to guess…I feel his glove shape is made for a specific type of padding. The moment he switches the padding to something totally custom, the shape needs to be adjusted or else it’ll fit and feel differently.

Closure (laces and velcro)

The laces seem ok. Mine started getting ugly after 20-30 rounds (maybe chewed up by velcro straps in my trunk). Not a big deal.

The velcro strap on the stock gloves is great. Very high-quality strap made beautifully with leather on both sides (inside and out) and covering up the edge of the velcro. Many crappy companies use leather only on the outside (inside is plastic) and leave the edge of the velcro exposed where it can peel off over time, and leather stitching…you can see this in my comparison photo above with a cheap Sidekick boxing glove. The way Muhammad stitches his velcro straps, you would have thought it was the most important part of the glove.

Lining

The lining is a soft fabric lining. Not the cheap nylon kind but also not the annoying grippy abrasive kind. It’s standard. Neither bad, nor special. It works.

TopBoxer gloves performance

Padding protection (stock gloves)

Standard. The padding feels standard. It’s fine. I can’t speak on it. Not bad or good, just typical boxing glove density. Maybe he made it a special way and it lasts longer…either way, I don’t like punching in 14oz gloves. I would have liked it to be a little thicker…but then again, it’s probably accurate and just fine for 14 oz gloves.

I didn’t use the stock gloves much except for some bagwork testing. And I definitely didn’t spar with it. It’s comfortable and feels fine. Basically a normal glove but made well. This concludes my review for the stock gloves.

Padding protection (custom gloves)

I definitely got more than my money’s worth with these gloves. The padding is so damn cushioned I can see some people’s ego being hurt by not feeling like they can punch hard. If somebody wanted to tell me these were more protective for them than Winning, I wouldn’t argue. Winning has the superior craftsmanship and some details feel more professionally-made but you can’t argue about TopBoxer’s padding. Is it among the BEST?! IS IT?! Yeah…it was for me, 10 out of 10. Probably even a bit more than Winning.

Can we run out the door yet and print that in the newspaper?

Well, that’s unfair to Winning. Winning gloves have been proven by pros for decades. My TopBoxer gloves are the first time I’ve ever worn them and haven’t beaten down on them for even a year yet. Also too, I was able to specify super-cushy padding. So it’s not a fair comparison. Also too, many of you probably won’t have hand problems like me and probably don’t punch with the same level of technique, so you might not even notice the difference.

But one thing is for sure…ask and you shall receive. Muhammad can make the padding of your dreams!

Structural support (custom gloves)

The stock gloves were great and feel normal. The custom gloves feel too wide so I imagined they would’t be as structurally supportive, but I had no issues whatsoever. Maybe this is because the padding did all the work, or maybe because of other support from the glove construction that I couldn’t feel becaus eof all the padding. Either way, they were fine. Maybe I didn’t “feel” the support outright but I also had no issues.

Comfort (custom gloves)

Yes, very comfortable. In actual use, I don’t notice the big size much. I’m sure some people might feel it’s harder to sneak big gloves around your opponent’s defense but that was never my concern. The gloves feel nice. Also, I like the extra holes he poked in the palm-side leather. Hahaha, he kinda went to the extreme. The stock one has more holes than the custom ones.

Fit (custom gloves)

You would think the wide hand-space might be a little annoying but no. This is because the glove is snug to the back of your hand. Now feeling what I feel, I’d say having up-and-down wiggle space in boxing gloves are bad. But left-and-right wiggle space is ok. The TopBoxer gloves only have too much of the latter and once you grip the gloves to make a fist, it really doesn’t matter. Again, they are just a little wide…and not like too big all the way around.

Fist curl (custom gloves)

These are definitely more of an open-hand glove, which I personally like very much. If you compare the images above, you can see their that fingers are more relaxed (open) instead of being already curled up into a fist. This allows me to block and parry more and then choose when I want to tighten my hands for punching. Some of you may prefer different, like the Mexican gloves that are already rolled into a tight fist and always in punching position.

The stock gloves have more of a typical fist curl but not as rolled up as a typical Mexican glove (which is now quickly becoming the standard). If you’re someone who likes a super curled fist, you might hate open-hand gloves because it feels like 5% more work to tighten them into a fist.

Feedback (custom gloves)

The punch is extremely muffled. Even more than Winning gloves. Winning gloves like you’re punching into softish memory foam that lets your fist *smack* the bag a little bit. My custom TopBoxer padding feels like I’m punching into a pile of socks. The impact is dulled heavily. Have you ever thrown a water balloon hard at something and it didn’t pop? That’s the effect of my custom TopBoxer gloves, there’s no bang.

Now is this bad?…it depends.

If you’re some newbie trying to showoff to some guy on the next bag over or the chick by the water cooler, I guess it is. But for me, it’s absolutely perfect. I’ve been boxing for a long time and secure with my punching power. I don’t care about superficial bullshit like impressing other people in the gym. I need absolute maximum protection for my hands and that’s it. These TopBoxer gloves fit the bill perfectly.

But CAN you ask for better feedback or denser padding? Of course, you can. I’m sure if Muhammad can make me a pair of gloves on the extreme side of padding and dulling, he can do something on the other opposite end as well. Just ask and you shall receive!

Weight (custom gloves)

These gloves feel really light on my hands. They may look like 20oz but they feel like 14oz. If you hate the heavy glove feeling, TopBoxer is perfect for you.

Logo

I really don’t like the logo. Haha, kinda retro cheesy like an old seamstress label. Maybe you’ll come to like it for nostalgic purposes…but I specified my custom gloves not to have them. Just FYI, they look a little different in person. For example, my stock gloves have a red/white/black logo patch instead of the black/gold he has in most of his photos.

TopBoxer compared against Winning

I think this is a bit of an unfair comparison as these gloves are in different price ranges (Winning is $300-400, TopBoxer is $150). But Winning is the gold standard and many people like TopBoxer gloves as an affordable substitute. In that regard, TopBoxer is most definitely a winner since it delivers excellent protection at such affordable cost.

• Both gloves are 16oz. And yes, the TopBoxer gloves really do look big in person!

Leather Quality

No doubt about it, Winning leather is higher quality. Something about the texture, the wrinkles, the sheen, the way it looks and feels. The Winning leather has a classy refined look. The TopBoxer leather has a toyish more plastic look. But just keep in mind that nearly every other brand will appear just as toyish next to Winning gloves.

Craftsmanship

Both gloves are made with good intentions and careful attention to detail. TopBoxer gloves added little extra bits here and there, like longer bottom edge padding, more holes poked, welted seams, and extra stitching lines.

The Winning gloves clearly have a more experienced hand. The design seems much more perfected and neater. The stitching is effortlessly flawless at first glance. Lines are balanced and spaced evenly. The way the padding is held together makes the glove sit effortlessly. The TopBoxer stock gloves are shaped perfect…but the custom gloves have the padding slightly bulging or bending in some areas and seeming to shape itself differently from the leather (like a someone putting on another person’s shoe by accident).

Padding

I feel Winning are higher quality gloves but TopBoxer have more knuckle padding, more protection. It feels like your knuckles never get to impact the target (hahaha). Will have to see if this extra padding actually holds up over time. TopBoxer are REALLLY padded gloves. Giant pillows. If that’s what you want, it’s a real winner.

TopBoxer is more padded on palm-side as well. Lots of more padding around the inside of your wrist and forearms.

Fist curl

Winning feels more curled and closer to a full fist. TopBoxer feels like a half-open hand that you need to squeeze a little to get a fist.

Thumb comfort

Winning has the more comfortable thumb, especially if you like the straight thumb design. TopBoxer stock gloves are straight thumb but the custom ones are curved.

Other differences

Winning’s piping is neatly finished at the end of the glove, up the forearm where it’s much less noticeable. TopBoxer’s piping finishes on the bottom of the palm-side, also not so noticeable because of the laces but still easier to find. Does it a make any difference whatsoever? No. And you might even argue TopBoxer’s piping is easier to hide if you have velcro strap.

Winning lining is definitely better for sure; it’s probably the best in the business. Super smooth and slippery, so easy to get your hand in and out of the glove. TopBoxer lining is average. Not a big deal in real world use.

Winning has round laces with unfinished ends. TopBoxer has flat laces with finished ends. If you care, I also feel TopBoxer would seem easier and cheaper to do complicated glove customizations.

Areas of improvement

In my usual fashion of trying to look for any flaws or ways to make gloves better, I found mostly only superficial things:

1. Markings on leather

There are slight chips right on the back hand of the custom gloves. I don’t know if they were drying the gloves in open air and dirt got in or the leather itself was imperfect to begin with. But it’s funny because I never see it with most gloves and yet with TopBoxer, I saw it on both left and right custom gloves.

It’s really minor but I think since they are going towards premium gloves, I will judge them as so. The stock gloves are perfect in this regard.

2. Padding shape

The custom gloves have a visible outward bulge on the palm-side of the glove around the wrist area. You can see where the piping struggles to sit straight. Their stock gloves don’t have this issue at all. And I know why. It’s because when they started putting custom padding, the padding wants to take a different shape.

Is it a big deal? No, I don’t feel it. But I would guess if they could redesign the construction for the super-padded gloves, it will give more structure and support to the wrist area…and also look better when doing photoshoots (haha). Also, this is a dead giveaway his custom design wasn’t refined and perfected yet…I think it takes a decade to do so.

3. Thumb attachment

I feel the thumb attachment on the custom gloves could be adjusted slightly. The issue is when I curl my fingers into a fist, it pulls down on the edge of the thumb (forcing it to curve more when I want it to stay straight). It’s a very slight sensation and not noticeable in real-world use.

But it would be nice if he could either:

• A) Increase the strap length, or
• B) Attach it to the upper edge of the thumb instead of the very tip of the thumb. Might also have to go higher on the side of the index finger as well (towards middle knuckle instead of end knuckle).

I would imagine the first one might look weird as his thumb attachment strap is already standard size. The second option would work perfect but then might release the fist curl even further and make the glove even more open hand (which is probably not what he wants). Anyway, it will be interesting to see where he takes it from here.

Should you buy TopBoxer gloves?

These gloves are an absolute solid buy for me. The stock gloves are very fairly priced. They work fine and built well. But the magic for me starts with the custom gloves. I loved the custom look, how they feel, how they performed. I love that they’re totally different from all my other gloves. Everything is really unique from the shape, to the padding, to the stitching.

TopBoxer really is a completely custom glove (everything built differently) instead of just a “customized glove” (standard built but custom colors/materials). Another thing that blows me away is the price. $150 USD for this pair is so much fun. If you got hand issues or dreaming of just something way out of the norm, TopBoxers are a total steal. I don’t know how much longer this joy ride can go for because I still think they’re priced too low. (They used to be $100/pair and now only went up to $150/pair.) To be able to customize your glove AND talk to the glovemaker directly is not an experience you can find with many brands.

How much do I love my TopBoxer gloves?

• If my house was on fire, my custom TopBoxers would definitely be among the ones saved.

Where to buy TopBoxer gloves

• Buy from his website https://topboxer.com
• Custom gloves are $150 USD (shipping included)
• Stock gloves are $110-120 USD
• You can also buy from his TopBoxer eBay store.
• He also makes other gear like mitts, shields, headgear, etc.
• TopBoxer Instagram (see pictures of his work)
• TopBoxer Facebook page
• TopBoxer Facebook profile (chat with him if you like)
• FYI: TopBoxer also makes gloves for other brands as well. I’ll try not to out anyone but just thought you guys should know.

I’m so happy for his website, it used to be just lots of back and forth via email and chat. You’d lose track of what things were discussed and maybe even forget your options over time. His new website makes it so much easier.

Muhammad, thank you for redeeming the honor of Pakistan glovemakers!

Comparing 16+ boxing shoe brands used by amateurs, professionals, and champions!

Boxing shoes are one of the most important and most personal pieces of boxing equipment. Probably the second most critical piece of gear after your boxing gloves. Boxing shoes help you move with absolute control, giving you explosive footwork as well as anchored stops.

The best boxing shoes feel light, comfortable (like custom-made gloves for your feet), and help you become one with the canvas. The worst boxing shoes feel like a foreign material underneath, with weird lumps and curves that don’t mold to your feet. And then there’s also the matter of quality and features. Some last longer than others. Some are more comfortable, more secure, and easier to use than others.

Here’s my experience of the most popular boxing shoe brands!

Q: Which personal boxing gear is often overlooked by beginners?

• A: Yes, it’s BOXING SHOES!

Why are beginners especially so resistant when it comes to buying boxing shoes? Well, they don’t want to spend any money, they don’t see any benefit, and they figure they can just use any other athletic shoes (running/basketball/trainers). Well, I don’t recommend that. And I’m here to explain to you all the benefits of wearing good boxing shoes.

Benefits of Wearing Boxing Shoes

I know many of you will like to start out boxing by using other athletic shoes that are made for running, basketball, or other sports. I can tell you right now, it’s not the same. Wearing real boxing shoes makes a big difference in your performance. In fact, it’s probably one of the easiest ways to instantly improve a beginner boxer’s performance—put real boxing shoes on him.

A good pair of boxing shoes improves comfort, mobility, speed, and power. It’s really that simple. A shoe that’s made for boxing will allow you to be comfortable in boxing positions and stances, and allow you to move in the ways that a boxer typically moves. And if you’re able to move better, you’ll have more speed, and more power.

Wearing boxing shoes improves comfort, mobility, speed, and power.

Many of you will be tempted to do what I did, which is not buy real boxing shoes until way later, until you’re more serious, but you won’t get to enjoy the fun of how good it feels to wear real boxing shoes. Your feet feel so much lighter, and you move around with so much more agility AND support as you jump around the boxing ring snapping hooks and crosses. You simply have to try it to see what I mean.

Important Features of Good Boxing Shoes

1. Grip & Pivot

This is probably most important and distinct feature of boxing shoes, their ability to grip the ground so that your feet don’t slide when transferring power…but at the same time, always allowing you to pivot so you can throw power punches or execute typical fighting footwork maneuvers.

You will find that non-boxing shoes are pretty horrible when it comes to allowing you to grip & pivot. The way non-boxing shoes are shaped at the front can make pivoting a little awkward and also that the non-boxing shoes are either too slippery (don’t give you enough grip) or they give you too much grip (making it hard to pivot).

Some fighters will prefer a shoe that’s really grippy and they don’t mind if it’s a little harder to pivot. Some fighters will prefer a shoe that’s smoother and pivots easily even if it has a little less grip. The perfect balance for me is when the shoe grips enough to provide stability during power transfer and pivots easily enough while still keeping you connected to the ground. I actually hate when the shoes too grippy because that can make me trip.

Your boxing shoes should provide enough grip for stability,
while still allowing you to pivot easily.

2. Sole thickness, hardness, and texture

Now comes the second-most important feature of boxing shoes, the way the sole (the bottom of the shoe) is built. The way your soles are built greatly impacts your ability to balance, move, pivot, and throw punches. First off, on the inside…the insoles have to be comfortable and allow you to stand balanced. You shouldn’t feel like your axis is off-balance when you stand in your boxing shoes. You also shouldn’t feel like the shoes are forcing your feet to angle slightly towards the outsides or the insides. You’d be surprised by how common this problem is. If the insoles feel weird or make you off-balance already, maybe you can replace them with custom soles…maybe not.

The next thing is to get a feel for the thickness of the sole (the outside bottom part). Some guys like a thinner sole so that they can feel the ground more. You may feel more agile and lighter this way. Some guys like a thicker sole, you feel less ground but possibly more stable/powerful. You have to try it to see what I mean. It’s like the difference between standing “IN the ground” vs “ON the ground”.

• IN the ground is like standing in sand where your feet are absorbed into the surface.
• ON the ground is like standing on a hard surface like a basketball court.

When I was younger and loved jumping around a lot, I preferred a thinner sole and felt more powerful with that. Do note that thinner soles can tire out your feet quicker because of less support. (It’s similar to how those Vibram Five Finger shoes give your feet an extra workout.) Then again, my feet are strong, well-conditioned and that “extra work” doesn’t bother me one bit. For a beginner, they can make a difference but you get used to it quickly. Thin soles can also sometimes feel too easy to “roll over” where your feet can wobble outwards or inwards.

You would think a thin sole has less chance of rollover since the feet are closer to the ground but actually that isn’t where the issue is. The thing is thin soles are much more flexible and allow the sole to bend and curve too easily. Whereas a thick sole wouldn’t bend much and that alone (I think) is what helps prevent role over. With that said…if your feet are so wide that they extend past the outsole, then yeah…that doesn’t help much either.

Thicker soles have a nice solid feeling. You feel like your feet are standing on solid ground and can push off more powerfully. Also when you want to move quickly, it’s nice to feel like you’re pushing off a hard surface instead of a cushioned surface.

What you don’t want is a sole that is too thick that you feel too disconnected from the ground, this is common with many non-boxing athletic shoes. Shoes made for basketball will have all this cushioning in the sole that prevents you from connecting with the ground for maximum power. You may also notice that non-boxing shoes (and sometimes even some boxing shoes) have a raised heel which can prevent you from sitting down for maximum power on your punches. (Sometimes you have to be able to sit down on your heels for maximum power transfer, or to be able to push back an opponent.)

Another thing is the outside texture of the very bottom of the shoe. Some of you may like a flatter surface where it feels like you’re standing directly on the ground. You of you might like ridges or the little bumps (kind of like soccer cleats) because it feels like it has more grip. I personally like a flat bottom. I hate the bumps because it makes me feel more disconnected from the ground and also like I have less balance when I’m just standing. The bumps also make me feel like I’m standing on rocks (annoying). Keep in mind that I have wide feet, so maybe I might like the bumps if they were rearranged for wider feet.

The last thing to note is the construction of the toe and the heel. Some of you may like a shoe where the sole wraps up and covers the toe and the heel areas. This can make the shoe feel more durable and feel more grippy overall (especially when you pivot all the way to the toe-edge for punching). Others may hate when the toe edge has grip because they feel like it (grips and) trips them when they try to move. Those people probably prefer where the sole is only on bottom and the toe and heel areas are surrounded by the soft uppers. This might also feel lighter, more mobile or more comfortable to you.

Your boxing shoe soles should allow you to feel balanced and light.

3. Weight & Thickness

The overall feel of your shoe should have a desired weight and thickness. For me, the feeling of weight and thickness is determined by the material used as well as the mobility allowed. A feeling of lightness comes from a lighter and thinner sole, lighter and thinner uppers, and lots of freedom in the ankles. The moment the shoe starts adding on a thicker sole, or lots of fabric and upper material, or restricting ankle movement, the shoe starts to feel heavier.

Should you go thick and heavy or thin and light? This is really up to you. A light and thinner shoe will feel more agile and possibly more powerful if you like to feel the ground. A thicker and heavier shoe can feel more supportive and also more powerful because you feel like it’s unifying your knee, ankle, and foot together with every movement. Those who like lighter shoes will complain that a thicker heavier shoe is restrictive and/or slows down their foot-speed.

Your boxing shoe should feel thin enough to be light and agile,
thick enough to provide support for power transfer.

4. Height & Ankle Support

One of the most important tasks of a boxing shoe is to protect your ankles. As you already know, ankle injuries are common in sports where you’re jumping around, changing angles often, and constantly putting force on your ankles from all directions. Boxing can definitely put force on your ankles and knees depending on your fighting style.

You have 3 choices of shoe-heights in boxing – LOW, MID, and HIGH. The low-tops go about as high as the ankles. The mid-height shoes go a few inches higher than that, and the high-tops reach almost to your calves.

Conventional wisdom goes, “the higher the shoe, the more ankle support you get.” So if you want lots of ankle support, get the high-tops. If you want lots of mobility, then get the low-tops so your ankles have more freedom to move. This has a lot to do with how your joints are made. If you’re the kind of guy who sprains his ankles every now and then, you should probably go with the high-tops. It has a lot to do with genetics, fighting style, and personal preference. I have strong ankles and I love low-tops.

There are a few extra things to consider. First off, low-tops come in varying ranges of “low”. Some are below the ankle, some are right on the ankle, and some are even above the ankle. While that may or may not matter in terms of ankle support, they do feel very different. So even if you want low tops, I recommend you try out the different ranges of low-tops if you want to be a perfectionist.

When it comes to high-tops, you should know that different models fit differently. Some high-tops might feel too loose at the ankles (still not enough ankle support) whereas others might be too loose on the lower shins (lacking support or feels annoying). Some might feel annoying or restrictive on your calf muscle. Do remember that every body is different. Some of you have longer or shorter legs, thicker or thinner legs, thicker or thinner calves, different ankle builds, or wear thinner or thicker socks. All of these things have an effect.

Your boxing shoes should feel mobile,
while providing ankle support for power and safety.

I have noticed that high-tops are not only good for ankle support but can also make you feel more powerful when throwing punches. I don’t think it’s so much that the shoe actually gives you support and makes you more powerful. My theory is that because the shoe is bigger and touches more of your leg, you become more aware of your entire lower leg and move more of your body in unison together which then gives you more power and support. I do feel like the guys with high-tops are less likely to jump around into weird overly-crouched or contorted positions (because the shoes are less comfortable when you do that) and so their legs are more often in positions that give more balance and power.

5. Stationary Stability

I think one commonly overlooked quality of a boxing shoe is STABILITY from a stationary position. Many people think boxers need to move a lot and therefore basketball or tennis shoes would do just as well but this thinking is inaccurate. Basketball and tennis shoes are made for RUNNING movements and constant change of direction while running. Boxing is a sport of mostly stationary positions with lots of fidgety foot adjustments. What boxers need is not a shoe that helps them run forever but rather a shoe that lets them plant their feet flat on the ground, sit down on their punches for maximum power, and then quickly take one step or pivot and then sit back down again.

Unlike basketball or tennis shoes (made for running),
boxing shoes need to plant flat for maximum stationary support.

Basketball and tennis shoes are terrible for planting your feet flat on the ground. They have a curved sole on bottom, made for helping you roll off your feet while running, that prevents you from sitting flat. Their soles are also way too thick (built for cushion) that you can’t feel the ground.

6. Comfort & Width

Comfort and width are a matter of personal preference. You will know what feels good to you by trying on different pairs of shoes. My suggestion? Ask your friends at the local boxing gym if you can stick your feet into their shoe. You’ll be able to quickly scratch off the brands and materials that feel annoying to you.

The materials used and how they are stitched or glued together will have the biggest impact on comfort if you ask me. Some materials can be bothersome or feel like they restrict your feet, like the shoe doesn’t want to let your feet spread or bend or push off the ground at the angles you want. Some shoes can pinch your feet uncomfortably at the front (not letting you press off the balls of your feet comfortably) or they pinch at the back and give you blisters. Or even the insoles can give you blisters.

For me, the biggest problem when buying shoes is the width. I have super wide feet and when I wear shoes that are too narrow, they don’t allow my feet to flatten against the ground for maximum stability. I also feel like I have less balance because the shoe underneath my foot is narrower than the foot itself. I imagine the opposite can also be true, if your feet is too narrow, you want a shoe that is similar in fit or at least has laces that allow you to tighten it up, or else your feet or toes will have too much room in there. A quick tip: I will say that shoes using mesh anywhere on top or sides of your metatarsal area will stretch a lot easier than shoes that have pure plastic/rubber/leather there.

Your shoe should allow fit snug and comfortably,
without restricting movement or causing blisters.

7. Sole support

This is a matter of personal preference. Some of you with high arches may prefer more of a contoured or cushioned-sole so you foot feels wrapped in a glove and maybe even a little bit elevated off the ground. And those of you with low arches or flatter feet may prefer a more “naked” flat shoe where your feet feel like they’re standing right on the ground. Some of you may also feel that well-cushioned insoles seem more expensive and that naked “flat” shoes feel more cheap. You COULD also take a “flat shoe” and switch out the insoles. This is what my brother did when the shoes he wanted didn’t have enough arch-support or cushion for him.

Last but not least, is the density of your workout floor. If your gym floor is already stiff and hard or your boxing ring uses stiffer-padding, you may prefer flatter shoes to feel the ground more. If your ring canvas is soft and/or your gym floor is soft, you may prefer more cushioned shoes to elevate you above the floor and prevent you from sinking in.

High arches or soft flooring may prefer cushioned/contoured shoes.
Low arches or hard flooring may prefer flatter shoes.

8. Quality

It goes without saying that quality is very important. You want your shoes to last a while. As long as you’re using a top name-brand shoe, you’ll probably be alright on this. If you want to inspect a shoe to see where quality matters most, I would say it’s to make sure that the sole is constructed well and that the bottom of the shoe doesn’t look like it’s going to peel off when the shoe wears out. In case it does, you can use Shoe Goo or take it to a shoe repair shop to glue it back on.

Top Boxing Shoe Brands

1. MOST POPULAR – Nike

I like Nike boxing shoes because they fit my feet the best (out of all the typical “storebrands”). They are comfortable, high performance, durable, and also very stylish (the most stylish and aggressive aesthetic). Probably the most popular boxing shoe brand in general. Nike boxing shoes are conveniently located in several price ranges, heights, and styles. Because my first pair of boxing shoes (made by Nike) worked out so well, I didn’t get to venture out into other brands anywhere near as much.

Nike Speedsweep (lo-top) $70-85

These are my favorite and the ones I use (also sold on Amazon as “wrestling shoes”). My shoes were actually the “Nike Lo-Pro Boxing” shoes but very similar to this one. My current pair has lasted 6 years easily and only cost me about $35 back in the days (these used to be as low as $50 but then got too popular). They feel good. Very light. Awesome grip so my feet don’t slip at all when I’m moving around. When I plant my heel into the ground, my feet become super anchored for maximum stability.

I have strong ankles and love having freedom of movement and agility over support and rigidness. This is why I chose a low ankle design to complement my style of movement. The shoes help my punching power by allowing me to sit down on my punches as well as pivoting easily on the balls of my feet. They’re great for the price and I highly recommend them. (I’m 5’7″, 140lbs, strong ankles, flat arches, wide feet, small calves, like thin socks—if you care.)

Nike HyperKO Boxing Boots (high-top) $150+

Many boxers have this recent-model high-top Nike boxing shoes nowadays. Here in Southern California, I feel like that’s all I ever see. Manny Pacquiao made this model famous. They’re replacing the old Nike Machomai’s that everybody used to wear. They’re extremely lightweight, very supportive, appear to be long-lasting, comfortable and high performance. It feels like a very well-built shoe. Most legit pros and amateurs are using these more than any other brand I’ve seen. If there’s any complaints, it’s that some people (like my brother) might feel there’s a little more space in the ankle area than they want.

Some notable things about these shoes:

The sole of the shoe is hard and stiff, like a boot so when you move your feet you feel like the entire bottom comes with the shoe all at once. Your foot moves completely as one solid unit. The material around your foot, ankle, and lower calf is really light and thin. Feels kinda naked. If you like having more material (like padding) wrapped around your ankles, this shoe is not for you. These shoes feel like a heavy sandal stuck to your feet and combined with a sock that goes halfway up your calf.

Nike KO Mid Boxing Shoes $150

In case you wanted mid-height. These are probably the updated Nike Machomai’s.

Nike Machomai Mid Boxing Shoes (mid-top) $100

In case you still wanted the clean classic original Machomai’s. Great shoes that were the most popular shoe for a long time. Nike performance and quality.

2. POPULAR brands – Adidas, Reebok, Rival, & Venum

These are the 2nd tier brands for boxing shoes on the market. They are probably just as high quality and fancily-designed as Nike but not as popular. Is it due to just marketing and brand recognition/trust? Or is it something else?

Adidas is the other top boxing shoe brand that I would use if I wasn’t using Nike. I don’t use Adidas because it feels different from Nike. It’s not that it’s bad, just that it feels different and weird because it’s less familiar. Maybe this has to do with the fact that I wear Nike shoes more often than Adidas. Another thing I would say is that Adidas is probably more popular in Europe. I remember when I went to sports stores in Germany, I often saw more Adidas boxing gloves and boxing products than I did for Nike.

Rival, I’ve never liked much. I think they’re made well enough, they just didn’t fit well when I first tried a pair. I didn’t like the way it felt on my feet. Too many lumps in the sole that doesn’t curve the way the bottom of my foot did. My brother loves the one he has (comfortable and fit well, still quality) but does feel like they are slightly lower quality than Nike.

Reebok is the latest mainstream sports brand to go into the boxing market (behind Nike/Adidas). The most well-known pros wearing them are Floyd Mayweather and Amir Khan. From what I hear, it’s a great shoe but might be a little narrow and annoying to put on. Their models are made to be a direct competitor to Nike’s HyperKO. You can watch this Reebok vs Nike boxing shoe review video.

Adidas Speedex Boxing Shoes (low-top) $150

Their new line of boxing shoes, made with low-top, and really cool aggressive styling. Supposed to be super light.

Adidas KO Legend 16.2 Boxing Shoes $100

High quality mid-top. Great performance and seems to be well-liked by those who have it. I imagine these are popular in Europe. I showed links to both the 16.2 and 16.1 versions.

Adidas Pretereo Wrestling/Boxing Shoes $79

Another new model. Really sexy design and well-liked. They’re probably replacing the old “Adidas Champ Speed III” shoes that were the most popular Adidas boxing shoe I’ve ever seen.

Adidas Combat Speed IV Boxing Shoes $50-70

   

This is like the Adidas equivalent of the Nike Speedsweep. It’s basically a low-cost, low-top, good thin lightweight boxing shoe. Be careful: some people complained that the wrestling version is too grippy to pivot.

Adidas Box Hog Boxing Boots $100

In case you were looking for the older (yet also popular) Adidas boxing shoes, this model was very popular. Some people even liked these more than the seen-everywhere Nike Machomai boxing shoes. I’m not sure but it seems this model is being updated as well. I listed Box Hog version “2” and “3” above for you.

Adidas Ring Wizard Boxing Shoes (low-top) $69

I believe it’s actually a wrestling shoe but still used and loved by boxers. Lightweight and well-functioning. Cheap, looks cool, and with different color options available.

Reebok Boxing Shoes (hi-top) $99

A very popular model (at least in the USA) right now. I believe they are worn by Floyd Mayweather and Amir Khan…but is it for performance or endorsement reasons? So far, the user reviews are great and many fighters are very happy with these. Good support, lightweight, stylish and decent-enough build. For those deciding between this pair and the Nike HyperKO’s, the Nike ones are most definitely better. Higher construction quality and also much faster to put on and take off.

Rival Guerrero Boxing Boots (low-top) $80

A popular model for Rivals. Comes in many cool color combinations. Very comfortable and lightweight.

Rival RSX Boxing Boots (high-top) $90

Another stylish boxing shoe from Rival. Nice ankle support, not so much space around here like the Nike HyperKO’s and also a flatter shoe (less insole cushioning). The shoe overall does feel like a cheaper shoe than the Nike HyperKO’s but still decent enough quality and some people might prefer it over the Nike HyperKO’s. My brother chose this shoe over the Nike HyperKO because they had more ankle support.

This shoe is also heavier than the HyperKO’s. The extra weight probably comes from the heavier rubber parts and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Some fighters like a super lightweight ‘bare-foot’ feeling as their feet feel naked and light as a feather. Other fighters prefer something more structured as that feels more supportive to them. There’s thicker material all around the foot, ankle, and shin areas. If I have any complaints, it’s that the suede might rip through faster than you think. My brother’s shoes tore a hole around the pinky toe after 6 months of use.

Rival Youth Boxing Shoes $80

Some nice models for kids.

Venum Elite Boxing Shoes (mid-top) $149

I have yet to try them personally but they look promising. They seem lightweight and supportive; also marketed as “flexible/adaptive”. Their premium pricing tells me they’re coming after the top-tier brands and want to be compared to the likes of Nike.

A quick note: I absolutely hate Venum’s boxing gloves and overall brand because they’re so gimmicky and low-quality. I’m listing their shoes here with absolute skepticism in mind.

3. MEXICAN brands – Reyes, Adams, Seyer and others

I’ve never tried any Mexican boxing shoes but do know them to be high quality and always well-respected over the years. The only reason why they aren’t more popular is due to cost, popularity, and accessibility. Due to their strong ties to hip-hop culture and recognizable brand in other sports, Nike/Adidas/Reebok are most likely the first pair of boxing shoes any fighter will wear. In fact, most boxers are probably wearing Nike basketball or running shoes as their first pair of “boxing shoes”. That’s why it’s easy to just go with Nike again when you buy your first pair of real boxing shoes. You already know and trust the brand.

Unlike the big factory brands like Nike/Adidas/Reebok which use a lot of synthetic materials…like rubber, plastic, and mesh…Mexican boxing shoes are usually made out of pure leather. The whole thing is made out of leather, except for the soles (rubber) and laces (cotton/nylon/polyester). Pure leather is far more durable than synthetic materials and may take some time to break-in. Another trait about using pure leather is that it takes a lot of work to make it look “modern” and so many Mexican boxing shoes look old/retro which some fighters like or don’t like. With that said, great craftsmanship can make leather feel like a glove from day one.

I’ve noticed those who have Mexican boxing shoes seem to swear by them. I suspect that’s where a big part of the cost comes from. Nike and other big name manufacturers can outsource their production to china where these shoes are probably made by machine and with cheap synthetic materials (fashioned into seemingly high-quality fancy-looking designs). Mexican boxing shoes have to be made by hand in Mexico using raw materials like leather.

For a long time, not many people wore Mexican boxing shoes (at least not in the US) because they were hard to find. They weren’t sold in stores, and also many people (especially beginners) didn’t like their old school look. They don’t look particularly fancy and if anything, appear somewhat like clown shoes or Mexican lucha libre wrestling shoes. It also doesn’t help that you have to pay a premium. It certainly felt like the premium price was for nostalgia and shipping fees rather than quality.

Well, that’s starting to change. Just like recent trends in boxing glove designs, more and more fighters are turning away from overly-designed mass-produced gear and starting to favor more boutique brands that offer all-leather construction and can be custom-made with different designs, colors, and embroidery. That’s what the pros use after all!

Cleto Reyes are solid high quality and have always been a popular quality brand for many years. Seyer is another diehard Mexican brand but like most Mexican brands are not often found outside of Mexico. There are also several other Mexican brands that also make boxing shoes, but not all of them. I suspect boxing shoes are more hassle and less profitable compared to boxing gloves. Either way, you can research on Google if you want to explore all the other Mexican brands and see what customizations are possible.

Adams Boxing is a new American brand that just popped up. It’s one guy, from the US but has his shoes made in Mexico. The interesting thing is that he’s not using an all-leather construction like the other Mexican shoe brands. He’s going the synthetic materials route and looks similar to Reebok. I’ve yet to try them myself but he’s got a cult-following on social media and among purist boxers. His shoes are worn by even top pro fighters like Manny Pacquiao and many say they are the most comfortable and highest quality shoes ever made. Be careful when ordering from him as I hear his production is always backed up and he stops answering emails when orders get delayed for months. It seems many people love the Mexican trend of wearing customized boxing gear designed in fancy, flashy, bold colors. See his Facebook page.

Cleto Reyes Leather Lace Up High Top Boxing Shoes $119

Excellent quality, lightweight, used by good fighters. Also has a zipper on the side for convenience. I do think the zipper is genius as having to lace-up high-top shoes every day can get pretty freaken annoying.

4. LUXURY brands – Winning, Di Nardo, Mizuno

This is the premium stuff! I would say only pros or those that are THAT serious and finicky with their boxing shoes will go for these. They’re extremely high quality but also way more expensive. For most people, these seem unnecessary because other shoes cost only 1/4th of what these cost and still perform exceptionally well. I think they’re great if you want a specific look or just like having the Ferrari equivalent of boxing shoes. I have a custom pair of Di Nardo’s made at this moment and will release my official review for them soon.

Winning boxing shoes (made in Japan) $250 – are known for being ULTRA-lightweight. Almost feels too light like there’s no gravity, ha! Supposedly high quality and comfortable. Their design is more of a conservative modern style (like Adidas/Reebok), and made of rubber and synthetic materials. But the funny thing is…the lady here at the official Winning Boxing office in Redondo Beach absolutely hates them. Lol…after trying them on for myself, I will admit they are kind of the generic version of quality Japanese boxing shoes. (You can think of them as like Japanese version of Title Boxing shoes.) The lady there like Mizuno as #1, Asics as #2, and Winning last.

Winning Boxing Ring Shoes Short Ultra-light Type RS-100 Purchase Here

Mizuno (made in Japan) $300-450 – a truly high-end pair of boxing shoes. Also very light, and sometimes people complain that they’re even TOO light. Very uncommon and rare to find in the US. Extremely high quality, incredible comfort and performance. The most recent big name boxer to wear them was Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, but he now wears custom-made Under Armour boxing shoes which are not yet available to the public. I’ve tried them myself and have to say I absolutely agree. They are sleek. Lightweight, good grip. And nicely distributed weight. I think many brands out there have a heavy sole.

Di Nardo’s (made in Italy) $500-1000 – is a high-end boutique boxing gear, custom-made by hand in a similar style to Mexican boxing shoes. I highly recommend his boxing gear if you want the absolute highest quality and customization options. Italian leather (probably the finest and most desired leather in the world), Italian craftsmanship, beautiful in every way. You have to see it in person to really appreciate the quality. Everything else feels like a toy next to these.

I absolutely LOVE my Di Nardo boxing shoes. You can’t believe how good it feels; like slipping your feet into smooth buttery leather. Contact Filippo directly to start your custom order.

5. CHEAP brands – Asics, Otomix

Asics is a highly regarding shoe brand but more for other sorts like running, track and field, and also basketball/football/soccer/etc. And just like the other sports, Asics is known as a quality brand but more affordable option when you don’t want to pay for “Nike”. When it comes to boxing, they haven’t been able to quite capture the market like the other brands but have made progress over the years. I think the thing holding them back is not really investing in the boxing market and not clearly labeling their shoes as “boxing shoes”. What they’re doing is selling wrestling shoes to the boxing market.

There used to be a time when Asics made these super cheap boxing shoes for $24.99. Some guy in my gym got them and I tried them on and man, what a piece-of-crap they were. I never went back to Asics. Thing is, they do make good wrestling shoes at higher price points, so I imagine they might be able to produce good boxing shoes.

I actually have tried some that seemed like high quality and had mostly good reviews. Maybe you’ll like them; I think they’re worth a try. What bothers me about the branding is that most of their products somehow always feel a little cheaper than Nike. Their top-end stuff is definitely good, though.

***NOTES:

• I’ve hard that they tend to run small so order one size up.
• I also heard Asics are usually too narrow; too tight for those with wide feet.

Asics Cael V7.0 Wrestling Shoes $75

High quality and well-liked by both wrestlers and boxers.

Asics JB Elite Wrestling Shoes $69

Great quality, performance, styling, and pricing! I’ve included links for both the original model as well as the newer 2.0 model.

Asics Mens Snapdown 2 Wrestling Shoe $54

This looks pretty cool.

Asics Matflex 5 Wrestling Shoes $49

Also well-liked by boxers. Considered high quality and great performance.

Otomix boxing shoes $129-139

To be honest, I know almost nothing about this brand and never personally tried them. I’ve never seen anybody use them and it was only very recently that I started hearing about them. At initial glance, they look cheap. When I researched online, the reviews were mixed. They are known for being a general fitness brand that makes shoes, uniforms, apparel, and equipment for martial artists, weightlifters, bodybuilders, and even yoga. If you know anything about those cheap mass-produced brands, they all make exactly this kind of so it’s kind of a red flag for me.

Anyway, Otomix figured they could sell their martial arts & weightlifting shoes to the boxing market and it worked. At those price points, I don’t know why anyone would choose them over the more-established boxing brands. They do have many interesting designs in different color combinations. And I’m glad to hear some people like them and others don’t. I did notice that they seem to have many options for women.

6. JUNK brands – Everlast, Ringside, Titleboxing, Lonsdale

These companies, in my opinion, are the HELL-NO brands. I will never buy or use them. I hear of too many complaints with their quality. I will have to admit that I haven’t used any of them for extended periods of time. (Based on the initial fitting, I didn’t want to.) Not surprisingly, I don’t see these brands as much in the gym (except for little kids). I would say they are completely inferior in quality, comfort, styling, and their cheaper price often reflects that. I think the biggest problem with them is that they’re not true shoe brands (and not quality boxing brands either, IMO). They don’t have the experience or know-how to make comfortable shoes. At best, they have cool designs and that’s it.

I did put my feet into some Everlast boxing shoes and also a pair of Titleboxing shoes a couple of times (just to see). They felt awful on my feet, not comfortable at all, and really cheap. The shape and material didn’t mold to my feet; you feel like it was made for robots or something. And then factor in the rumors about poor quality and I just felt so much happier going back to Nike, which has always felt great. (For those who don’t know, Tomasz Adamek’s Everlast shoe tore off in the middle of a fight.)

Lonsdale to me is like the Everlast of the UK. They make consumer-grade boxing products for the casual boxer-athlete market. I’m going to guess their quality is similar and that their boxing shoes are probably not all that. Then again, I’ve never tried them so I can’t really comment on it. Luckily, many of these brands can be even be found at regular sporting goods stores, so you can try on different models and see which shapes and features you like.

Everlast boxing shoes $50-80

 

Mostly cheap stuff if you ask me.

Ringside boxing shoes $55-65

Some people like them. Others have an issue with the quality and also the fit. From the reviews I checked out, many say the Ringside boxing shoes run large.

Title boxing shoes $29-99

Listed in order from cheapest to newest. Don’t be fooled by the colors shown above. Click through the links and you’ll see many different color choices. From what I’ve heard, Title is making better boxing shoes although there are still many complaints about quality control. But hey, if you’re looking for cheap…these might actually work out for you. I would say the Predator is the only one that looks “ok quality” to my eye. The rest look really cheap in person. Also, Title boxing shoes seem to run a little tight so some people say it’s perfect snug fit and others recommend for you to order bigger.

Lonsdale boxing shoes $29-75

To be honest, some of them don’t look bad. The only problem is that the others look really cheap. It’s just the flattering photography lighting that keeps the bad ones from looking like total plastic junk. I’ve learned how not to fall for fancy images over the years. You’ll just have to see these in person to get what I mean.

What boxing shoes are most popular in gyms?

The most popular boxing shoes

Nike, Reebok, and Adidas will always be the most popular (Nike still way more popular than the other two). If those two brands don’t suit your taste, try going for Rival. If you want to spend lots of money for custom gear, try Grant. Asics and Rival can also be seen sometimes. I think Rival might be more popular depending where you go.

I feel that only amateurs and smaller guys will wear low-top shoes. Bigger guys and taller guys, tend to go for med or high-tops. I also noticed Adidas (when you do see them) are more often worn by the seasoned fighters, not so much by the newbies. Pros and seasoned amateurs are more likely to wear high-tops. If it matters to you, I would say about 80% of pro boxers wear Nike med-top boxing shoes, the other 20% wear Nike high-tops.

QUESTION: Can you use wrestling shoes for boxing?

Yes! Many fighters wear wrestling shoes for boxing. I have heard though, that wrestling shoes can be used for boxing but the reverse is not recommended. I’ve never tried and I imagine it would be ok considering how similar the wrestling shoes are built to boxing shoes. I imagine wrestling shoes probably have more grip on the outside edges than boxing shoes and built to be more durable considering the sport has you scrambling along the ground at all angles. Whereas boxing has you mainly on your feet so boxing shoes might be built more to be lightweight rather than for complete 360-degree durability.

I have also heard that wrestling shoes are bit more grippy than boxing shoes (which could be bad for pivots). You may also notice that some models are sold for both wrestling as well as for boxing. Just beware that if you’re going to buy wrestling shoes online, read the reviews to make sure they can pivot and/or that boxers are using them successfully.

QUESTION: Can you use basketball or tennis shoes for boxing?

They are not ideal (terrible idea). They usually have way too much grip (terrible for pivots). Soles are too thick and curved for you to plant your feet flat on the ground and get full power out of your punches.

Leave a comment below and share what experiences you’ve had with different brands and models of boxing shoes. Describe your body (height, weight, thick or thin calves, wide or narrow feet, flat or high arch), what boxing shoes you bought, and your experience with them (comfort, performance, durability).

Looking for other boxing gear? Check out my:

• Best Boxing Gloves Review
• Boxing Headgear Review

The ultimate boxing glove review – from 10+ years experience!

I review over 60 brands, and hundreds of different gloves…explaining everything from materials, padding, and stitching to shape, comfort, and protection. I also cover the history of different brands and how they evolved or even copied one another over the years. 

Of the hundreds of “boxing glove reviews” out there, most are either a vomit of self-serving Amazon links or sponsored reviews advertisements hyping up gimmicky features. Even the honest reviews are written by guys who’ve tried only a few brands and never worn out a single glove in their entire life. I’ll say this…

The best glove reviews should compare the best gloves!

Discover the best boxing gloves for: serious fighters, women, beginners, and low budget!

I’ve got 10+ years of punching in boxing gloves

Some of you guys know my story. I’ve been boxing since 2004. Way back in 2008, I wrote a popular guide called the Boxing Gloves Buyer’s Review that circled the web a hundred times, spawning copycat review guides ripping off everything I said. Well…a lot has changed since then.

The current market for boxing/MMA/fighting gear is more confusing than ever for consumers. There used to be only a few brands to choose from and it was easy to tell who made the good stuff. But nowadays, you have more brands and more choices (design, color, price-range) with all claiming to be the highest quality. You hear conflicting reviews and you don’t know what’s good anymore.

My verdict is this:
99% of the gloves out there are overpriced junk.

I’ve tried out MANY gloves and seen them new, used, completely torn apart. I can look at a glove and tell you how it’s going to feel and how it’s going to fall apart later. I can tell you if the glove will harden quickly, be hot and sweaty, be hard to make a fist, where it will tear, those kinds of things.

This experience comes from being in a serious boxing gym—with dozens of champions training inside at any moment. I got to try out many different gloves and see what everyone else uses. I also get free gloves regularly because of my website. I’ve seen many brands and how they’ve changed over the years.

I hope to shine some light on the boxing glove industry (instead of confusing you with more pretty pictures and BS features). I’ll tell you how boxing gloves are made, which qualities are most important, and which ones to buy. I’ll also give you the background and history of many companies and how their gloves have risen or fallen in favor with boxers.

I will probably make enemies out of the boxing glove industry but here goes…

Let’s us begin the ULTIMATE BOXING GLOVE REVIEW GUIDE!

NOTE: I have affiliate links for many gloves below. Whatever you buy may earn me a small commission. I only promote gloves that I would personally use and NEVER because of commissions (although many companies have tried). In a sport like this, integrity IS safety.

Skip ahead if you’re too busy to read the entire article. Read the whole thing to see detailed glove reviews, company write-ups, and get a stronger understanding of how quality gloves are made.

Johnny’s favorite gloves (for training/fighting):
Top 5 Boxing Gloves for Training/Sparring/Bagwork (16oz)
Top 5 Boxing Gloves for Low Budget (16oz)
Top 5 Boxing Gloves for Professional Fighting (8-10oz)
Top 5 Boxing Gloves for Women (12-14oz)

Learn about glove construction:
Boxing Glove Buyer’s Guide
– Different types of boxing gloves
– Boxing glove review criteria
– Brand rankings

Skip to a specific brand:
1v1 Fight Gear
Adidas / pro line
Amber Sports
AMMO Boxing
BAD BOY
Boon
Booster
Boxeo
Campeon
Corti
Casanova / compared with other Mexican brands
Century
Chaos
Charlie
Classics
Cleto Reyes
Clinch
Combat Sports International (CSI)
Crest
Demix
Di Nardo
Ediroc
Everlast / pro line
Fairtex
Fighting Sports
Fly
G&S Fight Supply
GIL (formerly Zepol)
Grant
Green Hill
Hayabusa
Hit N Move
Infinitude
JC Pacheco
John Golomb
King Professional
LECO
Leone
Lonsdale
Machina
Morales
Necalli
No Boxing No Life
ONYX Sports
Paffen Sport
Palomares
Phenom
Pro Boxing Supples (PBS)
Pro-Box
Promex
Punch Equipment
RDX
Revgear
Ring to Cage
Ringside
Rival
Sabas
Sandee
Seyer
Sting
ThaiSmai
TITLE Boxing
TKO
TM – Torres Medina
Top King
TOP TEN
TopBoxer
TUF-WEAR
Ultimatum
Unified
Triumph United
Twins
UMA
Venum
Windy
Winning
Zepol

THE WINNERS – Johnny’s Favorite Boxing Gloves (for training and fighting)

What MOST boxers use

Most pros (and amateurs) prefer Winning gloves for training because they have the best protection. Even if you don’t have a lot of money, it is still worth it to save up the $300 for Winning—they are THAT good! Older fighters or those with hand problems practically have no choice but to use Winning. An alternative to Winning is Grant but it’s only used by pros or rich kids (who can appreciate the customization) since it costs so much.

Fighters that like Winning/Grant gloves but can’t afford them will default to Rival or one of the Mexican glove brands (Reyes, Casanova), which are still very high quality but more affordable. Those wanting customization or flashy styling will go with customized Mexican gloves; ones with bigger budget will do Grant or Adidas MyGloves. Boxers on average budget will default to Ring2Cage C17’s. Those on a tighter budget will get either Fighting Sports or Ringside IMF sparring gloves (which go on sale often). MMA guys or boxers venturing outside the traditional boxing brands will go for Hayabusa (which I don’t like), Ring 2 Cage’s C17 model (a respectable Winning clone) or one of the Thai brands (Fairtex, Twins, etc). The most budget conscious will go for Title, really cheap but functional.

First-timers, beginners, and especially MMA guys are known to walk into the gym with cheap Everlast, Fairtex, Hayabusa, or even Venum (whichever they find first at sporting stores)—many of which are not on my top 5 lists because of poor quality or overpriced. Some people will be lucky enough to have found Title, Fighting Sports, or Ringside, which go on sale often. Generally, MMA guys prefer the extreme-styling and high-tech look of Hayabusa/Rival whereas pure boxers prefer the classic old-school look of Mexican or Winning gloves.

In countries outside of the US, local brands are more common…such as Rival in Canada, TOP TEN in UK, Winning in Japan, Twins in Thailand, Mexican gloves in Mexico, etc. And then Winning is worn as the “status brand” to show off regardless of any country. Mexican gloves are also shown off outside of Mexico as “exotic gloves” (like in Europe) and fun to wear since they look different from typical Pakistan gloves and very hard to get or rarely seen.

Top criteria for training gloves are quality-of-construction and protection, then comfort. Gloves made for bagwork have denser cushion to last longer and also prevent you from punching through the padding. Gloves made for sparring have softer cushion to minimize power transfer and protect sparring partners. There are also gloves that are made for both; ideally, they use multiple layers of foam of different densities. Because every hand is different, some gloves will fit and protect you better than others.

BAG gloves protect you.
SPARRING gloves protect your partner.
TRAINING gloves should protect both.

Serious fighters will have at least 2 pairs of gloves (both 16oz):

• SOFT pair of lace-up gloves for sparring.
• DENSE pair of velcro gloves for bagwork.
• Some fighters go lighter (14oz) for speed, or heavier (18oz) for protection/bagwork or conditiong.
• Bigger fighters spar with 18oz, 20oz, or even heavier for more protection.
• Some fighters spar in 14oz or 12oz to practice fighting in lower weight gloves closer to the actual competition weight (they don’t punch with full power, of course).

Having several pairs of gloves helps to preserve your soft sparring gloves, since they don’t last long when used on the heavy bag. The dense cushion in bag gloves can last a lot longer; but you can’t shouldn’t use them on sparring partners.

If you could only buy one glove (16oz):

• Pick SOFT if you do more sparring, and DENSE if you do more bagwork.
• Those on a budget might buy only a soft pair for sparring, and then use community gloves for bagwork.
• Or you can buy a dense pair for bagwork, and then use community gloves for sparring.
• If you’re not sparring too hard, you can do what I do which is VELCRO gloves for sparring (more convenience), and LACE-UP gloves for bagwork (more support).
• Those with hand injuries may prefer softer/bigger gloves for bagwork. If you don’t know which weight you should get, pick the 16oz.

16oz is the standard for male boxers. Females will be 14oz.
SOFT gloves for sparring, DENSE gloves for bagwork.
LACE-UP gloves for support, VELCRO for convenience.

My personal preferences (FYI: I’m 140lbs):

• Don’t use any glove under $150. Winning, Casanova, and Rival are my favorite stock gloves. TopBoxer and Mexican gloves are my favorite custom gloves. Di Nardo is my guilty splurge.
• 16oz pair for sparring, and 16oz pair for training (bagwork/mitts).
• Quality all-leather exterior over cheap leather or fake leather – more durable, more comfortable, breathes better, looks better.
• Handmade gloves (better quality) over Pakistan factory clone-mold.
• Foam padding over gel padding.
• Simpler design with less seams, preferably with double-stitching (more durability).
• Laces over velcro – more support and authentic boxing look.
• Boxing brands over MMA/Thai glove brands – better shape and quality.

Top 5 Boxing Gloves for Training (Bagwork & Sparring)

1. Winning MS-600 16oz Boxing Training Gloves ($290-450) – best choice, proven quality
2. Di Nardo 16oz Boxing Training Gloves ($830) – best new glove on the market, premium luxury
3. TopBoxer custom gloves ($150-250) – quality & customization
4. Rival RS1-Pro Sparring Gloves 16oz ($139) or Rival RB10-Intelli-Shock Bag Gloves ($160) – quality & comfort
5. Casanova Sparring/Training Boxing Gloves 16oz ($150) – support & comfort
6. Other Mexicans like Reyes, Grant, etc ($100-600) – quality, support, customization
7. Ring2Cage C17 Japanese-Style Training Boxing Gloves 2.0 ($100-130) – nice cushy padding, many colors

1. Winning – the “Japanese Pillows” ($290-450)

Winning – the #1 brand, best cushion and comfort.
Also great build quality with perfect stitching.

The #1 brand for the past decade if not longer. Winning is the most protective glove ever created, with the best padding cushion (most pillow-ey) thanks to the marvel of Japanese engineering. Top quality materials and perfect construction. Don’t be tempted by lesser brands, these gloves look and feel great! Comes with an expensive price tag to live up to and yet not a single person has ever called them over-priced. Many pros and amateurs refuse to wear anything else. An absolute must for fighters with sensitive/injured hands. Due to its success, Winning’s glove design is the most imitated glove on the market today with every copycat claiming to be ALMOST as protective as the real thing. (See full brand review.)

Winning MS-600 16oz Boxing Training Gloves ($395-430)
Great for sparring and bagwork. The laces version has more support, also more popular (like 20- to-1). Their velcro glove, while not as supportive as the laces, is also the best velcro glove on the market! Quality leather, buttery smooth inner lining, perfect thumb position, protective pillow-ey padding, and total comfort all around! Standard A-level gear used by everyone. (See full brand review.)
PURCHASE LINKS: LACES   VELCRO

2. Di Nardo – the “Ferrari of boxing gloves” ($830)

Di Nardo (custom-made from Italy) – best leather, best quality and craftsmanship, best support, best style, and VERY UNIQUE FEEL. Premium pricing for a premium glove. Yes, they are absolutely worth the price.

This glove sets the new standard for me in boxing gloves; they are far beyond anything I’ve ever seen. I want to call them the future of boxing gloves but I also know the industry will never catch up to this guy’s madness. Filippo Di Nardo De Leccese (the sole-owner and maker) has combined his family’s heritage in leather-craftsmanship with his self-devoted passion for boxing. They are like nothing you’ve ever seen in a boxing glove. A completely redesigned glove from inside-out, and truly a piece of art! The only reason why I don’t have them as #1 is because of the pricing and also that I’ve only had them for 2 years (they still look and function great, btw). Some of you may still prefer the softer Winnings but there is no dispute, these are by far the better-made glove. (See full brand review.)

Di Nardo Boxing Training Gloves 16oz $830
Great for sparring and bagwork. Highest quality gloves ever; unrivaled materials and craftmanship! Padding options are either TUTELALA (bagwork) or CAESTUS (slightly softer for bagwork & sparring). Customization available. Padding replacement options available!
PURCHASE LINKS: LACES or VELCRO

3. TopBoxer – the “Custom Champ” from Pakistan ($150-250)

TopBoxer – great quality and service, unlimited customization options.
Many unique features available.

An amazing boutique glovemaker with limitless customization options and expert craftsmanship. First, create the ultimate glove design that looks exactly the way you imagined it, then pick the right padding combination to get the perfect protection and comfort for your hand. He takes your hand measurements and walks you through every step of the process to create a truly customized glove. You can model yours after existing brands like Winning and Grant and add your own adjustments, or come up with a completely new design that hasn’t been done before. Explore rare colors, exotic leathers, and unique padding specs. The limit is your imagination. He’s done custom work for many top fighters in boxing and MMA. (See full brand review.)

Custom Gloves Only ($150-250)
Great for sparring and bagwork. Many customizations available.
PURCHASE LINKS: CUSTOM ORDERS   STOCK GLOVES

4. Rival – “the Canadian Techie” ($160-190)

Rival – high tech styling with amazing ergonomic comfort, wrist support, and hand protection.

A quality high tech brand—actually made in China—but with great padding, comfort, and durability. Rival is most known for their stylish aesthetic, innovative cuff designs (comfort), and d3o padding (shock absorption). Unlike other companies that hype empty gimmicky features, Rival fans can actually feel the difference in comfort and support from their unique glove designs. As a testament to their ingenuity, their designs have also been imitated by other brands. It’s no surprise this Canadian brand has grown to be a worldwide favorite. I love that Rival separates their gloves into sparring models and bag models; I recommend people buying only a SINGLE PAIR of all-purpose training gloves to pick their sparring models. (See full brand review.)

Rival RS100 Professional Sparring Gloves 16oz ($189)
Perfect for sparring, and occasional bagwork. A great choice if you love Rival’s ergonomic wrist design. An incredible upgrade to the old-school favorite RS1-Pro (laces version) or RS2v-Pro (velcro version) which are still available at $149.
PURCHASE LINKS: LACES

Rival RB10-Intelli-Shock Bag Gloves ($169)
Only intended as a bag glove, NOT for sparring, but very high quality. (I recommend size LARGE or XL.)
PURCHASE LINK: VELCRO

5. Necalli (formerly Casanova) – the “Forgotten Mexican” ($150)

Necalli (like other Mexican brands) – great leather, padding, wrist support, comfort and craftsmanship. Also fair pricing and old-school styling.

A trusted glove hailing from a long tradition of boxing and excellent glove craftsmanship. “Hecho en Mexico” gloves authentically handmade in Mexico with quality leather and materials. Necalli gloves are known for their old-school aesthetic (UGLY), wide hand compartment, great knuckle padding, great wrist protection, and comfortable hand shape (although slightly rough inner lining). They feel amazing and support my wrists like no other brand. A little-known trait of Mexican gloves is that the way they’re shaped helps you throw punches correctly. I’ve fallen in love with my Necalli’s and am now a convert for old-school Mexican brands. Diehards appreciate their no-nonsense design, fair pricing, and the way they smell! Unfortunately, Mexican gloves are hard to get outside of Mexico. (See full brand review.)

SPECIAL MENTION: Boxeo is another great Mexican brand with long-lasting durability, amazing protection and comfort (and also beautifully-ugly). Campeon and Classics are also similar quality. Or go with Zepol for customization (but slightly lower quality).

Necalli Sparring/Training Boxing Gloves 16oz $149.99
Good for sparring and bagwork. Great wrist protection. Boxy Mexican glove shape makes punches land very flat (it’s a good thing). Beautiful nolstagic old school vibe. Mexican leather is much better than usual cheap Pakistan leather.
PURCHASE LINKS: LACES   VELCRO   HYBRID

HONORABLE MENTIONS: the “Classic Mexicans” (Reyes, Grant)

Reyes Traditional Training Gloves 16oz ($169)
A great glove and well-liked but some fighters may prefer more hand cushion.
PURCHASE LINKS: LACES   VELCRO   HYBRID   EXTRA-PADDED

Cleto Reyes is the best-known, highest craftsmanship, and best leather of all the Mexican brands. They make excellent quality gloves but aren’t recommended for training because they’re known as “puncher’s gloves”—designed for maximum power transfer rather than cushioning and hand protection. With that said, they are still favored by many fighters, especially competing fighters, and now offer models with extra padding. (See full brand review.)

Grant Custom Boxing Gloves ($500-1000)
Nice glove but over-priced, and issues with quality control lately. Many complaints from people saying they aren’t worth the price.
CUSTOM ORDERS

Grant, alongside Winning and Reyes, is considered as one of the top 3 brands in boxing (especially amongst professional boxers). Their gloves offer great power transfer like Reyes gloves but are also protective somewhat like Winning. They’re handmade in Mexico with great quality and offer customization options. For many years, custom-made Grant gloves were the most stylish and most premium quality boxing gloves anybody could have.

Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case. There are many complaints about inconsistent quality (especially with stitching). And adding further to the brand’s turnoff, their pricing has shot up dramatically and now costs a ridiculous amount at $500-1000 (when a superior Winning glove only costs $300). Their last unique feature was offering customization but new brands like Sabas offer the same features for a much lower price point. What was once amazing and unique about Grant has been successfully imitated and even exceeded by other brands. However, Grant still remains a household name (synonymous with pro boxing), due to its sponsorship of many top boxers in the sport. (See full brand review.)

Top 5 Boxing Gloves for Beginners or Low Budget ($100 & under)

Of all the low-budget gloves, I would personally only use the RingtoCage C17 gloves or TOP TEN Superfight 3000 gloves for serious training. But that’s because I’ve got sensitive hands after boxing for so many years. A beginner or anybody else could probably make do with other gloves. If you feel you may need better protection, GO SAVE UP AND BUY IT. Or do what the pros do—go lighter on the heavy bag!

1. Ring to Cage C-17 Japanese Style Training Gloves 2.0 16oz ($99-119)

The closest you can get to a Winning glove, and the smartest buy at $100. Lots of cushion and protection (I love to use mine!). Seriously, it’s shocking how good these are. Most $150 gloves don’t even come close to this! It’s functional and comfortable. Great for sparring and bagwork. I also like that it’s a uniquely-designed glove (even if it was a copycat). The velcro version costs more. Tons of fun colors, too. My only annoyance was that the inner lining could be smoother. This arguably could have been #5 on the top five boxing gloves list.
PURCHASE LINK: LACES or VELCRO

2. TOP TEN Superfight 3000 Boxing Gloves ($99)

Very unique shape unlike any other boxing glove but surprisingly comfortable and protective. The foam feels really thick and about above-average density. Protects your hands well on the heavy bag and almost soft-enough for sparring (although I prefer softer, maybe these can be worn down). I love the dual wrist straps; better support for different wrist sizes. It’s a bargain glove at $100 and should serve you well.
PURCHASE LINK: VELCRO

3. Twins Special BGLL1 Boxing Gloves 16oz ($65-85)

Quality glove at a great price (especially when on sale). This model (unlike their others) most closely matches the shape of a boxing glove. Good leather and good cushion suitable for sparring and bagwork. If you want a velcro model, you can get the BGVL3 which has better padding but some complain that it’s too bulky (like traditional Thai glove shape).
PURCHASE LINKS: LACES   VELCRO

4. Ringside IMF Tech Hook & Loop Sparring Boxing Gloves 16oz ($51-69)

The older model from mid-2000’s was much better but this version is still quite functional for the price. (Some colors are cheaper!) Good sparring glove, and occasional bagwork. Don’t be tempted by the more expensive Ringside models—they aren’t much better! In case you wanted to save more money: the R2C clone may be cheaper (but may or may not be the same quality).
PURCHASE LINK: VELCRO

5. TITLE Classic Leather Training Gloves 16oz ($39)

Probably the only functional boxing glove under $50. Can be used for sparring and bagwork. The VELCRO version has a cheap elastic strap that I think won’t last as long.
PURCHASE LINKS: LACES   VELCRO

TOP 5 Boxing Gloves for Professional Fights (8oz/10oz)

Professional fight gloves are designed for maximum power (good wrist support but minimal cushioning) and compact design (to squeeze past opponent defenses). They’re meant to be used for only a single fight so comfort matters more than durability, and they come with very little padding (the gloves weigh only 8oz or 10oz). Many of them are also padded with horsehair which only lasts up to 30 rounds. Some brands sell a foam version of their pro fight model in case you want to train in smaller gloves to get used to their weight/timing. There are also MMA fighters who like to use professional boxing gloves (foam version) for their training, since MMA usually wears lighter gloves. But generally, you SHOULD NOT use fighting gloves for regular training!

Professional fight gloves (8oz, 10oz) are usually worn for professional boxing fights, specific boxing training, or by MMA fighters in training.

Most fighters (especially power punchers) will choose Reyes by default and Grant as an alternative. Some will use Everlast MX if they can’t use Reyes for whatever reason (not comfortable, not sponsored by them, opponent negotiations won’t allow for Reyes). Those with hand problems but still want to punch hard will use Grant. Grant is more common in the US, Adidas is more common in Europe, Rival is more common in Canada. All of these gloves are good for transferring power. Winning is the most protective but unfortunately transfers the least amount of power to your opponent. You only see it used by fighters with serious hand problems or who either don’t have (or don’t care for) punching power.

1. Cleto Reyes Official Professional Boxing Gloves 8oz/10oz ($139-169)

The #1 “puncher’s glove” in the market. Horsehair model is used in pro fights for maximum power transfer.
The training version of this glove uses Safetec foam which lasts longer (3000 rounds instead of 20-30).
PURCHASE LINK: HORSEHAIR   FOAM MODEL

2. Grant Custom Boxing Glove 8oz/10oz ($500-1000)

Another popular “puncher’s glove”. Good power transfer AND protection (more than Reyes). Offers horse hair model, as well as an “orthopedic model” for those with hand problems.
CUSTOMER ORDERS

3. Rival RFX Guerrero Pro Fight Gloves 8oz/10oz ($149)

Rival’s version of the “puncher’s glove”. Another favorite among pros for its great power transfer and comfort.
They also sell a foam version (on their website) of these gloves for bagwork.
PURCHASE LINKS: 8OZ   10OZ

4. Everlast MX Pro Fight Boxing Gloves 8oz/10oz ($149)

Everlast version of the “puncher’s glove”, hand-made in Mexico and filled with a horsehair/foam blend that has great power transfer. There’s also a 10oz XL model for big hands.
PURCHASE LINKS: 8OZ   10OZ   10OZ XL

5. Winning Boxing Gloves 8oz/10oz ($230-260)

Popular with pro fighters because of it’s protection (rather than power transfer).
Filled with foam instead of horsehair. Many MMA guys use this for training.
PURCHASE LINKS: 8OZ   10OZ

HONORABLE MENTION: other “pro gloves” (Adidas, Di Nardo, Title)

Adidas pro fight gloves 8oz/10oz ($99-500)
Adidas deserves a special shoutout because their pro glove line has grown a lot lately. I do see them used a lot in Europe (especially Germany) but they’re now aggressively tackling the US market as well. They’ve been signing many big name fighters like Amir Khan and young up-and-comers like Ryan Garcia. Back then, their pro gloves were 50/50 for me. The “Glory Pro Fight” gloves felt way too flimsy whereas the “Dynamic Pro Fight” gloves felt fantastic! I was able to punch 100% full force on the heavy bag with no issues.

Now, they have a new line of gloves called “Adidas MyGloves” which are custom models with many colors and customization options, Made in the USA for around $500. These new custom models have been said to be exceptionally high-quality and made to rival Winning, Grant, Rival, and Reyes. I have yet to try them so we’ll see where it goes.

Di Nardo Boxing Pro Fight Gloves 8oz/10oz ($750 & up)
I don’t know how much longer this brand will be sleeping under people’s noses. Di Nardo is the real deal. Absolute works of art in the form of boxing gloves. These are such beautiful gloves, you have to see them in person to really appreciate. Most other high-end gloves are simply standard boxing gloves but with better materials and craftsmanship. Di Nardo gloves however are a completely revamped take on boxing gloves, re-imagined and improved in everyway. They are structurally superior to anything on the market and far more beautiful aesthetically. What else do you expect from an Italian craftsman?
PURCHASE LINKS: LACES

Title Pro Fight Gloves 8oz/10oz ($50-80)
Title offers some adequate gloves for professional fighting at affordable rates. Probably not the best quality but much cheaper than the big names. Some are filled with foam; some have a horsehair blend. They go up to 12oz and can also be found on sale for less! (Some parents buy these cheaper pro fight gloves for their small kids instead of the much lower-quality “youth gloves” being sold.)
PURCHASE LINKS: CORRUPT   PRO MEX   GREAT   ENFORCER   PLATINUM   FIGHTING

Top 5 Boxing Gloves for Women

Females have smaller hands/wrists and less power, so they prefer a tighter fit rather than cushioning. Inside a bigger glove designed for men, their hands would be floating around with less wrist support and/or they wouldn’t be able to make a fist as easily. It should come as no surprise that many of the smaller-fit and less padded puncher’s gloves and Asian brands rank highly as women’s favorites. Generally speaking: I recommend 12oz or 14oz for women since their hands are smaller, upper-body not as strong as men’s, they don’t hit as hard, and do not require as much cushion. Bigger females (170lb & up) will spar in 16oz. For bagwork, many women do prefer to train in lighter gloves, like 12oz. Women below 105lbs are probably better with 12oz gloves.

I was hoping to support new brands like Machina and Society Nine for making boxing gloves specifically designed for women. Although I love their designs, I can’t help notice they’re all the usual cheap Pakistan clone gloves (better suited for fitness than actual serious training).

14oz is the standard for many women boxers.
Some will prefer to train in 12oz for bagwork.
Bigger females (170lb & up) will train in 16oz.

1. Cleto Reyes Women’s Training Gloves 14oz ($149-259)

Top-rated glove for women. Reyes is a top quality brand, already known for its smaller fit. They make great gloves for women and with several “feminine” color schemes to choose from.
PURCHASE LINK

2. Winning MS-500 Boxing Gloves 14oz ($260-300)

And of course, the top-padded brand in boxing. Most comfortable and still a good fit for women (since Winning naturally fits tighter). Feel free to go lighter if you prefer; a 12oz Winning glove offers better protection than many of the 16oz gloves out there. Laces has more support.
PURCHASE LINKS: LACES   VELCRO

3. Rival RS2V-W Women Sparring Gloves Velcro 12oz ($119)

The amazing fit, comfort, and quality of Rival re-shaped into the perfect women’s boxing glove. A great price, and possibly the best glove for women if you don’t like the way Reyes and Winning fits your hands. Although it’s a sparring model, the glove works perfectly fine for bagwork as well.
PURCHASE LINK

4. Grant Custom Boxing Gloves 14oz ($500-1000)

A top favorite for PROFESSIONAL women boxers. Way over-priced but high quality, with tighter fit and beautiful custom colors. I would honestly recommend another brand (like Ring2Cage C17) but Grant is up here because many pro females are using them.
CUSTOM ORDERS

5. Ringside IMF Tech Hook & Loop Sparring Boxing Gloves 14oz ($51-69)

This ultimate bargain glove is a favorite for female boxers as well. This model can actually be just fine for many females, especially since they don’t hit as hard as males. You can spar and hit the bag in this. (Some colors are cheaper!)
PURCHASE LINK

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Di Nardo, Title, Twins

Di Nardo – the “Ferrari of boxing gloves” 14oz ($830)

Ladies, if you love splurging on boxing gear like you do on your bags/shoes, here are your dream gloves! Nice gloves, good quality with a custom fit. Highly recommended for women. Di Nardo is wayyyyy better than Grant. Only it isn’t as well known but this should change soon.
PURCHASE LINK

Twins Special BGLL1 Boxing Gloves 14oz ($65-85)

Quality glove at a great price. Good quality leather and good cushion for sparring and bagwork. Many women like Twins for their smaller hand fit. If you want a velcro model, get the BGVL3 which is padded better but some complain that it’s more of a traditional Thai glove shape and too bulky.
PURCHASE LINKS: LACES, VELCRO

TITLE Classic Leather Training Gloves 14oz ($39)

A functional starting glove for women, beginners, or anybody on a budget. I personally prefer the laces model since you can tie the glove tighter around your wrist, and also because the velcro model uses an elastic strap that doesn’t look like it’ll last long.
PURCHASE LINKS: LACES   VELCRO

Boxing Glove Buyer’s Guide

Current Landscape of the Boxing Glove Market

There was probably more variety when I started boxing back in 2004. You had only two dozen different boxing brands (hardly any MMA brands at the time), but each made their own unique glove design and catered mostly to their local market. The quality was a lot higher and prices a lot lower. $50-60 would pay for a solid name-brand training glove. $85 would get you a premium name-brand training glove. And $160-200 would get you the world’s best handmade training gloves.

Nowadays, it’s just an illusion of choice. You might have a hundred more brands now (thanks to the rising popularity of MMA) and hundreds of different flashy colors and designs. But the reality is 99.99% of them outsource their manufacturing to Pakistan and use the exact same glove molds. It’s the same crap glove with the same crappy materials, except with different surface-design. The ubiquitous $85 glove you see nowadays is pretty much only a modernized aesthetic-improvement of the $50-glove you saw ten years ago. And any glove around $65 and under that you see today is the bottom-level $30-40 glove that you saw you ten years ago. It’s designed to be as cheaply-produced as possible (to maximize profit) and not recommended for serious training.

With so many cheap gloves proliferating in the market nowadays, it seems all new brands are trying to establish themselves as “THE NEW PREMIUM BRAND”. This caused many brands to strategically price themselves higher in hopes of raising consumer appeal. Meanwhile other brands, afraid of offending their loyal fanbase, kept their prices the same which only adds to the current price confusion. Not so surprisingly, it’s much harder nowadays to find quality brands at logical prices!

Ever since boxing fell out as the mainstream “every man’s sport”, it seems nobody knows how to tell a quality glove anymore.

And it seems very few “boxers” nowadays even need one. Back in your grandpa’s days, when someone said they “boxed a bit” it meant they actually trained twice a week for 6 months and maybe had 5 fights. Today, when someone says they “boxed a bit” it means they saw some Youtube videos and hit their friend’s heavy bag in the basement a few times.

The TOP 5 COUNTRIES for boxing gloves (and why)

The best boxing gloves are created by skilled craftsmen, who are found in 5 countries: America, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan, and Thailand. There are a handful in Europe and other countries as well but I’ll leave those details out to keep this brief. America and Mexico are the most obvious for their rich boxing tradition. American and Mexican boxing companies were typically started by former fighters or trainers and so they had the actual fighting experience to know how gloves should be made, and how to improve them. Thailand has this advantage too, but more specialized for Muay Thai kickboxing rather than boxing.

American boxing companies fell out of favor because all of them eventually prioritized profits over quality. Their glove production was outsourced to Pakistan and no longer made by hand craftsmen in-house, but by machine or low-level factory workers. Again, “profit over quality” was the main driving force…and the results reflected that. “Made in America” would never be heard again for boxing gloves, just like 99.99% of products you see today. The best American gloves from the old days were made by true craftsman who spent an entire day making one pair, preparing the leather and padding in the most precise ways, and creating each glove with pride. Knowledge of the fight game was their greatest asset. Old-school American gloves were made to last. But to pay a premium price today for quality leather and precise handicraft just to give boxing a try? No, the average kid just wants some cheap gloves with cool graphics to hit the bags with, and that’s exactly who the American brands cater to.

Mexico in the meanwhile, stayed cheap enough to produce their products locally. Their brands retained more of their original quality, passing on the knowledge of glove-making from one generation to the next. Mexico’s assets were not only knowledge of the fight game and access to cheaper hand labor, they also had higher quality leather and fighters that could push their gear to the limit. You can trust all reputable Mexican brands to be tested by the toughest and most aggressive boxing style on the planet. The REAL SECRET, I think is in the shape of their gloves. Unlike other brands catering to the casual demographic with pretty designs, Mexican gloves are often ugly (and old-looking) but extremely functional. Their glove shape supports your hand and wrist in a way that other gloves do not. I think their original methods of designs, stitching, padding, and glove-crafting have remained more intact than other countries over the years. Unfortunately for consumers, their traditional way of hand-working and demand for quality meant a less industrialized process and smaller production runs. Many of Mexico’s top boxing brands never globalized or grew beyond their local markets. They do not have the marketing or capacity to handle the masses, nor do they have a glove to cater to that demographic.

Japan has not only a rich boxing tradition but also a culture for perfection and advanced technology. Not surprisingly, the most well-known Japanese boxing company (Winning) has the BEST boxing glove on the market, with THE MOST ADVANCED padding, and the highest price. Expensive high-tech gloves from an expensive high-tech country—of course! Their special foam has been unmatched by anybody out there and believe me, many have tried. It’s the best cushion you can get for your hands. Their glove is beautifully designed in a no-nonsense traditional aesthetic respective of boxing’s rich history. It doesn’t try to be anything more than a modernized take on the already quite-perfect boxing glove design. It feels like machine-made perfection rather than handmade craft. The overall construction and stitching look perfect; there is NEVER a bad model. Their padding alone and pride in perfect engineering is the reason why Winning is by far the #1 choice for fighters in training. Their marketing is also very humble, no bragging promotions or gimmicky features; the product speaks for itself.

Thailand, like Mexico, produces their gloves at home and also has a rich culture in fighting (Muay Thai & boxing) to stringently test their brands for quality. They too, have been able to pass down the art of glove-making from one generation to the next. But I think Thailand has 2 drawbacks. One is that their gloves are more often designed for Muay Thai kickboxing rather than boxing (using different padding distribution for clinching and blocking kicks). The other drawback is because I think their country is generally poorer and has less demand for premium products. Their gloves are made cheaper in general and sold at lower price-points. When comparing gloves selling at lower price-points, those made in Thailand are a great deal especially if you can find one specifically designed for boxing rather than kickboxing. You can expect Thai boxing gloves to be reasonably priced and at least built well-enough for their local fighting community.

Pakistan, is the newcomer to the boxing glove market quickly replacing China as the default outsourcee of choice. The main reason is that its leather industry exploded in the past 30 years, benefitting from lower costs (materials/labor) as well as an expertise in leather. The other reasons (I think) are because there’s more English speakers in Pakistan than China (easier to do business with via email), and they don’t yet have the same stigma of being such inferior quality (like Chinese products). Nowadays, Pakistan is the preferred choice for manufacturing cheap leather products. While they do have the advantage of a robust leather industry and extremely cheap labor, they lack a boxing culture and almost never use quality leather. All their glove designs were given to them or copied from others. I feel their gloves for the most part will always lack soul. The worst manufacturers will always invent ways to make a cheap glove even cheaper. And the best ones can only add more stitches or even use higher quality materials, but they’ll never know how to actually innovate a better glove.

Can you use MMA/Muay-Thai kickboxing gloves for boxing?

Yes, and no. I say “yes” because it’ll work just fine for many beginners and they won’t even notice the difference. I say “no” because I wouldn’t do it myself. I don’t like how MMA/kickboxing gloves are padded differently from Western boxing gloves. There’s more wrist flexibility (for clinching purposes) and also more padding on the back of the glove (for blocking kicks). This means less wrist support for punching and less padding on the palm side of the glove for blocking/parrying punches. Muay Thai gloves are also shorter (I’m guessing for elbow attacks) and their thumb can stick out more (maybe for clinching purposes). And then their knuckle cushion is also too soft or too hard at times. I personally don’t like these differences but if you like how these gloves feel, that’s all that matters, right?

I also feel that MMA brands are Pakistan clones and Muay Thai brands are Thailand clones. Their quality is usually no better and no different from the clone-brands in boxing. If anything, I feel MMA brands charge more for the same product simply because their sport caters to a more affluent demographic (middle-class whites vs urban ghetto).

Some videos comparing Muay Thai gloves to boxing gloves:

• Boxing vs Muay Thai Gloves by “CarrCity”
• Muay Thai Gloves Compared and Reviewed by “FightstorePro”

What if you didn’t see a brand in my review?

Real simple, compare their glove designs to the other brands I review. See if it’s a Pakistan clone design and go from there. Most gloves nowadays are copying Winning, Grant, Title or Hayabusa. If it’s not a clone design, then start comparing the quality and materials with other gloves. There are so many brands I have never heard of and never tried (especially brands from other countries). Despite not having tried them all, I can say without a doubt many of them are clone designs cheaply made in Pakistan.

Glove buying tips

I think you should always get a second opinion. Boxing (or fighting) is a serious sport and can permanently injure your hands no matter how good your gloves are, or how perfect your technique. There is also a  good chance that the model you’re seeing may not be the same model I or others have reviewed.

Here are some places where you can get some opinions on boxing gear:

• VISIT a real boxing gym – Find a boxing gym with REAL fighters, competing amateurs and competing pros. See what they use. Check out their community gloves so you can see different brands and how they hold up. How’s the padding? Is the outside leather or inside lining tearing apart? Does the closure strap still work? If you see gloves with a faded logo and beat-up leather and yet the cushion is still good, that’s probably a good brand right there. Ask the pros what they think of different brands.
• GOOGLE search – type in “[pro fighter name] sparring” or “[pro fighter name] heavy bag” on Google images or Youtube and see what brand they use in training. Many pro boxers deal with the same hand issues you have (big hands/wrists, hand injuries, etc). If you’re from another country, try searching up a local boxer from your country. Beware that many famous boxers are sponsored (PAID) to wear certain brands.
• SHERDOG forums – popular MMA website forum where you can read discussions on many different brands and models of gloves. I think Sherdog reviews are great to compare first impressions of quality, fit, and cushioning. But I would be cautious of grandiose claims about performance and durability. I don’t think anybody is truly qualified to review boxing gloves until they’ve PERSONALLY worn out a few pairs of standard boxing brands like Winning, Grant, Reyes, Rival, Ringside, and Title.
• BE CAUTIOUS of glove review articles – they’re often written by guys who haven’t trained seriously for long, don’t focus on boxing (e.g. MMA, Muay Thai), and have never worn out any of the gloves they review. I also think many of them are written purely for commissions or freebies. They receive free gear or payment from companies in exchange for writing glowing reviews. I especially do not trust the articles that say “Top 10 Boxing Gloves”, list a few gimmicky highlights for each glove, and then vomit Amazon links all over the page.
• Be CAUTIOUS of popular Amazon reviews – I’ve seen enough horrible gloves with 5-star reviews to know the majority of them don’t know what they’re talking about. Many of them are total beginners who just started and can’t tell a good glove from a bad glove. 5-star reviews are sometimes a reflection of good marketing (to easily-appeased casual users) rather than actual product quality. Also, many merchants also give freebies in exchange for a positive review.

Different Types of Boxing Gloves

Quick overview of the 7 main types of boxing gloves out there:

“Light” bag gloves

• An outdated invention from the old days of boxing, nowadays included in cheap boxing “play kits” at toy stores. Super thin and only protects you from tearing your skin during bagwork. Nobody uses these in training anymore (I’ve never seen it). They’re great if you like training with the “bare-knuckle” feeling.

“Heavy” bag gloves

• This is the standard “bag glove” nowadays. They look like regular boxing gloves but with higher density foam to protect your hands against dense objects like the heavy bag and mitts. The denser padding however makes them too stiff for sparring.

Sparring gloves

• Typically padded with a thicker softer cushion to minimize damage inflicted on sparring partners. The softer cushion isn’t meant to be used on the heavy bag as that wears down the padding quickly.

Training gloves

• Intended to be all-purpose everyday gloves for bagwork, sparring, mitts, etc. They’re great for those who don’t want to buy separate pairs of gloves for bagwork and sparring. Beware of dense bag gloves being sold as “all-purpose training gloves”; they will hurt your sparring partners!

Amateur fight competition gloves

• These gloves have a white knuckle area for scoring points. They are typically made by the local brand, such as Reyes (in Mexico), Everlast/Title (in the US), or Adidas (in Europe). They’re lighter than training gloves and have bigger/softer cushion. You’ll never have to buy it because competitions will provide gloves to ensure a standard of safety and fair-play. However, some gyms will have them so you can practice fighting in lighter gloves.

Professional fight competition gloves

• The smallest gloves you’ll ever see, much smaller than training gloves (and even amateur competition gloves). Made with less padding and only used in professional fights. Having less padding increases power transfer at the cost of hand protection.
• Many are padded with horsehair which breaks down very quickly—which is perfect for when you want the commission to approve the padding in your gloves, but have the padding wear out quickly during the fight. Horsehair-padded gloves don’t last very long at all, usually only 1 fight plus a few warm-up rounds at the most.

Coach spar gloves

• A mix between punching glove and a focus mitt so your trainer can “practice spar” with you, developing your offense and defense at the same time.
• Also called “trainer spar mitts” or other similar labels.

History of Boxing Gloves:

• https://boxinglovers.wordpress.com/page/3/
• http://www.secondsout.com/columns/thomas-hauser/boxing-gloves

Boxing Glove Review Criteria

My hands are more sensitive now.

Being around the sport of boxing for 15 years now, I’ve developed hand problems from the constant punching. It hurts to throw the same punches that years ago felt like nothing. You cannot punch dense objects year after year and think nothing will happen to your hands. It doesn’t matter how well-conditioned or incredible your genetics are, wear-and-tear is inevitable in a grueling sport like this. It’s made me sensitive to different boxing gloves and able to perceive differences in padding whereas I couldn’t before. This is why pros don’t mess around. Many of them have hand damage and can’t afford to use lesser quality gloves that may shorten their career.

So what do I care about the most? HAND PROTECTION and QUALITY. The worst gloves offer little hand protection and break down quickly. The best gloves offer incredible protection and seem to last forever. There’s also the security that only a quality pair of gloves can give you. If you’ve ever hurt your hand before throwing a punch, it will scare you from throwing hard punches again—yes, PUNCHER’S TRAUMA. But with a quality glove, you have all the confidence in the world and get to enjoy punching hard again.

Hand pain isn’t something most beginners are even aware of because:

1. they don’t have the technique to punch that hard anyways.
2. they lack the conditioning to have long-enough training sessions.
3. they are too excited (adrenaline) to notice the damage.

Looking back now in hindsight…I’d like to warn all potential fighters of the following things:

1. You are not invincible. All young bodies will eventually deteriorate. If you take care of yourself, you get to last longer.
2. Once you hurt your hands, they’re prone to getting hurt again. You may feel hand pain or hand weakness in everything else that you do in life.
3. Don’t buy cheap gloves. They don’t last long and end up costing you more if you have to keep buying new gloves.
4. Back when I first started boxing, I thought $50 gloves were ok. Now, I don’t. Spend the best you can afford and save your hands for the rest of your life. Even if the $50 gloves feel fine to you, please get something better.

Quality gloves protect your hands,
not only in boxing but for the rest of your life.

How boxing gloves are made

The process of making a boxing glove can be simplified into a few materials and a few steps. First, the outer materials are cut from hopefully high quality leather (more durable than cheap leather or synthetic materials), and then designs are printed or embroidered on while the material is still flat. Next the glove shape is formed by stitching the outer pieces together; meshes and grip bars are also stitched in during this step. The padding is cut from foam or molded with a machine. The foam padding is then stuffed into the glove at the back of hand and knuckle areas, and another foam or even cotton in the wrist and palm areas. Finally, the glove is finished by punching out the holes for laces or stitching on a velcro strap.

The quality of leather, foam design, precision of stitching, and shape of the glove will ultimately affect how the glove fits, cushions, and performs over time for you.

The 4 most important aspects of a boxing glove:
glove fit, padding design, closure type, and quality of construction.

Glove Fit

In theory, you would be able to just buy any quality glove out there and that would be the end of that, right? (If it only it were that easy!) Boxing gloves come in many different shapes and designs that can affect how you feel, attack and defend in a fight. After all, you can’t feel comfortable in the ring if you can’t feel comfortable in your gloves.

The right glove fit allows your hand
to feel secure when throwing punches.

Hand fit & comfort

Some gloves will fit better for those with bigger hands/wrists, others fit more snug and secure for smaller hands/wrists. Too wide and your hand has all this space to wiggle around, making your wrist less secure. Too narrow, and it’s choking the blood circulation in your hands. Gloves that are too big or too small can be difficult to make a tight fist.

Gloves can also fit differently on longer fingers vs shorter fingers. Ideally, your fingers fit comfortably (not too long or too short) and the glove curls easily with your hand when you make a fist. A glove not curling properly with your hand can impact the back of your fingers or even your middle knuckles while punching (painful and awkward feeling).

There’s also the matter of stiffness. Some fighters prefer a soft feel that molds to your hand. Others like a stiff shape that feels more structurally supportive. It’s personal preference.

Thumb attachment

Some gloves have a thumb that sticks out more whereas others have the thumb hidden and out of the way. Most fighters prefer a straight-thumb design like Winning (more comfortable) over the curved-thumb design like Reyes (known for many complaints). Most thumb design problems are when the thumb is too small, curves uncomfortably, too stiff (trapped feeling), or doesn’t let you make a comfortable fist.

You should also beware of glove models that don’t have an attached thumb, it’s easier to injure your thumb or poke an opponent’s eye out using them. Unattached thumbs are not common anymore but do exist in some old-school models or MMA/kickboxing gloves (for clinching purposes).

A little background on boxing glove thumb design:

• “The Thumbless Boxing Glove” – by John Golomb

Hand control (ease of opening and closing the hand)

Being able to close your hand easily is important for making a tight fist (for solid punches). Being able to open your hand easily is useful for relaxing the hand, blocking or parrying punches, or clinching (MMA/kickboxing). Stiff-padded gloves tend to lock you into one position (fully closed or semi-closed) whereas softer-padded gloves let you open and close effortlessly. The glove’s design and also breaking in the glove can help with this.

The grip bar design can also affect how you make a fist. A perfectly-placed grab bar will be the right size (not too thick or too thin), and lets you make a tight fist with that solid “roll-of-quarters” feeling inside. It’s annoying when the bar is non-existent, too soft, or too close to your fingertips.

Padding design

The boxing glove’s most important function—which is to protect your hand—will be most supported by the glove padding. Proper knuckle padding protects your hands from injury when punching dense objects (like heavy bag or opponent’s skull). The backside and palm-side padding helps you defend against attacks when blocking or parrying. You’ll find out soon enough that the padding design not only gives you protection but also affects your fighting style.

The padding can also act as a training aid or handicap. Two fighters of equal weight will choose lighter gloves for a faster sparring match, and heavier gloves for a harder-punching sparring match. Two fighters of uneven weight or uneven skill may offset their disparity with differently-weighted gloves. Alone on the heavy bag, a fighter can use lighter gloves to work on speed or heavier gloves for more protection and/or to condition his arms.

A properly padded glove allows you
to punch hard without hurting your hands.

Padding distribution

Most boxing gloves will fit somewhere within the 3 common shapes: LARGE, LONG, and COMPACT.

• LARGE-shape – more padding everywhere (knuckles/hand/wrist) for punch cushioning and blocking.
• LONG-shape – streamlined for harder and straighter punches, more wrist support and vision.
• COMPACT-shape – more padding on the back, and less around the wrist (for clinching and blocking kicks).

LARGE-SHAPE (American, European, some Mexican and MMA/Thai brands.) – has more padding for cushioning punches and larger shield area to block punches. Having more padding everywhere (knuckles/wrist/forearm) simply feels more supportive and for that reason, it’s the standard shape for training gloves. Other fighters don’t like large-shape gloves because they feel heavier, make their punchers easier to see and block, and also cover their vision when they’re blocking.

LONG-SHAPE (usually Mexican gloves) – feels thinner, lighter, and more streamlined for punching. The longer design distributes the weight more along the arm, making the glove feel less bulky. Many fighters feel long gloves make a smaller/tighter fist, penetrate an opponent’s defense easier, help throw straighter punches, and also don’t obstruct their vision as much when they hold their hands up. Longer-tighter gloves actually offer better wrist support since there’s less room for your wrist to wiggle around inside. Some fighters don’t like the long-shape because they feel it’s not padded enough and their hands hurt when they punch.

COMPACT-SHAPE (mostly Muay Thai and some MMA gloves) – feels smaller and can squeeze through defenses easier. In boxing gloves, a compact shape is created by using denser cushion and packing everything in tighter (usually bag gloves). In Muay Thai and MMA gloves, a compact shape is created by having less padding around the wrist and more on the back of the hand which offers more wrist mobility and back-padding for blocking kicks. As expected, traditional boxers may not like this design because of the “top-heavy” feel, less wrist support, and less palm padding (for blocking/parrying punches). Some fighters don’t like compact gloves in general because they feel too small to offer enough blocking coverage.

Velcro gloves are usually larger.
Lace-up gloves are usually longer.

Some popular labels today are “Mexican gloves” or “puncher’s gloves”. They are both long-shape, streamlined with great wrist support and usually less padding around the fist area. The difference is that “puncher’s gloves” are padded in a way that’s meant to do damage (expect less hand protection), whereas a Mexican-style training glove can have long-shape but be padded in a way still protects the hands well.

Mexican boxers are known to fight in a more exciting fan-friendly style because of their high aggression and ability to throw as well as take hard punches. It’s a stark contrast to boxing styles from other countries where you see fighters thinking, running around more, and being more defensive-minded overall. And not surprisingly, pretty much all the “puncher’s gloves” that you see nowadays are made in Mexico or “Mexican-style” (long shape).

Padding type

Boxing gloves nowadays are filled with either foam, gel, horsehair or even a special blend of foam/horsehair. Training gloves use foam (or sometimes gel), pro fight gloves use horsehair or blend. Each come with their advantages and disadvantages. Just know that foam is the standard and even within that distinction, there are many different types of foam out there.

Horsehair was the standard type of padding used several decades ago. Nowadays, it’s only used in professional fighting gloves because it transfers the most power. It’s the least protective padding out there and breaks down quickly, making it impractical for everyday training. Some brands use a combination of horsehair and foam to make their pro gloves more protective.

Foam, specifically latex foam, is the standard type of padding for 99.99% of the boxing gloves made today. There are different kinds of foam used and the way it’s cut and layered inside your glove greatly affects your glove’s performance and durability. Good foam feels great and last a long time. Bad foam hurts your hands and goes flat or falls apart quickly.

Gel padding is the same type of “gel” that you see in shoe inserts or computer wrist support pads. I personally don’t like it at all and think it’s a crime that it’s being sold as this supportive long-lasting “new padding technology”. The gel maintains the glove shape/padding for longer but feels un-supportive when you punch with it.

I think the problem is that gel doesn’t compress when you put pressure on it. It simply wiggles around and doesn’t secure your fist upon impact. When I punch with a foam-padded glove, it feels like the foam compresses in place, solidifying my punch into one place giving better support and power transfer during impact. When I punch with a gel-padded glove, it feels like the gel wiggles or squeezes around during impact, causing my fist to move slightly and de-stabilize (WHICH ACTUALLY HURTS MY WRIST). If you want another visual: imagine you had a wall covered with foam and another wall covered with gel. If you hit the foam wall, your hand hits one place solidly. If you punch the gel wall, your hand wiggles during impact and causes wrist pain. I’m not 100% sure this is what’s going on but it’s my best scientific guess.

Other complaints you may hear about gel gloves from others is that the gel doesn’t flatten (the fist area stays round) causing your wrist to bend during impact. Also, that gel gloves are heavy and 16oz gel gloves end up weighing 20oz (I agree with this one).

Some helpful forum discussions here:

• Simple break-down of different glove padding – Sherdog Forum
• Different types of padding and the gloves using them – Sherdog Forum

Punch Cushion

By “punch cushion”, I am referring to the amount of PERCEIVED knuckle protection. Some gloves appear to have lots of knuckle padding but feel stiff as hell and it hurts to punch. Also vice versa, some gloves seem slim from the outside but feel like pillows when you punch. Your glove’s punch-cushioning qualities have a lot to do with the glove’s construction and foam design.

Most punch cushioning issues result from the knuckle padding being made of only a single-layer foam (single density). The gloves will likely either be too soft or too hard. Soft foam hurts because it doesn’t stop your knuckles from impacting the target and also wears out the quickest (especially when used for bagwork). Dense foam hurts because it don’t mold to your knuckles when you punch. You might think dense foam will wear in and soften a little but it often goes straight from SUPER STIFF to SUPER SOFT. One cheap solution is to use soft foam but A LOT of it. However, this makes the gloves too bulky and also not ideal for bagwork because you can’t feel the impact (no feedback) when you punch. Another cheap solution is to use a medium-density foam that is just barely dense enough for the heavy bag and almost soft enough for sparring. Single-layer foam gloves are at best, only suitable for one purpose (either sparring or bagwork).

The ideal cushion feeling is created using multi-layer foam of different densities, combining the cushioning of soft foam with the responsiveness of dense foam. There is also the addition of “orthopedic foam” a.k.a. memory foam which molds to you better than latex or EVA foam (which holds its shape). A multi-layer bag glove will probably have a soft foam (or orthopedic foam) on the inside and dense foam on the outside. A multi-layer training or sparring glove will add another soft layer on the outside to protect your sparring partner. The best brands have their own special foam “formulas” and use anywhere from 3-5 layers of foam.

The best punch cushioning (for training gloves)
feels soft on your hands but gives you solid feedback.

I like to call it a “dense softness”. The foam inside should cushion your knuckles, but the foam outside lets you feel the power transfer. You should be able to transfer power and feel the strength of your punch without pain in your hands. Basically: good power transfer, good impact feedback, and zero pain.

From what I know about the punch foam: aside from differences in quality, durability, and how they react under different conditions, they come in varying degrees of hardness and softness. Hard foam is good for absorbing impact and soft foam is good for feeling good. Hard foam for example is great for bag gloves and absorbing the impact of hard punches however the punches would still feel hard to you as well as the target (bag/mitts/person). Soft foam would be great for sparring gloves because the punches feel soft to your opponent’s face however your knuckles might actually go through the glove (hurting you as well as the target). To make a more well-rounded glove, boxing glove manufacturers will use multiple layers of hard and soft foam so that the glove absorbs the impact AND feels soft your hands as well as your target. The tricky part is not only to protect your hand, but to also make a glove that gives some feedback (so you feel like you’re hitting hard/solidly), as well as to make it long-lasting.

The thickness of the padding can also bother some people. Thicker gloves will feel like you’re punching into a pillow and not give you that nice impact feedback. You might hear that gloves with thinner padding hit with a nice pop and gloves with thicker padding hit a thud.

I’m guessing the padding, as well as the labor and leather, are the most expensive parts of the glove as I noticed lighter weight gloves will cost a lot less in higher-end models. For example, a Winning 8oz glove costs $200 compared to $300 for a 16oz version. That’s some expensive padding right there!

Power transfer

Power transfer is more important when fighting a live opponent. In sparring, you’ll want less power transfer to protect your sparring partner. But in competition, you’ll want as much as possible to cause maximum damage! On the heavy bag or mitts, it’s a matter of preference. Many fighters enjoy having more power transfer because it feels great but some fighters (like me) prefer maximum hand protection. Generally, gloves with more protection transfer less power.

Closure type (laces vs velcro)

There are 2 common types of closures for boxing gloves, and a few variations of them:

• LACES – old-school style, the best fit and most supportive, and most common in the best gloves.
• VELCRO – also called “hook and look”, convenient, less supportive than laces, common in cheap gloves and bag gloves (since you’re training alone).
• HYBRID – has both laces and velcro, so you can choose one or use both. Theoretically could be more supportive than laces. Very uncommon and only available with certain brands (usually Mexican).
• ELASTIC VELCRO – this is a cheaper version of velcro using a stretchy fabric for the strap instead of leather. Doesn’t last long (tears easily) and not as supportive. Can sometimes be more annoying than usual velcro strap.
• ELASTIC LACES – also called “speed laces”, not as supportive as laces or velcro, and can be more annoying than velcro.
• DOUBLE VELCRO – using two velcro straps instead of one. In some instances, it adds support and comfort. Other times, it doubles the annoyance of velcro (catching onto your handwraps) and you might still need a person to help you with it.

NOTE: many people feel the lace-up version of gloves are usually made with higher quality than the velcro version.

Velcro straps are convenient, and easier to use (when alone).
Laces provide more support and better fit for your hand/wrist/forearm.

Ease-of-Use

Velcro gloves can be put on and off in 10 seconds by yourself without any help. Great for training alone or when you use the bathroom, check your phone, or do anything that requires fingers. Just BEWARE of super-thin velcro straps that are really hard to peel off (often found in cheap gloves).

Lace-up gloves can be a hassle. They fit so much better for your wrists (more support) but take 5 minutes to put on and you always need help. And then there’s that annoying distraction in sparring when your laces get loose and you have to stop the action to re-tie. However, laces are great when you have friends or want to make some in the gym. You can ask other fighters or trainers to tie you up and even get a few tips in the process.

If you’re training alone with lace-up gloves, tie them loose enough to shove your hands into the gloves by yourself. It’s less support but doable for light sparring or light bagwork. For better support: buy Lace N Loop converters (only $20), tape your laces, or use lace converters.

Wrist support & mobility

Most boxers like their wrists secured in a straight position for more support and punching power (also reducing chance of hand/wrist injury). But some fighters like a little wrist freedom because of how it feels, to bend their wrist (slightly) for hooks, or for clinching (MMA/Muay Thai). Beware of gloves that force your wrist into an angled position! (Some angle your wrist slightly forwards or backwards upon impact).

Boxing gloves hold the wrist straight (maximum support).
MMA/Muay Thai gloves allow more wrist mobility (for clinching).

Aside from the glove’s intended use (boxing vs MMA/Muay Thai), much of the wrist support and mobility is affected by how it’s built and the closure strap. A well-built LONG-shape glove using laces, is better than a poorly constructed SHORT-shape glove using velcro. A tightly-secured wrist area is more beneficial than just having more wrist padding. Velcro straps can decrease wrist support when they’re too long, too thin, too flimsy, or too far away from the wrist. Fighters with small wrists will get much better support with lace-up gloves than velcro gloves. The last thing you want is your wrist wriggling around in open space when you punch.

Many fighters (usually pros) will even put tape around their wrist directly on the skin itself as well as around the glove (after they tie up) for extra wrist support. You can do this if you want even more support (power) than what the glove and hand-wraps provide.

Breathability

Breathable gloves are far more comfortable when your hands get hot and sweaty in training. They’ll smell better and also last longer since your acidic sweat dries faster instead of breaking down the padding. Breathability has to do with the materials used (outer & inner) and how the palm area is designed. Leather outer is far more breathable than synthetic leather (plastic) gloves. Having a nice hole in the palm and a few holes around the fingers will ventilate better than a completely sealed-up glove.

Don’t be fooled by synthetic gloves with mesh or “mesh ventilation technology”; they’re low quality and still not very breathable! Some people feel mesh is actually HOTTER; it’s because manufacturers put a lining to protect the mesh which defeats the purpose of mesh breathability anyway.

• gloves on the left have no holes in the hand area (it’ll get hot and sweaty)
• gloves on the right look like they’ll breathe better

Quality of construction

It’s sad that I even have to talk about this but it’s the current reality of most boxing equipment. Tons of crappy products and a very uninformed public too easily impressed by high-tech looking designs and flashy colors. The weakest link in boxing glove construction could be anywhere. It could be the exterior tearing apart, cushion going flat quickly, stitching coming undone (exposing the padding), or inside lining falling apart (allowing fingernails and sweat to break down the padding).

Leather exterior

Natural high-quality leather is the most ideal outer material because it’s strong, durable, breathable, and looks good. What you don’t want is vinyl, polyurethane, plastic, or any other synthetic materials.Those materials are non-breatheable (hands get hot and sweaty), and leave your acidic sweat longer inside the glove (breaking it down faster). Non-leather also smells much worse than leather, probably because of chemicals.

Back in the days, all gloves were made of leather. But thanks to technology and unscrupulous brands trying to fool the public, all that has changed now. Many brands use fancy designs to hide the fact that it isn’t real leather. They’ll even list “features” of fake leather material to make it sound as if it’s better than leather. Their gloves may appear more high-tech and innovative but they really aren’t. ALL LEATHER is still the best!

It’s also best if the glove is made using as few pieces of leather as possible. This creates fewer seams and fewer places for your glove to tear apart from over time. So why would manufacturers use many pieces? One reason is to make use of smaller pieces of leather (like scrap leather leftover from other projects), saving money because there’s less waste. Another reason is to mix materials, using only a little bit of real leather and the rest is cheaper materials (vinyl, plastic, mesh). And lastly, using many pieces allows them to create a fancier-looking glove to sell for a higher price.

The problems with mesh, plastic, or other pretend leather:

1. doesn’t breathe, less comfortable
2. hotter, sweatier, smells awful
3. extra seams in places where it will eventually tear apart
4. weaker, less support, less durable

Now leather does vary greatly in quality. The best leather is “full grain leather”, with the next best being “top grain leather”—both made from the outer layers. Anything that isn’t any of those 2 options is probably going to be far inferior/weaker. The outer layers of leather will have denser/stronger fibers and the outermost layer has the rich leather texture (the “patina”). Generally, textured leather will be stronger than smooth leather. Suede or any fuzzy/nappy texture is actually created from the weaker inside layer and sanded to create its surface.

Don’t be fooled by misleading terms like “GENUINE LEATHER”, “HIGH QUALITY LEATHER”, “COWHIDE LEATHER”, “SPLIT LEATHER”, or “SYNTHETIC LEATHER”. Also beware of the description, “made with full grain leather” which usually means only part of the glove is full-grain leather while the rest is made of cheaper material. There’s more to leather than just being “full grain”, such as how they tan it, but this isn’t the place for that explanation right now.

“Genuine leather” IS real leather, but it’s probably the weakest layer of the layer. “Bonded leather” is even weaker than that, made from discarded scraps of leather glued together. Bonded leather is similar in concept to “particle board” which is made up of small wood scraps and tiny chips and vastly inferior to “solid wood”. Bonded leather is the weakest leather (lowest grade) and often painted over and textured to look like higher grade leather. “Nappa leather” is a silly industry term used to imply soft/supple leather but the term is ambiguous and doesn’t actually have any distinction from just plain leather.

More about gloves and leather materials:

• photo comparisons of leather vs polyurethane vs vinyl exterior – by RingSport.com.au
• useful lesson in different types of leather – by SaddlebackLeather.com

Stitching

Stitching is often the weakest link, with many gloves coming apart at the seams (as opposed to the leather). I suspect many companies take shortcuts in the stitching because it saves labor costs and hardly anyone notices the difference. I’m no expert, either. All I know is: nylon thread is better than cotton thread, cotton thread better than polyester thread, thick thread is better than thin thread, double-stitching is better than single-stitching, and welted seams are better than non-welted seams. I’ve also heard of sneaky tricks in leather products such as using thick thread on the outside but thin thread on the inside where you can’t see it. Tight-stitching is better than having big gaps.

You can inspect a glove’s stitching in these key areas: palm, wrist, thumb, back of the hand, and velcro strap (if it has one). Beware of protruding seams, loose stitching, and excess material around the velcro strap. These things can cut or scrape a fighter’s face in sparring. (It happens even with headgear!) It’s especially common when the stitching comes apart around the palm, wrist, and velcro areas. I especially hate when companies print their logo on a plastic material instead of using a fabric label (like Mexican gloves).

Another detail of stitching is how neat it is. Whenever you have double-stitching, you can look closely at the two rows of stitching to see if they maintain the same distance from each other. Usually when it’s done by hand, you will see them not look so even and slightly messy. Whereas a machine obviously will look perfect. You can take machine-stitching as a pro or a con. It can be a pro because it looks good. But can be a con if you wanted something more “hand-made”. There are many arguments among manufacturers that these machines are so expensive and if your gloves are made that way, it’s probably being made by a big factory doing mass production.

Inner lining

The inside lining is one of the most important and yet most overlooked aspects of a boxing glove. It’s greatly responsible for the glove’s comfort and durability.

Good lining:

• Prevents your sweat from reaching the padding (breaking it down faster).
• The lining should also stay in place and not flop around inside the glove. It’s especially annoying it feels like a loose plastic bag inside your glove.
• Feels comfortable – smooth and not too grippy (which can cause blisters). This can also be a matter of personal taste. Some like smooth thin inside lining that isn’t noticeable. Others prefer a little more texture to have more “grip” inside the glove.
• Easy to slide the hand in – some annoying lining (partly due to both material and glove design) makes you have to really loosen the glove to get your hand in/out or else they always catch on your handwraps and push the knuckle padding out of place.

Color

Should glove color even matter? It’s all fun and games to me. Sometimes you want to stand out and be noticeable. Other times, you want to scout your competition or train at another gym without drawing attention. I used to swear that certain colors made it harder to see punches. I do feel like it’s harder to see black gloves in a dark-lit gym at night.

In the US, I’d say the most common colors I see in the gym are in this order: black (70%), red (20%), blue (5%), white (2%), green (1%), yellow (1%), other (1%). And then for legit fighters only…it’s probably something like: blue (30%), black (15%), red (15%), green (15%), white/silver (15%), gold/yellow (5%), orange (2%), other (3%). And then for pro fighters…you can in throw pink and neon colors. Pros have a stronger sense of identity, pride and self-expression, so it’s more common to see fancy colors on them. Amateurs are usually broke kids or college students so you won’t see as many fancy colors (unless TitleBoxing has a sale, haha).

Brand Rankings

The Current State of Boxing Glove Manufacturing

Almost all boxing gloves you see today are made in Pakistan; probably like 90% of them. The rest are made in Mexico, Japan, Thailand, and even China. Now, if you’re in a gym with many high level pro fighters, you’ll probably see a distribution more like: Pakistan (25%), Mexico (25%), Japan (25%), all others (25%). This isn’t to say that Mexico and Japan produce higher quality gloves and other countries do not, it’s just that the better brands (and the ones chosen by pro boxers) tend to come from these countries.

Back in the day, all companies did their own manufacturing. But now almost all of them outsource to Pakistan or China for cheaper labor and material costs. Boxing as a sport has also experienced a decline in popularity as well as average skill. Most “boxers” you see in the gym today are a bunch of young guys trying to be tough or older men trying to get back in shape. Without as many serious fighters around anymore, it’s more profitable to sell cheap gloves (albeit fancy-looking) than it is to sell high quality gloves. Many of these casual boxers don’t last that long enough in the sport to notice the difference, anyway. Most people quit boxing within 6 months (if not less).

Quality gloves used to be $50-80 and would last at least 2-3 years of serious abuse. For $125-150, you could get a really nice pair that would easily last more than 5 years. Nowadays, a $150 glove might not even last 6 months of regular training.

The average boxing glove will outlast the average “boxer”.

I will do my best to share my thoughts on the gloves but the only way for you to REALLY know what works for you is to try it out yourself. What one fighter likes may be different from what another fighter likes.

BUT OF COURSE, I RECOMMEND ONLY THE BRANDS THAT I LIKE AND REVIEW FAVORABLY!

F – “the Pakistan clones”

The worst boxing gloves you’ll ever see will probably come from Pakistan (or China). Pakistan is one of their poorest countries in the world with a minimum wage of $0.60 an hour and their 2nd largest export is leather goods. It’s the perfect climate for hundreds of cheap boxing manufacturers out there. They spam me with emails every month offering to make gloves for super low prices. Now they really do produce functional boxing gloves at the lowest cost compared to anywhere else in the world. For the price of $5-25/pair depending on the quantity that you buy, you can have the exact same glove sold here in America for $85-150. So yes, you can cut out the middleman and get it directly from the factory. I guess I should be grateful that they exist.

The only problem is that their gear isn’t trying to be quality. They’re usually not made well, not the best materials or best labor. They break down quickly under serious use. The padding is either too soft or too stiff, and the gloves tear open on the outside or inside. They could probably make a decent glove for a great price if they WANTED to, but they aren’t motivated to go that route. They also don’t have a strong boxing culture like Mexico/Thailand. Without understanding the sport of boxing, Pakistan will never be able to innovate; they can only imitate at best.

…BUT WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH PAKISTAN GLOVES?

If you can punch with a Pakistan glove and it doesn’t hurt as much, go ahead and use it. But you’ll want something better when your technique improves and you learn how to punch really hard. This is why professional fighters will usually avoid Pakistan-made gloves. I share many images and links of Pakistan gloves below. You should how to spot them!

What is a “CLONE GLOVE”?

Many people keep asking what I mean by “clone gloves” and why I use that term so much. Let’s consider how I think MOST true glovemakers design their gloves. The highest quality ones from back in the days have their own unique design. Something that they came up with by themselves based on their own personal experience in the sport. They want padding a certain way, shape a certain way, construction and support a certain way. They have a unique design engineered for maximizing performance and they’re proud of it.

But nowadays, we have many “business manufacturers” making gloves to maximize profit. They don’t have time or even the knowledge to create their own glove design, so they simply use an existing “template”. And usually these templates are designed around maximizing profit, using inferior materials and decreasing labor times. So when I say “clone gloves”, I mean that the gloves are simply a widely available template used by several other companies. Some designs are just there to look cool and increase sales but don’t actually improve the glove in any functional way.

Low-level Pakistan boxing glove manufacturers

These companies have the older, outdated, “toy” designs. These glove molds were the generic stuff sold in toy stores and martial arts warehouses 10-20 years ago. They are pretty much the worst of the worst. And very sad to see even reputable brands using these models.

• http://www.goldpak.biz
• http://www.fahadboxing.com
• http://www.boxersports.net
• http://www.selanzaentp.com
• http://www.zentreksintl.com
• http://www.qstarind.com
• http://www.qaimdeen.com  (many classic Everlast molds)

Mid-level Pakistan boxing glove manufacturers

Here we see a higher level of boxing glove manufacturer. They’ve got the same old models as the previous companies but also more updated designs. Are you starting to see the patterns, yet? It’s like they’re all using the exact same glove design template, right? And the eye-opening thing is that many household brands use them as well. Remember all the complaints that Everlast or Ringside are no longer as good as they used to be? Well, now you can see why…they’ve all outsourced to Pakistan.

• http://www.imdsports.com
• http://greatsplendidsports.com
• http://teamsportsitems.com
• http://legendary-house.com
• http://kokalsports.com
• http://www.shaukatbrothers.com (similar molds to Boon, Century & Rival)
• http://www.brian-storm.com
• http://ringfighterintl.com (scroll through and you see many TITLE Boxing clones)
• http://www.prospoindia.com (good common clones from India)
• http://www.leading-sports.com (good common clones)
• http://www.solidfighter.net (one of the better clones, I think I see a Grant clone?)
• http://www.midlandsportspro.com (Look at all the headgear and heavy bags they produce…looks like the entire TITLE Boxing catalog right here.)

High-level Pakistan boxing glove manufacturers

Ok, NOW we’re talking! These guys are probably the best and most updated of the Pakistan clone manufacturers. They produce the latest glove models on the market today. Are these newer, better-looking models actually superior to the old models or are they essentially the same but with only an updated design? We’ll find out later in this review.

Probably 90% of the boxing gloves created in the world
are made in Pakistan.

I’ve showed only a few examples of each level of Pakistan glove manufacturer but my inbox has emails from at least a hundred different Pakistan companies. All promising to provide the “best quality at the best price”, and yet there’s no prices on their sites (for negotiating reasons, I’m sure). You have to email them to get prices depending on what model, customization, quality, and quantity that you want.

• http://www.royalmartialarts.com.pk
• http://www.rk-ind.com
• http://omikaintl.com  (some new models!)
• http://www.3bofslk.com  (highest level copycat IMO)
• http://www.1938.com.pk (many Adidas models and other brands in here)

The $119 Fighting Sports Tri-Tech Lace gloves over at rk-ind.

The $150 Everlast Protex3 gloves over at “Leading-Sports“.

I found Hayabusa’s $129 Tokushu Regenesis boxing gloves over at omika, rk-ind and kokal.

I found the $179 Ringside Heritage Gloves over at omika. (Looks like they used Ringside’s image but edited out the logo.)

The $199 TITLE Black Blitz Training gloves over at rk-ind.

Alibaba links, as a reference for how much gloves should cost:

• Alibaba Boxing Gloves
• Alibaba Wholesale Boxing Gloves
• PS: Alibaba is a great place to get fake name brand gloves at a good price if you ever wanted that. The quality may vary but at least you’re paying a fairer price for the glove.

Many offer complete customization if you go through them directly. I don’t know if they’ll do one-off deals for an individual; there’s probably a minimum order quantity. But hey, if you ever wanted your own fight gear brand with your own logos and design, you know where to look now.

I also only showed you the ones with a website! Many of them don’t even have that. They’ll ask for pictures of products you like and they copy it. If you look on Alibaba and Ebay, you’ll find many copies of Grant and other boxing glove brands. Some look close to the real thing, others look obviously fake.

Now that we’ve set the bar for what the LOW standard of boxing gloves might be, it’s time to look at the good stuff. Armed with this knowledge, you can better detect copycat brands and inferior models of boxing gloves. You’ll know if it’s cheap stuff and also if it’s overpriced. Ahhh, the beauty of the internet!

Interesting read on Pakistan gloves:

• What do you think of Pakistan made gloves – reddit

D – “OFF-brand clones” (the lesser clones)

I call these the “OFF-brand clones” because they’re established companies but not yet household names. They’re trying to become well-known and sometimes even pricing their products higher to be associated with household brands like Everlast and TITLE Boxing or even serious pro brands like Grant and Winning.

Many boxers don’t know these brands and the ones that do don’t trust them. You might even get laughed at in the gym for wearing these brands. They are definitely no better, but also sometimes no worse than the famous brands. So if you know what you’re looking for, you can get a good deal on a not-so-good glove.

Some of these companies are not even known as boxing companies. They started off making equipment for martial arts or MMA/kickboxing or even just fitness, like “women’s cardio kickboxing class”. Many of them target the rapidly growing MMA market and usually give up after about a year of begging friends to try their gear. It’s hard to stay in business when you’re not offering any new value or innovation to consumers.

I don’t recommend anybody to buy these gloves; they are here for educational purposes and as a price reference.

Century – “the classic American generic brand”

Century gear is typically found in toy stores and sporting good stores. At toy stores, it’ll be the only option and priced cheaply. At sporting good stores, it’s the cheaper alternative to name brands (most likely Everlast if you’re in America and Adidas if you’re in Europe).

Century is probably better known for making martial arts gear and for that reason, you won’t see them in boxing gyms but instead in martial arts gyms that have “boxing gear”. As you can see: they use all the classic Pakistan boxing molds, slap on their own logo, and priced it at $50-120. This is the SAME stuff you can get for $5-20 direct from the factory.

Creed Heavy Bag Gloves ($69) – total ripoff at any price, really. I wouldn’t use these even if they were free.

TKO – “a smaller American generic brand”

TKO is another generic fight gear company like Century except only they’re a smaller company and their gloves are even lower-priced and lesser quality. They’re using a more outdated design for their gloves (compared to Century) and their gloves feel even cheaper in your hands. I tried their gloves 10 years ago and it hurt like hell to punch with them even when they were new. I remember them looking like plastic.

TKO Pro Style ($64) – this looks so cheap. The stitching, the strap, the leather.

PRO Boxing Supplies – “local warehouse brand”

“PRO Boxing Supplies” aka “PBS” and other generic names using the word “PRO” (like “PRO Boxing Equipment”), is the classic generic brand here in Southern California. They have several shops in Southern California that sell all kinds of fight gear. They carry many name brands such as Everlast, Title, Ringside, and Reyes…and then they also have their own house brand gloves and gear that are made in similar mold but with their own design, different colors, their logo, and it’s CHEAPER.

PBS, manufacturers their own stuff in their factories in Pakistan. It’s how they’re able to price their stuff cheaper and drop their price even lower than that if you haggle in person. 10 years ago, their prices were very cheap but now raised to be more consistent with the big brands you see today. I absolutely hate dealing with them and their products. Their products are low quality, I bought it too because they said it was “definitely better than the name brands”, but it still broke down quickly (went flat in 2 months).

Shopping at their store in person was a frustrating experience. Very rude behavior and dismissive of customers that don’t appear to have money. They’ll rush you into buying and get annoyed when you ask to see other products or sizes or colors. You feel like you’re wasting their time simply by being in their store. You’re treated like crap if you want to just look around; oh and don’t you dare ask them to match their online prices. They’re only your best friend if you look like an easy target.

Just FYI, they never have prices on anything on the store because they change them depending on how gullible you look. If you look like a first-timer, you’ll get the highest price possible. If you look like you know what you’re doing, you get a better price. They’ll also give you one price over the phone and then completely deny it when you come in person to pick-up. You can read online for more complaints about their products and the way they do business. It’s like they never heard of customer service before.

FRAUD ALERT:

• These guys operate under many names. It’s like a family franchise or something and each member has a different take on the “PRO” name. Search their stores on Yelp in Southern California and you’ll find “PRO Boxing Equipment”, “PRO Boxing Suplies”, “Pro Combat”, “PROLAST”. Do not be fooled. Their gear is crap. The leather rips and the padding goes flat.
• They are also behind the current Casanova-ripoff scandal. As you may or may not know…the original authentic Casanova brand (worn by old school champions, also in the Rocky movie) and called “Deportes Casanova”, is made in Mexico by a small factory of about 5-people (and distributed here in the US by www.NecalliBoxing.com). Well these PRO-clowns decided to trademark the Casanova brand in the US and even used a similar-looking logo to the original and calling it Casanova/Casanova Sports (also sold at casanovasports.com). They’re also sold on Amazon and confused several buyers already. This has got to be one of the shadiest things I’ve heard in a long time and hope they go out of business. What a bunch of douchebags.
• For the people who argued with them (I have some emails from their victims and will try to post soon). These “Casanova Sports” guys have even argued back claiming they’re the only authorized Casanova reseller on Amazon which is also not true. They’re currently getting sued for the Casanova trademark infringement and I hope they eventually lose.
• Go to the casanovasports.com website and you’ll even see in their logo, they list the casanovaboxing.com URL which correctly redirects to the authentic US distributor site NecalliBoxing.com. Like damn, how bad are they trying to fool people?
• PBS for me is the very epitome of a “Pakistan clone” because they’re generic versions of brand-name Pakistan clones. You can’t get much more generic than that!

PBS Gel Gloves ($79) – This model was formally produced by TITLE and is now sold by many companies. It’s not a good model and has the “gel problems” I mentioned above.

PBS Pro Style Gel Lace ($129) – their premium model attempt at copying Grant, but with gel—WEIRD! Single-stitching all around for the most part and the 3-cuff design looks poorly stitched. I’ve NEVER liked PBS foam padding and I don’t like their gel padding either. Yes, I got to try it in their store when I was picking up handwraps.

Casanova *FAKE RIP OFF GLOVES* ($99) – I could not believe the audacity of those shysters to rip off a classic brand, I got a hold of these myself from another person who had been ripped off. Oh yeah, I tried it just to see.

They don’t look Mexican-made at all whatsoever; looks like any other cheap Pakistan glove (but actually worse). They didn’t even make an effort to copy the original Casanovas. Entirely different shape, padding, and feel. The only effort they made was to copy the Casanova logo. Oh but look carefully and you’ll notice one glaring flaw…there’s no “HECHO EN MEXICO” on the label because these are so obviously not made in Mexico; they even turned the glove so you can’t see the label straight on. Don’t be fooled by their online pictures either; some of them try to copy the real Casanova’s photo angles and also the wrinkled leather of Mexican gloves but it looks like such cheap plastic piece of crap in person. An insult to even cheap Pakistan gloves.

The gloves feel like total shit. Really cheap leather…feels like you’re wearing a plastic bag with cushion over your hands. Really cheap lining. The padding gives you no protection whatsoever, you can punch right through them. There’s also no gripbar, the one you see in photos is such a soft material that it doesn’t give any support. OH, AND GET THIS, I felt a new sensation never before in any glove. I don’t know what they did with the hand compartment but the padding curve doesn’t even bend to your hand properly when you punch. It feels alright when you first put on the glove but then when you hit the heavy bag, the whole knuckle area bends over awkwardly and pushes your hand into a weird *painful* angle. Just when you thought gloves couldn’t get any worse, these guys fly in and set a new record low.

Any pop-up fly-by-night company

Want to know if a new company out there is any good? Simply compare their designs to the popular design molds out there. If it looks similar and sells within a similar price point, it’s probably the same thing. Some are trying to go “high-end” by offering only 2 models. Some go the big store route offering a redesign of every Pakistan mold out there:

• http://www.roomaif-shop.de/BOXEN (looks like a combo of Title, Venum, and RDX)
• Booster Fightgear Boxing Gloves.html
• Seven Fight Gear American Boxing Glove

C –  “NAME-BRAND clones”  (the greater clones)

I call these brands the NAME-BRAND clones because they too, are outsourcing all their gloves to be made in Pakistan. There may be some brands on here that claim to make their own gloves in the US or Europe or some other local place but it’s hard to believe that when their gloves still share the same mold as the Pakistan clones. Now MAYBE it’s the Pakistan glove manufacturers that are copying their latest designs. Except that argument goes out the window when you see many other boxing gear companies all copying the same glove molds. So who’s copying who? I don’t know anymore.

Many of these brands used to make better products back in the day when they actually made their own boxing gloves and had their own glove molds that were unique to their company. Since they’ve started outsourcing to Pakistan, we now have dozens of new brands on the market making the same 20 copycat models except with different designs and sold at different price points—how confusing! (BEWARE: some of these brands say “Made in USA” and they are not!)

The boxing glove market is STILL the mass confusion that it is today because of all these brands hovering in the same price ranges, each marketing their Pakistan-clones under different gimmicky features. And while they may LOOK fancy, they are ALL overpriced clone gloves with only meaningless differences in design. Not a single one of them is creating their own glove design or adding any new benefit to the iconic boxing glove design.

I personally would not buy from any of these brands because I don’t like their quality and price. You’re paying more for the same stuff that you can buy for less from the OFF-brand clone companies (albeit without the cool designs, familiar name and customer service). These might do if you’re a beginner and can’t afford anything better. The good news is the name brands have clearance sales often. Anyway, these gloves are ok for temporary training but you should upgrade as soon as you can.

Everlast – “aka ‘Neverlast’, the classic all-American boxing brand” ($20-200; avg $80)

Everlast is the classic household American boxing brand, practically synonymous with the sport of boxing. Anybody who sees the Everlast logo is going to think of fighting right away, which is probably why so many companies rip off their logo shape (TAPOUT?).

It’s just too bad everybody hated Everlast before I even started boxing. The brand became the joke of the sport. A big part of it has to do with the fact that Everlast makes horrible quality products (manufactured in Pakistan or China) and sells them in stores that boxers don’t respect…such as discount retail stores (Walmart/Target), sporting goods stores, toy stores, department stores, and other places where you find cheap things for cheap prices. It might have been a great decision business-wise, but it’s hurt their brand terribly among the hardcore boxers.

The saddest part is that Everlast used to be known for making quality products; an American badge of quality. The gloves that fighters won championships with. The gloves your grandfather was proud to own. I think that’s why people got so angry at the company. They expected the best from Everlast but their products failed to deliver. Their gloves are priced anywhere from $20 to $200 and almost all of it is poorly-made. I have bought focus mitts and gel gloves that ripped in a matter of a week, and then there’s also the time Tomasz Adamek’s Everlast shoe tore off in the middle of a fight. We knew Everlast was bad but we weren’t expecting THAT bad. They’ve made a fool out of everyone.

For those who claim that Everlast DOES make good products if you buy their more expensive stuff, I will say this is only partially true. Even their most expensive models $150-200 are still Pakistan clones. They have only two product lines that are good: the “Everlast MX Pro” line which I will cover later in this guide and their “certified” competition gear. How they got to be the only certified brand at the time, I have no idea$$$. Their competition headgear was one of my favorites and their competition gloves also seemed to be good (although not meant for regular training). For now, just avoid buying anything from Everlast.

Additional thoughts about Everlast:

• They tried to send me free gear in exchange for a review but insisted on me trying their crappier models which I’m guessing are crap quality but offer high profit margins. When I told them I would be honest if their gloves didn’t hold up to my other quality gloves, they decided not to send me anything.
• Here’s an insightful forum comment on the decline of Everlast quality over the years: Everlast and Title , same company or no?

Everlast Pro Style Boxing Gloves ($35) – of course they would market to beginners using the words “pro style”. This is the classic crap model sold in sporting goods stores, department stores, and anywhere else that you would expect to find consumer-grade junk. Awful quality, terrible padding, and toxic chemical smell used in the dye color. You can spot a beginner wearing these in every gym. For those who think “it’s ok for beginners to start out with a cheap glove”, I beg you to use a better “cheap glove”. Check out the website and video to see how cheap it looks.

Everlast Powerlock Training Gloves ($49) – here goes a FANCIER (but still crappy) model. With “Synthetic leather!” Pay attention to this mold, it’s used an awful lot by other brands.

Everlast Amateur Competition Gloves ($79) – it’s ok, except only you don’t need it. Your competition place will supply gloves for you. This one isn’t padded enough for regular training purposes. For those wondering, amateur competition gloves don’t have white knuckle areas anymore because amateur fights are now scored like a professional fight instead of the old “points system”.

Everlast Elite Training Gloves ($129) – Everlast contacted me hoping I would review this new model, but I declined immediately as I knew it would be crap. It’s not real leather, the cheap-looking super-thin velcro strap that doesn’t even go the whole way around, and way too many seams and threads which could cut your sparring partner. You can see others echoing similar thoughts in this video review .

Everlast Protex3 Training Gloves ($149) – you would think because it’s expensive, it’s good. But nope, the Protex model sucks. It’s a way overpriced Pakistan clone.

Everlast Powerlock Pro ($99) Training Gloves – don’t be fooled by the name or the price. The “Powerlock” series are still cheaply made— poor stitching quality, poor cushioning, etc.

Ringside – “hardcore American brand that went soft” ($30-200; avg $80)

Ringside was the quality American boxing brand when I started boxing in 2004. I remembered them as the “mid-price glove”; the best gloves in the $85 range. Anybody not wanting to pay over $100 for the pro stuff like Grant, Reyes, and Winning would get Ringside. They were cheaper than the pro gloves but better than the average $50 gloves. Many good boxers and competing amateurs wore Ringside. And anybody NOT wearing Ringside was probably wearing Title (who made cheaper, but still functional gear.)

Unfortunately, Ringside soon decided to stop manufacturing their gloves in the USA and started outsourcing to one of those Pakistan clone companies. The new gloves were a total letdown and they lost their fanbase almost overnight. There used to be so many people who swore by Ringside but now they all say, “I’ll never buy Ringside again. They’re not quality gloves like they used to make. Their new gloves are overpriced pieces of junk!”

Ringside’s overnight decline left many fighters searching for a new mid-price glove, creating the perfect opportunity for other boxing and MMA companies to flood the market. You had generic companies like Title and Everlast now creating a luxury line of consumer-grade gloves. Canadian brand, Rival’s quality gloves at around $85 were becoming more popular in America. MMA brands like Hayabusa and Venum came in with flashy glove designs that appealed to the younger fight audience but not the boxing purists. Kickboxing/martial-arts brands like RingtoCage/TOP TEN and Twins/Fairtex also crept into the boxing glove market a little bit. There were also people who had the older [good] Ringside gloves defending them as “still the best around”.

Ringside has since been reduced to nothing more than a generic company. It’s another American-labelled Pakistan clone glove. What’s even more sad is that another generic company (Title) supposedly started by their former employees, has outgrown them over the past 10 years and now sells more models at more price points than they do. Ringside is pretty much now the same as Everlast except only that they don’t have ANY redeeming models, not a single unique model. Around 2012 Ringside was bought by another brand, “Combat Sports International“, that I’m guessing was targeted at the martial arts market. Anyway, I highly recommend against Ringside as you’re paying American brand-name prices for Pakistan clone quality. It’s a shame they flushed their unique product value down the toilet.

Ringside Apex Flash Sparring Gloves ($69) – one of their many cheap models. It’s not real leather, and notice the use of mesh. I promise you, the velcro will tear apart that mesh in no time. Everything about this glove screams “cheap”. (UPDATE: one of my EB members said the foam basically split inside after 4 months making them useless.)

Ringside IMF Tech Bag Gloves ($69) – super cheap looking glove, tons of different materials and textures used in the design. I don’t think it’s real leather and the velcro strap construction looks flimsy as hell. Here’s the first red flag for the whole brand: this pair uses the same special “IMF” padding as their other more expensive models. That pretty much tells me you’re going to get crappy padding no matter how much you pay. In case you thought IMF actually meant something special, it actually stands for “Injected Molded Foam”, which means it’s a single-layer machine-molded foam and completely inferior to a multi-layer foam. Paying for a more expensive Ringside glove only improves the exterior quality of the glove in how much real leather they use.

Ringside IMF Sparring Gloves ($79) – this was the model they used to be known for. They were a classic favorite despite the annoying elastic that you had to peel back to shove your hands in. Every gym had at least a few pairs of these. Unfortunately, the quality isn’t the same anymore in the newer versions and also the supposedly “new and improved” IMF padding is stiffer than the original (although promised as longer-lasting). I do agree this is a good buy if you want some “cheap gloves”. They’re a great bargain when they go on sale.

Ringside Pro Style IMF Tech Training Gloves ($129) – the new “pro” model of the IMF. A few things you should know: one is that the label “IMF” is hated by many boxers because it’s stiff, padding doesn’t last long, and actually no better than their cheaper “IMF” models. Their IMF “sparring” models are stiff, too. I also don’t like the cheap-looking thinner strap (it looks and feels even cheaper in person). The thinner strap also provides less wrist support, by the way. You’ll see this glove design copied numerous times throughout different brands (like Fighting Sports S2 Gel Power and Adidas Super Pro Sparring Gloves).

Ringside Heritage Sparring Gloves ($199) – Other than the leather being dyed instead of painted (higher quality finish), I have absolutely no idea why they did this. I think the faux-vintage design makes it look cheap. If Ringside’s reputation wasn’t already at the bottom of the barrel, they just buried themselves a little deeper with this series. I’m guessing their idea was to produce a high-end line to raise the respect for their brand. Everybody else was offering crappy models for the casual/fitness market and pro models for the serious fighters, and they followed suit with this as their equivalent of a pro model. Except only, no pro would ever buy this. From what I’ve heard, this is basically the same IMF-padded gloves but with better leather and stitching. While some may like the look and feel of the leather, there are many who complain the glove is stiff, requires a bit of break-in time, doesn’t hold a natural fist, and doesn’t cushion your hands any better than a $50-pair of gloves. Read around online and you’ll find complaints about their other Heritage models as well. (Looks like TOP TEN has their own “heritage” line, too.)

TITLE Boxing / Fighting / Promex – “the name-brand generic” ($30-$200; avg $130)

TITLE Boxing was supposedly started by former Ringside employees that created their own company and started by copying Ringside’s products. When I first started boxing, Title was this online store that sold a ton of boxing gear from many brands at reasonable prices. They had lots of sales and many great deals could be found if you visited their website regularly. They have great service and many happy customers/fans in the US. I am still a fan of Title after over 10 years. And I would say they are now a bigger company than Ringside but still considered a “generic company” by the old school dudes.

Title sells the big boxing brands (like Rival, Reyes, Adidas) and MMA/Thai brands (like Hayabusa, Venum, Boon, Fairtex, Windy) alongside their house brands (Title, Fighting Sports, and Promex). Back then, their own house brand Title gloves were priced cheaper than the brand name gloves and people who couldn’t afford the big brands like Reyes would buy Title gloves. Their gloves actually performed pretty well and you may have noticed that I wear a pair of classic red Title gloves in my Youtube videos. They also gave “gym discount pricing” which helped them get into many boxing gyms.

I’m guessing Title gear started catching on as this “cheap but still good” brand of gear and their name actually grew into being seen as a legitimate brand. It’s funny because Title actually uses all the same Pakistan clone molds and yet they are seen as this completely new and innovative boxing gear company. On top of that, Title started producing their luxury brand called “Fighting” which featured flashier-looking gloves at higher prices. Their idea was to copy the success of the ultra-premium Japanese brand “Winning” but at more affordable price-points. The thing is “Fighting” also too, uses the same Pakistan clone molds so I wonder if it’s really any better than even their regular stuff.

Just as how the “Title” brand was inspired by the Ringside (American), and “Fighting” was inspired by “Winning” (Japanese), “Pro Mex” was inspired by “Cleto Reyes” (Mexico). It’s a pretty smart business idea when you think about it. Many people did not have money for the legit brands in Ringside, Winning, and Reyes so Title created generic imitations of all their qualities and sold them for cheaper. They tried to copy the sleek protective glove design of Ringside, the high quality super-cushioned glove design of Winning, and the slim aggressive Mexican-style glove design of Cleto Reyes. The quality was nothing close to the originals but good enough to sell.

I still like the company for it’s great customer service, large selection, and bargain sales, but I wouldn’t use any of their gloves…even if you gave it to me for free.

Title Classic Training Gloves ($39) – classic model they used to sell for about $40 back in the days and easily the best glove you find below $60. It was surprisingly decent-enough quality and the padding lasted long enough. Unfortunately, the quality of their recent models has dropped quite a bit as I hear everything… the leather construction, padding, stitching, and even the laces looks cheaper. But with that said, I doubt you can find a better glove for $40. I recommend this glove only if you absolutely can’t put a couple dollars together to get a Ringside IMF Sparring model for $45-55 on sale. Also available in velcro, but the elastic strap is cheap and won’t last as long IMO.

Title Platinum Proclaim Training Gloves ($79) – this model is newer and looks to me like it’s not real leather. Anytime you see fancy colors (especially metallics) and graphics on a glove, there’s a good chance it’s not real leather. You’ll see this mold a lot with many other gloves from Title as well as other brands, with variations in color and possibly quality. Have you noticed it also looks similar to the “Ringside Pro Style IMF” gloves up above?

Title Gel Suspense Training ($99) – another new cheap model. I hate it’s made with many little parts that stick out and cut your sparring partner. Using the nylon strap instead of leather. Also the little “GEL” tag in the palm area. I wonder if the knuckle area is even leather. The whole design screams “CHEAP!” See it up close.

Title Gel World Elastic Training Gloves ($99) – their classic Gel model. Looks identical to the one by PBS up above. I remember Title had it first and PBS and several others copied it later.

Title Gel Intense Training/Sparring Gloves ($109) – I doubt that a glove can be both dense enough for bagwork and soft enough for sparring. The gel padding does last long but doesn’t perform well! Too stiff and often weighs more than the listed weight!

Title Black Blast Training Gloves ($199) – from their flagship “Black” line. Way overpriced and not a true professional glove, IMO. Read this mixed review after only 2 months of use. Their other “Black” gloves don’t offer much protection, either. I’m guessing due to its success they’ve since added new series to their premium line, like “Title White” $199 (same thing but white color) and the “Ali Legacy” $249 (black with metallic gold).

Title Ali Authentic Leather Lace Training Gloves ($199) – annnnnd they’ve finally come out with their own clone of the “Heritage” glove design. I do like their deep red color over the lame wannabe old school tan/brown color the other companies have been using. I still hate these gloves. Look at the seams and edging all over the glove and then the lace tracks. HORRIBLE design for sparring!

Fighting Sports Tri-Tech Sparring Gloves ($119) – one of the classic models when the “Fighting Sports” brand first started. I have a pair that’s held up for a good 2 years. It’s only good for sparring, though. The elastic can be a bit “cheap”. Mine worked out ok but my friends’ pairs have torn apart.

Fighting Sports S2 Gel Power Training Gloves ($129) – it’s not a completely horrible glove but it has the same problem as many other gloves in this price range: not completely all leather, kind of stiff (not as much hand protection). You can definitely find better gloves in the same price range, or just put another $10 and get one of the top brands.

Promex Pro Training Gloves ($99) – Title’s attempt at copying Reyes (compact fist, long cuffs, weight more towards the wrist, latex memory foam padding). It looks cheap in the image and even cheaper in person. Here it is for a “bargain” at only $100. I would spend the extra money on the real Reyes considering it’s only another $45. In case you were tempted, here’s an Amazon review saying “Promex sucks”. The old models were known for being really bad quality, too stiff for sparring, terrible thumb position, and also too tight on the hand. The newer version (released in 2018) promises to be closer to real Mexican gloves, better construction quality and latex padding. I wouldn’t take it seriously considering it’s priced at only $99.

Adidas – “the European Everlast” ($40-150; avg $80)

Adidas is a German company, and a household sports brand in Europe (I hear also common in Australia). They’re in many sports as I’m sure you already know; soccer “aka futbol”, basketball, football, etc. Adidas boxing gear is respected in a similar way to Everlast. It’s found in many stores but the quality is not the best. If you pay attention only to their pro-level products, you might find some better stuff. I haven’t been to boxing gyms in Europe but from what I saw in the stores there and Youtube videos, there appears to be a lot of Adidas boxing gear throughout Europe, especially if you’re around Germany.

Here in America, Adidas boxing gloves are almost non-existent or seldom seen. I’ve heard of some fighters wearing them but never seen it with my own eyes. I do wonder if the pros actually use them by choice or because they were sponsored. For the most part, their gear is yet another one of those beautifully-designed Pakistan clone brands. And I really wanted to like their gear because they sent me several models for free. But I couldn’t use it—their gloves were so stiff and painful to punch with. There was one pro model that I did fall in love with. It was a 10oz pro fighting glove that felt amazing but you can’t train in it. For regular training purposes, Adidas has nothing for you.

Additional thoughts about Adidas:

• Their gear is well-designed (aesthetics-wise), but really bad quality and over-priced. You should go with Titleboxing or Ringside to get a much better deal and product.
• Many people say Adidas only makes one good boxing product and that’s boxing shoes. I would say some of their headgear is ok too but lately people have been complaining abut that as well.
• Adidas has many different models and many variations of those models. I would say be careful with Adidas because they cater heavily to the fitness and youth market. If you see weird models out there with strange names and fancy designs, they are probably meant for fitness or kids (toys).

Adidas BT Training Gloves ($39) – starting with their plastic crap model. Typical clone mold and looks like a toy in person. See it up close. Read the Amazon reviews about it falling apart almost right away!

Adidas Boxing Fitness Gloves ($49) – ok, guys. I shouldn’t have to tell you to NEVER buy “fitness” gloves. That’s for cardio kickboxing class and not for actual boxing (even if the gloves look functional). Recognize the plastic-ey shine of fake leather? And also features “Climacool Technology” which is marketing jargon for “cheap mesh” in the palm area. See it up close.

Adidas Ultima Competition Boxing Gloves ($49) – I’ve seen different versions of this glove with varying designs. The older version (linked) was real leather, higher quality and came in bigger sizes (16oz). The latest version is fake leather, falls apart quickly, and only comes in 8-12oz sizes.

Adidas Adipower Boxing Gloves ($119) – a hundred and twenty dollars, and still a cheap looking closure strap. See it up close.

Adidas Boxing Adistar Training Gloves ($139) – this is one of their top models that a distributor sent to me for review purposes. I figured…hmm, looks nice…I’ll ignore the fact that it’s a clone mold and give it a chance. It looks very well made from external appearances, but I couldn’t say more until I felt how it performed. Well…IT SUCKED FROM DAY ONE. I couldn’t punch full force in it at all and these were 18oz!!! I’ve had better support from old worn out 14oz gloves than I did in these brand new 18oz. What a massive letdown considering the Adistar was supposed to be their professional training line.

Adidas Hybrid 100 Training Gloves ($59) – from their latest “Hybrid” series. I hear it’s a comfortable fit but overall still really cheap stuff, fake leather, weak stitching, crappy single-layer foam, uncomfortable lining, fragile elastic strap, and falls apart quickly. Not meant to last beyond a few months of regular use. If it isn’t cheap enough, you can get the similar-looking Hybrid 50 ($39) or toy-looking Hybrid 75 ($49). There’s also the female fitness version Hybrid 100 Dynamic Fit ($49).

Adidas Hybrid 200 Training Gloves ($109) – ahaha, pay a little more and you finally get real leather, full velcro strap (no elastic), multi-layered foam (better protection), smoother more comfortable lining. At this price, I would just pay more and get a real glove, to be honest. They also have a female fitness version of this too called “Hybrid 200 Dynamic Fit”.

Adidas Hybrid 300 Boxing Gloves ($129) – and here goes the latest flagship model. Just like the Hybrid 200 it has real leather, multi-layered foam, more comfortable inner lining…and unlike the Hybrid 200 it has more padding around the wrist (notice the raised ridges on the velcro), extra elastic on the palm-side (unnecessary IMO). I’ve heard some complaints about it being uncomfortable at the fingertips, hot lining, and also broken padding. To be honest, this is the type of crap that only happens when a company is so busy “innovating” new gimmicks for marketing purposes instead of perfecting their product. Anyway, I personally wouldn’t use it. I never liked Adidas padding, never liked their previous flagship “Adistar” model, and there are better options at this price point. But hey, it’s a nice-looking glove!

Lonsdale – “the Everlast of the UK, but cheaper” ($15-100; avg $30)

Lonsdale is like the Everlast of the UK in that they sell all kinds of things. It started as a boxing company but now sell sports apparel and MMA stuff, too. They can be found in many different types of stores. To make it short, it’s a crappy Pakistan clone brand. Really cheap stuff at really cheap prices. It’s all low quality stuff. They use many of the older Pakistan clone molds, too. I can’t imagine that anybody in Europe takes them seriously.

Lonsdale also sells many of the same sports/clothing items as Everlast. Like almost exactly identical. In case you’ve wondered, both companies are now owned by the same company in UK, called “Sports Direct”. Originally, Everlast was started in New York 1910, Lonsdale in London 1960.

Lonsdale Pro Training Gloves ($18) – same exact model as the “Everlast Pro Style Training Gloves” that I showed up above. Junk junk junk. At least they priced it more fairly.

Lonsdale Xlite Training Glove ($39) – hey, remember this mold?! It’s back again!

Lonsdale Sparring Gloves ($55) – I think this might be their best training model and the saddest part was I saw someone online still preferring the (awful) Ringside Apex gloves over these. So far, Lonsdale is the worst “name-brand” I’ve reviewed. NOTE: I think this model has been renamed and redesigned from “Leather Club Sparring Gloves” to “Pro Safe Spar Training Gloves”.

TOP TEN – “the UK/Canadian martial artist”   ($39-125; avg $85)

The first time I had ever seen TOP TEN was through one of those online martial arts stores that sold all kinds of equipment for many different fighting styles. Swords, sticks, daggers, shoes, pads, gloves, helmets, uniforms, 90’s instructional tapes, and other random stuff I don’t know how to describe. I was looking for boxing gloves and pretty much just laughed when I saw only TOP TEN boxing gloves on there. If you’ve known TOP TEN for a while, then you know exactly why I laughed!

TOP TEN boxing gloves look like those karate gloves with the super perfectly-round padding around the knuckles. Looks like a round little missile with the thumb tucked away (as if you didn’t have one). Very different from the usual boxing gloves which have more of a human fist shape and prominent thumb sticking out on the side. Naturally, I laughed at them, never ordered, and never tried them. TOP TEN is definitely not a respected brand in the USA and hardly ever seen.

It wasn’t until a few years later that I was boxing in Canada (2010) when I first saw TOP TEN gloves in a boxing gym. Nobody was using them by the way, they were just old beat-up community gloves that you gave to little kids or that “old beginner guy” who only came to lose weight. Even in Canada, despite being commonly found in stores and gyms, TOP TEN is still not the preferred brand. Everybody in Canada seemed to like Rival (a well-respected Canadian brand). What was nice though was that I got a chance to see TOP TEN gloves in person and try them out.

Unfortunately for the brand, the gloves I tried were absolutely crap and after my experience, was determined to write them off forever. I also wasn’t the only one that thought TOP TEN gloves are bad. Not surprising considering they are made in Pakistan and while their gloves don’t have the typical clone design, they are still clone quality (which is pretty bad).

My understanding of TOP TEN has changed a bit since 2010. There are many misconceptions about the brand and what they offer. In fact…I’m still not sure I understand the brand. I think they’re a UK company that got popular in Europe, then expanded to North America with a headquarters in Canada. So depending on where you’re from, you will guess their origin differently. Here in the USA, Americans probably think TOP TEN is a Canadian company. And in Europe, I imagine European fighters look at TOP TEN as a British company. Who the heck knows?

I’m also aware that they seem to be the official gear for many different sports. If I had to guess, I think they started by making karate gloves. I’m not sure which is which, but looking up the internet I see karate gloves come in an “open hand gloves” design which looks something like a thong/slipper/sandal equivalent of a boxing glove. Your hand is open and the padding only covers the knuckles and back area of your hand. The padding is strapped to your hand in various ways: maybe some thin strap, or a thin fingerless glove (like a motorcycle glove), or a thin piece some finger holes. I don’t know how to describe; just look it up, ok?

So I think they started with the typical round karate/tae-kwon-do gloves (and other martial arts gear) and then decided “OH HEY, WE SHOULD MAKE BOXING GLOVES, TOO!”. Except only, instead of designing their glove with the usual boxing glove shape, they simply adapted their existing karate glove design into boxing gloves by extending the padding all around the glove. They also started making MMA gloves as well, furthering their appearance as one of those “all martial arts” gear companies (which doesn’t appeal to diehard boxers).

That brings us to today’s confusion. People don’t know if TOP TEN is really a boxing brand, where it’s originated from, and whether or not it makes good gloves. TOP TEN is indeed an official boxing brand in some places. For example, their gear is AIBA approved (which isn’t saying much, btw) so that means it at least meets some minimum standard. TOP TEN is also very common in Canada and Europe so at least they’re respected by at least the minimum level. You can say they’re at least on the level of Titleboxing and better than Everlast (which I think has almost completely fallen out of favor with boxers, even for fitness purposes). There are fighters who think TOP TEN is good, and also fighters who think TOP TEN is bad. For sure, their glove shape doesn’t do them any favors. Lucky for them, a distributor has sent me a recent pair that I enjoyed so much, I decided to renew my opinion of the brand.

Additional thoughts about TOP TEN:

• I think their brand name is annoying. Really hard to find their gear as searching “top ten boxing gloves” will most likely show dozens of glove review articles instead of TOP TEN brand gloves.

TOP TEN Open Hand Gloves ($65) – shown for demonstration purposes only. I don’t recommend you to buy or use this for boxing! As you can see, the padding covers only the knuckles and back of the hand, and the knuckle area is very round like a missile. The palm side of the hand is open and thus the “open hand” label! (I had such a hard time finding this photo angle, haha. Most product photos show only the back of the glove, focusing on the glove style from the back-side. Hope you appreciate!)

TOP TEN XLP Boxing Gloves ($55) – this is their typical junk glove and probably what I first tried. They have several gloves even BELOW this model, mind you. Despite its attempt at a “fancy” appearance, this glove is fake leather, mesh palm, and cheap build overall.

TOP TEN Vikings Star Sparring Boxing Gloves ($59) – obvious ripoff of Hayabusa glove designs. C’mon, guys!!!

TOP TEN Sparring Elite Boxing Gloves ($85) – WHOA! What the heck is this?! It’s a cheap ripoff of the Rival RB10 gloves! I’d say this is pretty lame.

TOP TEN Elite Dual Boxing Gloves ($95) – ok, finally!…they got real leather. Of course, it’s the cheap Pakistan kind and of course, it’s a freaken clone glove design. Ugh. NEXT!

TOP TEN Pro Competition Boxing Gloves ($79) – these are their pro competition gloves. Probably similar to TitleBoxing pro gloves although these look cheaper to me. Not meant for serious training.

TOP TEN Superfight 3000 Boxing Gloves ($99) – this was the model the distributor sent me in early 2018. Very unique shape that I think most people will appreciate. The foam feels really thick and about medium softness. Protects your hands well on the heavy bag and just about soft-enough for sparring (although I much prefer having softer). It’s a bargain glove at $100 and should serve you well.

Who knows, I might consider a separate review on this glove one day if enough people are interested in it. This is the only TOP TEN glove model that I would actually recommend…and what does it have? Unique shape, unique padding, and actually functional! The thumb is surprisingly comfortable (very straight) and the dual straps can adapt to all wrist sizes. Yes, TOP TEN makes tons of clone gear but they also have some unique pieces as well…their martial arts gloves and this boxing glove (obviously modeled after their martial arts gloves) are the exception!

RDX – “the UK TitleBoxing clone” ($25-70; avg $55) 

I remember a time, maybe around 2010 when RDX was seen as a total generic ripoff of TitleBoxing. Their gloves were sold only on Ebay and Amazon, direct to [un-informed] consumers, instead of through boxing equipment dealers/retailers. I think they started as a generic company, and were never at any point a respected quality brand or had their own unique glove mold. They sold all the same Pakistan clone gloves as TitleBoxing, with similar colors, glove design, and overall vibe (some designs were almost identical).

Years had passed and then one day…I noticed their site was totally re-designed and people (from the UK) actually spoke about them in forums like they were a real brand. There were pictures of people wearing their gear and videos of fighters sparring in them. RDX probably realized it was better in the long-run to come up with their own designs and they’ve done a good job of it lately. Their gloves appear entirely different from the usual designs, making it harder to see which clone mold they’re using. Kudos to them for finally establishing their brand.

I don’t know how they pulled it off but there you go. Unfortunately, they’ll always be a cheap Pakistan clone company to me. So I’ll keep ignoring their review requests until I see something truly innovative from them (other than design). For those wondering: yes, I did try their gloves a couple times and they felt just like any other Pakistan clone company. You can search Google to hear reviews about their poor quality and stitching.

Additional thoughts about RDX:

• RDX is a typical “marketed-brand” that is loved by newbies and hated by legit fighters. The newbs find them to be great value for the money, cool designs, “feels like high quality”, good padding, comfortable and lasts long enough. The legit fighters all say “RDX sucks”, really stiff padding (never use for sparring), looks like crap, and that it’s still a crappy knockoff brand relying on good marketing and fancy designs to make money (like Ringside, Hayabusa, Venum). I’ve even heard fighters insult other brands by calling them “worse than RDX”.
• Their pricing has gone up. Before, their gloves were really low-priced ($25-40) but nicely designed and functioned well enough that it could rival $60-75 gloves on the market. It’s still cheap stuff competing with other cheap stuff but the point is their gloves were great value for the dollar. That’s change a bit lately. They’re looking to grow into the mid-range soon and I’m guessing we’ll see $99 model within a year.
• Their hand fit is not uniform across the brand. Some models are “too small”, others too “too big” or “too wide”, “uncomfortable thumb” or “squeezes the pinky”, “small on inside, but huge on outside”, and so forth. There are also complaints about too much padding in the palm area that some people couldn’t make a fist as easily. If you’re particular about hand fit, I suggest reading up the reviews on the specific model before buying.
• Aside from some quality control complaints about stitching, I’ve also heard that the fancy colors rub off and also that velcro comes off easily (really annoying!). The good thing though is that I hear the padding holds up well. Between you and I, this probably means the padding is stiff.

RDX Elite Boxing Gloves ($59) – sixty dollars gets you mesh, cheap velcro strap, and a bunch of seams around the palm area.

RDX Optimier Boxing Gloves ($64) – pay five dollars more and you get to have a better strap. Still not a good glove but it’s beautifully designed and looks really high-tech. I wonder if they get their design inspirations from Rival. 10 years ago, nobody was designing boxing gloves like this. See it up close.

RDX Bazooka Boxing Gloves ($70) – wow, beautiful! This looks like the Ferrari of boxing gloves, you almost forget it’s using the same clone mold as a hundred other brands. They should have called this the “MG1” (it’s what they named their padding) to make it sound like a car rather than a toy name like “Bazooka”.

Leone – “former Italian Everlast, now Italian TitleBoxing” ($35-110; avg $80)

Leone was a reputable boxing company started in Italy several decades ago. I’m guessing it had something like an Everlast appeal, but as with many companies that became mainstream, they start chasing the almighty dollar and relying on their brand name rather than quality to make sales. I think you can tell from the glove designs what has become of their glove quality lately. I hear their “Glory” gloves were the only good model of late (I don’t know if they still sell it). Everything else is of the cheap Pakistan clone variety.

Leone Maori Boxing Gloves ($45) – really nice design to mask a cheap clone glove.

Leone Explosion Boxing Gloves ($69) – The official Leone site sells them for sixty and Titleboxing sells them for a hundred. It doesn’t matter, it’s still a cheap clone mold.

Leone Guanti Boxe Italy ’47 Gloves ($75) – very sexy classy design, and yet, still a clone design.

Leone Revolution Boxing Gloves ($95) – the perforated leather in the palm area looks cool.

The Thai clones – Fairtex, Twins, Windy, Boon, King, Yokkao, etc ($40-150; avg $70)

Thai gloves are known for being too stiff (even the “good” ones) or too soft, shorter-cuff (compact-shape) with less wrist support, too small (more common) or too bulky, different padding distribution, and having a fabric logo (which is better). They’re shaped and padded in a different way from boxing gloves, for Muay Thai purposes like clinching and blocking kicks. The biggest issue for boxers is having less wrist support and the bulky shape. Beware that some Muay Thai models don’t have a grab bar, which can also make your punches feel less solid.

Thai gloves are not recommended for boxing because of
poor wrist support, and different padding distribution.

You can get a great deal on Thai gloves if you buy them in person in Thailand. The weird thing is that while all the Thai brands are made in Thailand, some of their models are identical to the usual Pakistan glove molds (I call them “Thai clones”). Who’s copying who? I’ve used several over the years but for the rest, I had to ask friends and read online.

• Fairtex ($70-150) – the priciest Thai brand. Fairtex and Twins are the top 2 Thai brands with Fairtex costing even more. There are many people who say Fairtex is clearly better but you’ll also find others who feel the opposite (like me). I compare them to Ringside because they used to be a good brand but have now fallen in quality. And similarly, they’re all about marketing and brand name. They’re known for softer cushion and more comfort but less durability.
• Twins ($50-100) – very good leather, good padding, lots of crazy designs (if you’re in to that), and generally a smaller hand fit.
• Windy ($35-100) – the ORIGINAL Thai brand that was copied and now out-marketed over the past several decades. They’re known for being classic-styled, reasonably priced, well-made, large size (good for big hands but harder to clinch), STIFF knuckle padding, and wrist support not as good as others. I feel their quality is not what it was when I used it over 10 years ago.
• Boon ($70-100) – small company only known by elitists/enthusiasts, but very high quality for relatively cheap price. Some say it’s clearly better than the highly-regarded Fairtex and Twins. High quality, good stitching, great padding that doesn’t hurt.
• Sandee ($50-100) – standard clone, cheapest padding, too. Considered over-priced.
• King Professional – old brand that was known making the best pads, mitts and gloves. Easily distinguishable by their longer/curved outer cuff. Unfortunately, I tried a recent model and they’re total crap. Honestly, they feel like toys; not made for serious use at all. Their synthetic leather is awful, your hand starts sweating within seconds of putting them into the glove. Read my review (coming soon).
• Raja – highly regarded brand with some small issues. I hear they feel great and are made well but somehow don’t last long. They have issues like the velcro falling apart quickly.
• ThaiSmai – stitching looks to be on-par or slightly below Twins, but the padding and fitting is really bad.
• Top King – cheap clone but at least the padding isn’t as stiff. These gloves are very big size in external appearance, which some fighters don’t like.
• Yokkao – I have a pair of them myself. AWFUL QUALITY, has many sharp protuding seems and annoying plastic badge that can cut sparring partners. Feels like $30 toy gloves (on par with cheap Everlast/Lonsdale gloves you see in sports stores); seriously, they’re a joke. Maybe you like their crazy style but they’re really cheap clones (kind of like a Thai Venum). Read my review (coming soon).

General order of quality nowadays based on what I feel + other opinions (Fairtex and Windy were higher before):

• High End – 1. Boon, 2. Twins, 3. Windy, 5. Fairtex.
• Middle – 1.Raja, 2. Sandee, 3. Top King.
• Lowest – 1. Yokkao, 2. King, 3. ThaiSmai.

Helpful links/videos on Thai boxing gloves and brand comparisons:

• Best Boxing Gloves Under £100 – by FightstorePro
• Muay Thai Gloves Compared and Reviewed – by FightstorePro
• “Fairtex sucks, too stiff…not for boxers!” – forum review
• History of the Thai boxing brands and Windy family dynasty – forum review
• Hierarchy of Muay Thai Brands – Sherdog forum
• Twins VS Fairtex VS Windy – video review by Dony Muay Thai
• Muay Thai Glove Buyer’s Guide (also read the comments) – by MuayThaiPros.com

Twins Special Premium Leather Boxing Gloves BGLL1 ($79) – I would guess that Twins is probably the first Thai brand that boxers will come across and most commonly this model, since it’s shaped and styled more like a traditional boxing glove. The other Twins models are shaped more for Muay Thai and styled too differently from boxing gloves (e.g. flames and wild ornaments). I have a pair of these myself and like that the padding is softer than other Thai brands out there.

Boon Sport Leather Training Gloves ($99) – never tried this brand myself but have seen some good reviews of it – here and here. I hear it’s great quality but still a bit “stiff” for hard sparring and also designed for Muay Thai.

Windy Professional Thai Sparring Gloves ($99) – their best model that I could find. The other ones looked like Pakistan clones and had many complaints about stitching quality, cracking leather, and velcro coming apart.

Fairtex Training Gloves ($85) – one of the many clone molds they have. Check out all the other copycat designs on their website. Doesn’t this Fairtex model look eerily similar to Ringside’s model?

Hayabusa – “the MMA posterboy” ($90-160; avg $130)

I had never heard of Hayabusa until an MMA friend walked into the gym with a pair of them about 10 years ago. They had a really cool modern design, very artistic graphics unlike any other brand. Rival boxing gear had cool-looking designs too but it was more diagonal lines and neon colors. Hayabusa gloves, on the other hand, looked like something out of a Japanese anime cartoon (rich colors, Asian lettering). I think Hayabusa set the tone for MMA gear design; that you had to be extremely cool-looking or else you seemed boring, inferior, and less innovative compared to other fighting brands. Hayabusa’s popularity continues to surge among MMA fighters today. Walk into any MMA or kickboxing gym and you’re bound to find all levels of fighters sporting Hayabusa gloves.

Hayabusa, however, failed to capture any real respect in the boxing market and I suspect it’s for the all the reasons that I don’t like that brand. As a boxing purist, like other boxing purists, we already had a history and a tradition. I don’t know how to say it, but we respect the “old”. We respect the “old school guys”, the “old school knowledge”, the “old school training”. Boxing has a culture of being “time-tested” and so you were very skeptic of anything new. Our gear was plain and designed to remind us of the old days when times were tough and fighters were tougher. A fancy pretty glove like Hayabusa looked like a toy to us. It looked like something made for children, not for real men, not for real fighters.

From the very first time that I threw a punch with a Hayabusa glove on, I was thinking HELLLLLLLL NO! The gloves were stiff as hell. This might be ok if you’re hitting a heavy bag but you’re going to make enemies real quick in the ring sparring with these rocks on. Way too stiff for boxing sparring (maybe MMA guys don’t mind?). They also weren’t made with leather. It was unheard of for a boxer to use a non-leather glove. Back then, being made with leather was the most basic way you would tell if a glove was good or not.

And then you hear the price…and it’s WHAT?! $85-160?! That’s a joke, right? You see back then, boxers had like maybe 5 choices. If you were broke or poor, you bought Title ($35-60). If you had any money, you would get Ringside ($85). If you were a pro or had some more money, you got Winning ($250-300). And then if you liked Mexican-style gloves, maybe you went Reyes ($80-125) and if you were Canadian, you went Rival ($80). Ringside was the default quality glove back then for Americans. It was like the Mercedes of boxing gloves. If you had more money, you could get the Ferrari (Winning) and if you had less, you went Title.

Hayabusa was always premium-priced but they weren’t seen as a premium brand by boxers. At the time, their $85 (now $130) gloves were much worse than the Title gloves at $60. And nowadays, anytime you see Hayabusa gloves in the boxing gym, it’s most likely worn by a guy who either just started boxing or a guy who doesn’t even spar much. Experienced boxers with $125-150 are probably going to go with a much better brand like Rival, Reyes, and others. Many boxers prefer to wear real boxing brands that are worn by the pros, instead of cartoonish gloves worn only by MMA guys and “newbies”. This brand is a complete turn-off for me and it’s no surprise that I don’t see any professional boxers training in Hayabusa gloves either. They’ve been trying to send me a free pair for review but I warned them I would be honest and that’s the last I heard of them.

Hayabusa gloves failed in several ways:

1. TOO STIFF, hits way too hard on opponents.
2. Not enough support; hurts my hands. I cannot punch full-strength with these.
3. Poor quality – inferior materials, craftsmanship, and function to many similar-priced boxing gloves.
4. Annoying dual strap. It’s great in theory but in real-world use, it catches your handwraps a lot.
5. Fake leather.
6. Way over-priced.
7. Way too gimmicky and over-hyped marketing “features”. Big turn off.
8. Made in China. This might explain why they hardly ever use real leather and also the inconsistent quality control and workmanship.
9. I’ve even heard people prefer Fairtex over Hayabusa (and that’s a bad thing).
10. I hate that they keep coming up with new designs every year. This is just proof that they rely heavily on marketing and don’t have any solid time-tested models. You don’t see Reyes coming out with a new model every year. Is it because they [Reyes] aren’t innovative? No, it’s because they’ve been in business for decades and don’t need to improve their already-perfect models. Also, they have a longstanding customer-base that probably wouldn’t want them to change anything. When was the last time you heard of Hayabusa gloves so incredible that tons of pro boxers said, “PLEASE DON’T CHANGE ANYTHING”???…my point exactly.

Hayabusa Reviews:

•  “A lot of hype…” – by MuayThaiPros.com
• A positive review that still highlights some problems with Hayabusa – by Boxingglovesreviews.com
• I do like the double-strap concept. It appears to be more secure on the wrist than most single straps, and possibly a useful design improvement that more boxing companies could implement.

Hayabusa Ikusa Charged Gloves ($79) – used to cost a hundred dollars and you don’t even get real leather! What the hell is “Superior quality engineered leather”? Hayabusa’s dual-strap closure design makes it annoying to put on since the velcro keeps catching onto your handwraps. If you can get past these issues, there’s also the matter that these gloves are way too stiff to be sparring with. They might ok on the bag but still over-priced in general, as is all their other stuff.

Hayabusa Tokushu Regenesis Boxing Gloves ($129) – older popular model using “Vylar-2 Engineered Leather”…again, fake leather and people who tried it say they still preferred real leather. Look at the seams all over this thing. Guess what happens when these gloves start to get old; these are all the points where the glove will burst open. The more seams, the more points of failure. See negative Amazon reviews about poor quality control, annoying velcro, too stiff, poor stitching, sweaty, smelly, incorrect weight, hard to make a fist, etc. (Yes, I’m ignoring the positive reviews.) I feel many of the people rating these gloves highly have never tried the good boxing brands.

Hayabusa T3 Boxing Gloves ($119) – this is the updated Tokushu Regenesis. Still the same fake “Vylar Engineered Leather”, dual-closure straps, “Fusion Splinting” technology (what the heck is that?), “microfiber thumb”, and anti-microbial inner lining. It’s a redesign hoping to improve upon the old Tokushu Regenesis model’s shortcomings. What bugs me and I think may turn off other boxing purists is that the cuff is shorter, so it looks and feels even more like a Muay Thai/MMA boxing glove now. The general consensus out there, even by folks who love the brand, is that the padding is stiff and the fit is really tight/stiff (even for small or thin hands) and also that the dual-strap is still really annoying because it catches the handwraps.

Hayabusa Glory Laces Gloves ($99) – a pro-model made in real leather for kickboxers, and actually has good reviews. Only comes in 8 or 10oz so it’s not for training.

Hayabusa T3 Kanpeki Boxing Gloves ($149) – Wait a sec. Why does this all-leather glove cost so much? OH I get it— real leather IS better than fake leather! For those wondering, I’ve heard that the leather is nice but the weight and padding is inconsistent. Some say it’s too stiff, others say it’s too soft. I’ve also heard someone say the inside seam cut his thumb (which is ridiculous at this price point).

Venum – “the poor man’s MMA brand” ($50-99; avg $80)

Venum is the typical wannabe MMA brand that you see nowadays. Flashy in-your-face design catered towards younger kids. Comes with tons of high-tech sounding features, and targets the $85 price point. It’s basically another clone brand trying to duplicate Hayabusa’s success. NOTE: they are made in Thailand…so I guess you could call them a Thailand clone brand.

But fast-forward several years and we’ve got some interesting developments. One is that Venum is trying to rebrand themselves as a higher quality brand. They’re doing heavy endorsements with popular fighters from boxing, MMA, and also traditional martial arts. They’ve also come out with a new boxing shoe line they’re trying to launch. I’m sorry but I will probably never like Venum very much. They have no soul or heritage in boxing. Just some MMA company trying to exploit and monetize in the boxing space. Here’s a fun story about their little-known origins as a French MMA company associating itself with the Brazilian MMA community.

Venum Challenger 2.0 Boxing Gloves ($45) – this clone glove got 4.5 stars out of 5 on Amazon with over 500 reviews. No offense, but none of those buyers know anything about quality boxing gloves. (You can read the bad reviews to get a clearer picture.)

Venum Elite Boxing Gloves ($79) – “Premium Skintex leather construction”. Guess what…it’s not premium and it’s sure as hell not leather. This is a clone glove that you can buy for $15.

Venum Giant 3.0 Boxing Gloves ($99) – here’s the flagship model clone $100 model that FINALLY gives you real leather. How much money are they trying to save?

Venum Hammer Pro Boxing Gloves ($249) – yet ANOTHER flagship model, this time aimed at the highend glove market. I figured why not give them a chance? Just check it out and see! I didn’t try in person but did scrutinize the pictures and online copy carefully. I’m sorry but these are going to miss the mark for me. Many obvious details. It’s still subpar leather, the piping and lining look cheap. The stitching looks suspect. I did appreciate the extra holes punched into the finger areas. I’m kind of shocked their photography couldn’t make the gloves look better. I also noticed they don’t post these gloves on Amazon. I’m guessing it cuts too deeply into their profit margins?

Ring To Cage – “the boxing brand for kickboxers & martial artists” ($40-100; avg $75)

I’m guessing “Ring To Cage” is one of the older brands in the MMA/kickboxing world. And the only reason why I think that is because their designs aren’t as crazy-looking as say Hayabusa, Venom, and other MMA gear companies. They have a more traditional look and even the name itself, “Ring To Cage”, speaks of an evolution from boxing to cage-fighting. I think this brand did well because it appealed to an older demographic of martial artists just starting to try on boxing gloves. This brand “feels” like it’s legit and priced attractively. For that reason, you can find them in many MMA and traditional martial arts gyms and sometimes even in boxing gyms.

The first time I was introduced to it was from a few kickboxing buddies at a local martial arts school. The gloves LOOK big and well-padded. But to me, they felt like any other MMA glove—too stiff for my taste. (Certainly makes you wonder if martial artists ever spar hard.) They are another Pakistan clone company but I do appreciate that you can get some traditional-looking designs, and they don’t try to pretend their gear is worth over $100. It’s a refreshing break from all the companies pretending to be “premium”. For the most part, they are a GENERIC company that doesn’t pretend to be unique.

R2C’s reputation in the MMA world actually wins me over. I hear they are well-made, have soft-padded sparring models, are a great deal (especially at discounted prices online), and do have unique models aside from their clone designs. I also like that even the negative reviews had something nice to say about them and that their brand stayed away from being obnoxiously designed, over-hyped, and over-priced. I would respect them more if they got rid of the clone models.

Many people say they are a far better glove than many of the bigger name and higher-priced brands out there and I agree. From the reviews I’ve heard, they are something just below the respected boxing brands and one of the better brands you can buy under $100. The only thing keeping me from buying a pair (until recently) was that I didn’t hear much praise from PURE boxers and also because I doubted the glove could outperform the top boxing brands. I’m guessing the brand wasn’t marketed to my demographic (hardcore purist boxer) but that won’t keep me from suggesting it to newbies with a budget of $100 and under.

Ring to Cage Ultima MiM-Foam Training Boxing Gloves ($69) – one of their many clone models with its usual telltale signs of overly-fancy design, flashy colors, and small strap. This one is the same exact mold of the Titleboxing Platinum Proclaim Training Gloves.

Ring to Cage Deluxe MiM-Foam Sparring Gloves ($79) – R2C’s clone of the Ringside IMF Sparring gloves. Instead of IMF, they call it “MIM foam” which stands for Machine-Injected Molded foam. If you don’t want to pay full price for the Ringside one, I got a feeling this might be the exact same glove. It goes on sale for $40-50 sometimes.

Ring to Cage Mexican-Style Geltech Training Gloves ($85) – R2C’s Pakistan clone of the Mexican glove design. FYI, the main hallmarks of the “Mexican glove design” is its slim fist-shape and triple-cuff. They do have a cheaper mesh version which I don’t like but I suppose could work if you get the laces variant so there’s no velcro strap to tear it apart.

Ring to Cage Big Hand Sparring Gloves ($79) – R2C’s attempted clone of the Rival RS1 Pro Sparring Gloves, with its identical wrist design. This is shameless copying at it’s finest. I have yet to see anybody else copying Rival this closely and don’t know if it’s the same quality. (Based on what I’ve heard of R2C’s attempted clone of Rival headgear, I would guess it’s not as good.)

Ring to Cage Deluxe MiM-Foam Sparring Gloves ($89) – here’s what I think is the first glove they might have actually invented themselves. It’s a super soft-padded glove that you can order from sizes 14oz all the way up to 50oz! It has great reviews and satisfies bigger fighters, those wanting to hit with less force, or those wanting to train with weighted gloves. I’ve heard both good and bad reviews about this model’s quality but I don’t know of anybody else who makes gloves up to 50oz. PURCHASE LINKS: 14-24oz, 34oz, 50oz, also in white or black

Ring to Cage C-17 Japanese Style Training Gloves 2.0 ($99) – it’s their best and most popular creation, and probably the best boxing glove at $100. This is the pair that put them on the map. It’s a MODIFIED clone attempt of the legendary Winning gloves, expected to be of similar quality but at a much lower price ($100 instead of $300). I own a pair and it’s a nice sparring glove with big cushy padding and very high build quality although still nowhere close to the exceptional Winning gloves. This is the only glove I would personally try from R2C. If I had any minor complaint: the inside lining should be smoother; most people will be fine but I got a blister on my pinky middle knuckle on the 3rd day of using them. PURCHASE LINK: 12-18oz, Mexican metallic colors ($129)

Read the raving reviews:

• Ring to Cage C17 Boxing Gloves Review – by boxingglovesreview.com
• Epic Review: 16oz Ring to Cage C-17 Version! – Sherdog forum
• Japanese Style Training Boxing Gloves 2.0 – Amazon reviews

Phenom – “the angled-wrist clone from the UK” ($80-200, avg $125)

Phenom Boxing is a newer brand from the UK with a slight twist on the usual clones. They have their aesthetic, which is nice and they have an angled wrist on the gloves. This makes them fit not only small wrists better (because gloves fit tighter around smaller wrists), but also fit big wrists better (since the cuff gets bigger towards the end, accommodating thicker forearms). It’s a win-win for all.

I knew nothing about the brand until some people kept asking me about them. Eventually, somebody from the company contacted me and sent me 4 pairs to review…how generous of them! I got to try 16oz training pairs in both laces and velcro, and also their official pro fight gloves.

If I had to guess, I think their company started with Muay Thai products before pivoting over to the purist boxing market. They’ve since done pretty well, getting the likes of Amir Khan and other notable boxers to use their products. They are used not only in training but also in some pro fights.

I’ll review only their higher-end stuff and avoid the cheap stuff.

Elite SG-200 Professional Sparring Gloves ($200) – I liked the look, felt nice. The angled cuff is cool although not life-changing or anything like that. The cushion was alright. Average, doable. Not as protective as my favorite gloves. The padding was not protective enough for me to do bagwork (although I’m sure it’s fine for most people.) I do appreciate that they’re made well and not sloppy anywhere.

Elite SG-200-S Professional Sparring Gloves ($200) – same thing but velcro version. I think the laces look way better (but I’m old school like that).

Elite XDF-200 Professional Fight Gloves ($185) – I’m not a pro fighter can’t compare these to other gloves. They look nicely made and more than adequate for a single pro fight.

Elite RSF-200 Professional Fight Gloves ($185) – I’m not a pro fighter can’t compare these to other gloves. They look nicely made and more than adequate for a single pro fight.

Revgear – “the generic kickboxing/martial-arts brand” ($30-85; avg $70)

I have no idea how Revgear got as big as they are. They are kind of like Ring To Cage in that they cater to the kickboxing and traditional martial arts demographic. Their gear is however the lowest quality of the Pakistan clone gloves. My guess is they appeal to martial arts gym owners who buy gear in bulk. Because of Revgear’s low pricing, you can probably get these gloves in bulk for really cheap and they look passable enough as “authentic boxing gloves”. I hope I don’t have to tell you they are poor quality. Don’t be fooled by their designs and frequent placement inside fight gear stores. They do not compare well against other products on the shelf.

• “Revgear sucks, low quality…” – Sherdog forum review

Revgear Pro Leather Training Gloves ($49) – they have the lowest grade clone junk like this one.

Revgear S3 Sentinel Pro Boxing Gloves ($89) – even their fancy line of ninety-dollar gloves like this one is still pretty bad clone quality. I’m starting to get why the clone brands always have craziest designs. It’s to hide the fact that it’s the same cheap glove as a million other brands. In case you wanted another reason not to buy it, it’s using the annoying gel padding that I don’t like.

Revgear S4 Sentinel Pro Lace Boxing Gloves ($89) – they’re cashing in on the “Mexican glove” trend that’s popular right now, doing lace-ups with the triple-cuff design. Hahaha. I don’t know why but it still looks really cheap. If I had to guess, it’s maybe because the foam is too round whereas real Mexican gloves look more box-ey. There are a few other giveaways but I don’t want to teach them how to copy it now! I feel so bad that many people won’t be able to tell the difference.

Ediroc – “The Pakistan Grant” ($150-200; avg $150)

Ediroc (formerly known as Fuel Fight Gear) is an American company (probably from the East Coast) that I think had the right idea. I had actually never heard of them until very recently when a friend pointed them out to me and I saw that they sponsored some big name pro fighters like Wladimir Klitschko, Eddie Chambers, and Virgil Hill (although the latter 2 are now trainers). They are currently marketed as “the most comfortable gloves on Earth” and previously marketed as “Made in Mexico”. When I first heard the “Made in Mexico” label, I thought, “OH GREAT, somebody else thought to duplicate Grant’s business model of bringing high-quality Mexican-made boxing gloves to the US market.”

At first glance, Ediroc gloves did APPEAR to be made in Mexico and had that Mexican glove styling but upon discovering bad reviews on the internet, I learned that they are actually made in Pakistan. What they did was have their first batch made in Mexico, and then sent those models to Pakistan to be re-produced. It’s a clever attempt at producing Mexican quality at Pakistan rates. Their results have been dismal, with many complaints about cheap leather, sub-standard stitching, short laces, uneven fit, not being at all like the usual Mexican quality craftsmanship, over-priced for what you’re getting, and on top of it—really bad customer service.

Additional thoughts about Ediroc:

• Their former name “Fuel Fight Gear” was also known for being shoddy quality. That same reviewer gave them higher scores for Ediroc, but still flawed (6.5 out of 10). – Sherdog Review
• Another bad review.
• Strengths are nice lining and lots of wrist padding (good for parrying or catching kicks). Flaws are the poor leather quality, stitching, and cost of the gloves.
• They admitted to previously manufacturing their gloves in China, Mexico, and Pakistan. Not sure where it’s made now but I’m guessing it’s Pakistan. You can tell they have little control of their manufacturing as they’re always sold out. Likely, these kinds of brands are always forced to go around shopping for new suppliers and each batch will vary from the next.
• Photos with RingtoCage & Zepol.

Ediroc 16oz H1 Velcro Sparring Glove ($149) – looks like a sexily-redesigned Pakistan clone. See it up close and compare it to the many clone designs out there. This glove is definitely not worth $149, I can guarantee you that. It’s not at all Mexican-made quality.

Ediroc 20oz H2 Sparring Gloves ($149) – very sexy design and looks more like a higher quality glove. Unfortunately, I’m willing to bet it’s still a Pakistan clone of the Mexican glove design and not worth more than $100. You can read the reviews online. If you like the style, sure, why not? I just think you can get much better and REAL genuine Mexican-made gloves for that price that even offer customization…so I can’t justify buying these.

Sabas Fight Gear – the “Mexican wannabe” ($120-220; avg $130)

Sabas is a new boxing gear company (based in Southern California) that started out a few years ago, selling supposedly high-quality “Made-in-Mexico” gloves at a great price. They were selling well-built gloves with good padding, comfort, many customizations, and all at a fair price. They were the first American company to bring Mexican gloves to the masses and with fast shipping. Their stock models were really stylish and you could customize it with all kinds of fancy colors and embroidery. With such affordable prices for high-quality “custom” gloves and all the great reviews online, they seemed on the verge of taking over the market.

Sabas couldn’t have shown up at a more perfect time. People were getting tired of all the name-brands (Everlast/Title/Ringside) redesigning their cheap clones every year. But they also didn’t want to shell out $300 for Winning or $500 for Grant. Mexican gloves like Reyes were a great buy at $150 in terms of price-to-quality ratio but not always the most protective. Rival was also great at $150 but not everyone likes their futuristic design. MMA and Muay Thai brands were either low quality or not shaped well for boxing. The market was ready for the right glove at the right price and Sabas was the answer. At the time, my only concern about them was to keep the price down and quality up.

But their brand took a turn for the worst…

Nearly a year after I wrote my positive review here and even ranked them at 5th place (based on comments from friends and other folks on the internet), I began to hear many complaints about their quality control. I ordered my own pair in March 2018 and was surprised to find many issues with them. They are not quality at all and do not seem like Mexican gloves in any way, they look and feel exactly like cheap Pakistan gloves.

• Read my full Sabas boxing gloves review (you’ll learn many things about glove craftsmanship).

Additional thoughts on Sabas:

• Sabas is mediocre quality all around. Cheap leather, padding is way too soft, cheap piping, and the annoying “bubbling issue” (plastic lining between padding and outer leather moves around, causing ugly lumps). The leather is really bad, I hear even worse than Title boxing. Those raving reviews are now outdated as their quality has dropped tremendously. Here’s an old Youtube review giving them “9.5 out of 10“.
• All three models are claimed to be good for bagwork and sparring, supposedly high quality, thick leather, well-padded, and comfortable. Many say only the SuperSoft is soft enough for sparring out of the box. Their favorite model is probably the SuperSoft since it imitates the all-time favorite Winning glove. In case you’re confused about their “TC” label, it stands for “triple cuff” and is available for both ProSeries and ProSeries PRIME.
• They do have stylish designs and nice great stitching. Double-stitching everywhere with no loose threads or excess leather sticking out. People like their custom work (see their Facebook photos).
• Their velcro strap and wrist support was said to be better than than the “high-tech” Hayabusa Tokushu and even Winning. This is absolutely false.
• Sabas is not at all comparable to Winning, people should stop saying this! Winning is superior in every single way, you can see it right away. Winning has better leather, padding/protection, construction, also more comfortable and durable. Sabas feels awkward, cheap leather and cheap padding which won’t last long at all, less wrist protection, very different thumb design and overall glove design.
• Between RingtoCage C17 and Sabas SuperSoft, the R2C appear to have better padding, wrist protection, construction quality, and also looks much more like Winning gloves.
• Compared to other Mexican gloves, Sabas is nothing close in shape, design, and quality. Sabas looks and feels like Pakistan-made. Absolutely nothing “Mexican” about Sabas gloves.
• Smaller, compact, narrow fit in general but not restrictive by any means. You will like the fit if you have smaller hands or prefer a tighter fit.

Sabas ProSeries ($119) – neutral model supposedly built for maximum comfort and protection, balance between half-feedback and half-protection (mix of Reyes and Winning). Comes in LACES & VELCRO.

 
Sabas ProSeries PRIME ($119-170) – their Grant-inspired model. Marketed as a “true puncher’s” glove and built to feel like a Grant glove (although I doubt it). It copies the welted seams, canvas liner, latex padding, triple-cuff design, large grip bar, and padding designed to give nice punch feedback. Comes in LACES & VELCRO. I only showed pictures with color schemes that I liked. See this one. (Ahhhh! So many to choose!)

  
Sabas SuperSoft ($119) – their Winning-inspired model. I bought this exact pair because I loved the colors and found it be nothing close to Winning.  Maybe the old models looked closer to Winning, better quality and more similar padding but my personal experience was totally different.

Cheap feeling, cheap leather (the worst kind that tears easily), padding is too soft, not as comfortable, awkward padding position, low wrist support. Only the styling and stitching looked nice. Sabas padding is TOO SOFT and my knuckles punched right through them on the bag. I hated the gloves within 5 minutes. Painful to use and poor knuckle curve that makes your punches impact more at the middle knuckles instead of the top knuckles.Whatever improvements they supposedly made upon the older design, I think this glove only got worse.This model is available in velcro or lace-up version.

Sabas Custom ProSeries / Supersoft ($155-165) – I have no idea which model, what leather, or how much it costs.

Sabas Custom Proseries Prime ($160-220) – another one of their stylish custom work. Look at the cool alternating colors in the triple-cuff design. Check out their Facebook photo album to see all the possibilities.

Sting – “The Pakistan-Australian” ($60-200; avg $150)

Sting is a cool new Australian boxing brand, manufactured in Pakistan. When I first saw their website and glove designs, they seemed just like any other typical Pakistan-clone glove except with really fancy marketing/branding. The same glove molds, standard features hyped up in gimmicky ways, and of course really cool product photos. The pricing was on par with any other wannabe brand as well…crap fitness gloves in the $50-100 range and then the better stuff around that $150-200 range. I had zero interest to try them whatsoever. I was also aware that they were official equipment suppliers for USA Boxing and also the AIBA but of course, I chalk that up as usual marketing methods in any industry.

Well in 2018, their marketing person reached out to me and offered to send over their 2 best models…the PREDATOR ($200 training model) and the cheaper VIPER ($150 sparring model). Just an FYI, they’ve since revamped their glove designs and not sell both at $200. I warned him that I would be brutally honest if the gloves didn’t hold up to my impossible standards and he insisted on me trying them anyway, without any fear of my feedback. He explained Sting is made in Pakistan but they have their own factories and also control the manufacturing and make their own custom designs (internally as well as externally). WELL DONE, I have a lot of respect for a brand willing to stand behind their product! I’m happy to give any brand a chance as long as they’re actually doing something new and not wasting my time as another copycat brand.

I received the gloves and have since had a few months to play with them. At first glance, the gloves did look like the usual Pakistan clones but very well intended. Nice design, modern but tasteful. They look sexy and sleek. The logo is not obnoxious and you don’t feel like they’re trying to cram their brand name down your throat. The colors are also very well done and properly chosen. They have colors that stand out but also harmonize with the rest of the glove. It doesn’t feel like 5 colors all competing with each other. I love the dual-colors on the laces, you don’t notice these little details until you have the glove in person.

The craftsmanship also felt well-intended. You can tell they tried to make these in a serious manner and without taking any shortcuts. The stitching was nice, very tight and perfect. The padding was typical dense padding. The laces felt high quality and fancy. No crazy seams to cut sparring partners and NO LABELS (no plastic or fabric ones)…HOORAY, SO CLEAN! The leather wasn’t the greatest but also not the worst; it did feel like they were meant to last. Their inside-lining is also very different from most gloves. What I liked most was that there were lots of attention to details in the glove and you don’t feel any shortcuts were made despite them being made in Pakistan. Like I said, these do look like clones but they’re really stylish gloves and seem good enough to stand out from other Pakistan clones.

The first thing that comes to my mind about Sting is their inside comfort on the hands. Really comfortable and very ergonomic; fit like a glove, whereas other gloves feel like somebody wrapped cardboard around your hands. It’s not only the ergonomic shape of the glove but also the materials used, mainly the super-soft inside lining and the super-soft palm-side foam. Whereas other gloves range between feeling either like slippery silk or grippy-fabric, the Sting gloves are neither. They feel like melted butter; the inside makes contact with your hand (likes it’s trying to suffocate your hand) but it feels good. This feeling is accomplished by having really soft foam on the palm side which is unusual for most brands. Most brands will have either the structured EVA bar-shaped foam and/or some cotton stuffing around the wrist area, and then nothing but lined leather on the palm area. That wrist area padding is typically used to give you more wrist support during punches. If you use padding that’s too soft, that wrist area will be unstructured and lacking support. Well Sting has super-soft non-supportive padding on the entire palm side BUT then uses super-stiff (HARD) rubber material on the back side of the wrist to give you that wrist support.

Additional thoughts about Sting:

• Sting gloves are really comfortable (due to super soft lining and palm-side pillow padding). They feel luxurious; you could even say like they were made for women (I mean that in a good way, hahaha). You can tell whoever designed them really cared about that.  They’re basically above-average quality, nicely-designed Pakistan clone gloves with dense Pakistan padding and comfy inside.
• I hated that they had that cheap plastic piping. I feel those will tear fast and make these sexy gloves look old faster. If you’re not a serious fighter, it probably won’t happen to you.
• The glove weights did not seem uniform. The 16oz Predator model felt lighter (more like 14oz) than the 16oz Viper model. Who knows maybe it’s just the way they feel that’s throwing off my mind. I didn’t weigh them.
• I won’t blast their company secrets but the marketing person sent me cross-section images of the padding inside their gloves showing how they customized the padding to make it more supportive. At the time, these adjustments were only made on the Predator model (I think). Basically, they had special extra padding in front of the finger-joint knuckles at a specific angle to give your impacting knuckles extra support. Only problem was I didn’t like it. It felt like my punches weren’t hitting square-on and that I was punching with brass knuckles on. This extra knuckle padding also kind of bent my hand a tiny bit during impact, impacting more of my middle knuckles than the other joint knuckles and creating some discomfort. With that said, I almost didn’t notice these things when I was in the heat of my training session. It’s only when I compare side-by-side with other brands and paying close attention to every sensation that I could perceive this difference.
• For sure, I prefer the way the Viper gloves impacted on my knuckles despite its definite inferiority. With that said, both models still impact more towards the middle knuckles than the top knuckles. It’s a small difference most of you won’t notice because of the abundant knuckle padding. I think this happens because the gloves are so back heavy…they use tons of dense padding on the back for support and then only soft padding on the front for comfort. Then when you curl your hand into a fist, the entire back of the glove is bent over the knuckle padding causing it to shift down. Try a Mexican glove and you’ll see they all hit more square-on than Pakistan gloves.
• Sting are still fun gloves to use (comfy, lightweight, functional) and stylish but definitely not my top pick for the $150-200 range.
• I have no doubt that their newer models will probably improve quickly as they seemed to take all my feedback very seriously.
• Sting also has a custom gear option where you can choose whatever colors you want for all their gear (gloves, headgear, groin protector, mitts). You can do it from their website.

Sting Predator Training Glove 16oz ($199) – The leather on the more expensive PREDATOR model felt like it was supposed to be a better material, but it also felt more engineered and artificial. It’s still a nice feeling. The gloves feel very light for 16oz. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. These were meant for the heavy bag and they feel just fine. If you’re in love with the way they feel inside on your hands, why not? (Laces or velcro available.)

Sting Viper Sparring Glove 16oz ($199) – the new and improved viper sparring glove is awesome! Actually has much softer cushion that you can actually spar with! Feels nice and I love love love the clean styling. Mine was the white gloves with the gold spider/trim. (My Youtube review.)

The original Viper models had inferior leather and overall feel (compared to the Predator model). Since then, they’ve improved the glove and now justified selling it as the same price of the Predator model. (Laces or velcro available.)

Sting Orion Premium Boxing Competition Gloves 12oz/16oz ($99) – their official boxing competition model. I assume these are functional but way less frills. You probably don’t even need these as your place of competition should already provide some. I’m also guessing they’re cheaper since they aren’t made for extended daily training.

Sting Vulcan Sparring and Bag Gloves 16oz ($89) – do I really have to tell you this is their much cheaper/crappier model? It’s not even real leather, btw. Please do not spar in these. It pisses me off to see that plastic label. I lose respect for brands when they promote this stuff as “sparring gloves”.

Sting Armaplus Training/Sparring Boxing Gloves 16oz ($59) – oh c’mon. This is their crappy fitness model. Not for real boxing training and definitely NOT for sparring.

B – LOW-end premium brands (mostly mass-produced with pro/custom options)

Man, I’m so sorry you guys had to wade through all that crap. I was afraid if I didn’t cover them, I’d get 100 questions asking about the same brands over and over…I know from experience. Now we can get to the fun stuff!

It’s hard to make a quality boxing glove,
if you don’t make it yourself.

I consider many of these companies to be premium brands. They sell high quality boxing gloves and they manufacture it themselves. That’s the easiest way to have quality control, right? Now their boxing gloves are priced higher but the awesome thing is they’re totally worth it and they don’t even cost THAT MUCH higher. If you started boxing over 10 years ago like I did, you might find going from $50 to $150 is a lot. But if you started boxing today, going from $90 to $150 is not that big of a jump. Besides, you don’t really have a choice if you’re a serious boxer. These will be the lowest grade of boxing gloves that I would ever use for real training.

It’s incredible that so many people still haven’t heard of these brands. There’s no reason why Hayabusa’s cheap china clones should be so popular when many other brands produce superior boxing gloves for less. I’m guessing MMA fighters don’t punch all that much to notice or care about the difference but then again, the same could be said about some boxers as well. Either way, you’ll need better gloves if you’re punching hard every day.

Hopefully with my guide, you’ll no longer be one of those people confused between a $150 quality glove and a $150 clone glove. Some of these brands offer cheaper models for the masses and high-end models for the pros and serious amateurs. Ignore the cheap models and also ignore brand reviews aimed at the cheap models.

NOTE: don’t be fooled by good reviews and bad reviews! A boxing brand might get some bad reviews from pure boxers, while a cheap MMA brand will get raving reviews from newbies and martial arts “enthusiasts” who don’t know any better. Boxers train harder on their punches than anybody else. We’re doing non-stop punching for hours everyday. No kicks, no grappling. Just a ton of bag work, mitt work, and sparring. Boxers will always be the toughest critics for boxing gloves.

Cleto Reyes – “The Puncher’s gloves” from Mexico  ($140-180; avg $160)

Ahhhh yes, the legendary Cleto Reyes! If you know ANYTHING about Mexican gloves, you’ll know that Reyes gloves are famously known in the boxing world as “puncher’s gloves”. They are officially the #1 choice of gloves for fighters who want to punch with maximum power in the ring. I feel like just about every professional fighter would prefer these gloves for their pro fights unless they have hand problems (their hands hurt when they punch) or because Reyes gloves doesn’t fit their hands (Reyes gloves are compact/narrow).

You’ll even hear of negotiation problems in professional boxing because of fighters not wanting their opponents to wear Reyes (due to a perceived advantage in punching power). This is a common tactic among established champions to prevent more powerful opponents from doing as much damage. Or you’ll also hear of fighters losing a fight and blaming their loss on not being able to wear Reyes gloves. Can a glove really make that much difference? Even if not, a lot of boxing is mental/psychological.

The Reyes gloves’ great reputation, aside from its high quality, is actually due to simple design principles—the gloves are designed with less padding in the knuckled area and shaped to have a smaller fist. This allows the glove to punch harder and also squeeze past an opponent’s defense easier. Of course, the “secret” behind Reyes gloves is more than just distributed surface area. It’s ironic when you hear that the inventor, Cleto Reyes, quit boxing after an amateur fight because of the damage he took despite winning in great fashion.

Reyes gloves have definitely contributed to the stereotype of Mexican gloves and Mexican boxing. Many people assumes all Mexican boxers are aggressive sluggers and therefore all Mexican-style boxing gloves are made for an aggressive fighting style with minimal-cushioning and sleek compact design. Well, I think it’s true for the most part. All other Mexican boxing glove brands are immediately compared to Reyes as the standard. You might hear someone say “Zepol is like Reyes but narrower.” Or “Seyer is like Reyes but stiffer.” Or “JC Pacheco is very close to Reyes.”

So with all the hype and prestige around Reyes, why is this glove in the “low-end premium” category instead of the “high-end premium”? My biggest complaint is that they’re not adequate for most fighters. When it comes to training and sparring, what you need is more hand protection, not less. For a professional fight, it’s great, but for training, you need more cushion. And most of you are not professional boxers. You might see a puncher like Manny Pacquiao swear by his beloved Reyes gloves in a pro fight. But in training? He’s wearing Winning gloves, like many other pros. I can’t think of any pro fighter who actually trains in Reyes gloves. I think Reyes is more common in training in Mexico, but even there they also use Winning.

The other thing that makes me hesitant to recommend Reyes is that they’re not made of the same quality that they used to be. As with many brands from the old times, everyone complains that “they don’t make’em like they used to!” Back then, it felt like a Reyes glove could be 10-years old and still be functional. Now, it seems like they get “old” after only a few years. They break down and fall apart faster. Nonetheless, Reyes is still a great name backed by a very good glove. They’re just starting to feel a bit more mass-produced rather than truly handmade. Still top quality and long-lasting but I suspect many people train in them for that authentic Mexican look and not the padding.

When I think of BOXING, I think of Everlast.
When I think of PRO BOXING, I think of Reyes.

Additional thoughts about Reyes:

• They’re made high quality and the #1 most recognized Mexican glove brand. Popular and beloved gloves but not often used in training (at least in the US), I rarely see it. I hear even most of the pros in Mexico are training in Winning instead of Reyes.
• Known for having the best handcraft work of all the Mexican brands. Their gloves look authentic and old school yet modern at the same time while other Mexican brands look crude, and more outdated (although still appealing). Reyes are notorious for coming in heavy. A “14oz” glove might weigh 16oz.
• Newer models are said to be softer and easier to bend at the wrist (possibly less wrist support?).
• I’ve also heard people saying the Mexican models are different and higher quality than the US models. Like you might be getting a different quality Reyes glove ordering from a US website as opposed to a Mexican website. Reyes models bought in the US from the Ringside website are sometimes referred to as “Ringside Reyes”.
• Some people complain about the thumb design of Reyes being uncomfortable. Might be good to try a pair in person before you purchase it online.
• Beautiful story about Reyes gloves – by Washington Post

Cleto Reyes Professional Boxing Gloves ($160) – THE classic Reyes fighting gloves, the preferred choice of most pro fighters. Filled with horsehair and has an approximate lifespan of only 30 rounds. The horsehair feels soft enough to pass the pre-fight inspection and then quickly packs into the deadliest weapon you can wear on your hands. This model has probably stalled fight negotiations more than any other glove in boxing history. It only comes in 8oz or 10oz so it’s not intended for regular training.

Cleto Reyes Official Safetec Boxing Gloves ($153) – this model mimics the pro fight model (similar size and padding density) but filled with Safetec foam which can last up to 200 times more than the fighting model. It’s intended for mimicking your actual fighting gloves in training. PURCHASE LINK: 8oz-10oz

Cleto Reyes Professional Boxing Training Gloves ($160) – this is a training model. It’s nicely padded, high quality, and I love the classic look. THIS is what a real boxing glove looks like. Get laces if you want to look like a real boxer. Velcro is for newbies; more convenient, laces are the way to go. The hardcore guys who spend 5-6 hours a day in the gym aren’t going to worry about the 5 minutes it takes to tie the laces. Laces give more support and look better IMO.

Cleto Reyes Training Gloves with VELCRO ($160) – traditional design but with velcro. I think it’s a cool idea but loses the soul and authentic-ness of Mexican gloves. I think this model is a recent creation in the past 10 years to cater to the “less hardcore” fighters. Here’s a nice review. I’ve heard people say velcro Reyes has poor wrist support (wrists have a lot of mobility), but do keep in mind that is probably relative to LACED gloves.

Cleto Reyes Hybrid Training Gloves ($160) – hybrid – a newer model that has laces AND velcro strap. Best of both worlds in theory but I secretly feel it’s gonna have the hassle of both laces AND velcro. I’m not sure where they were going with this. First off, the sizing isn’t done in oz’s but in regular clothing sizes like XS/S/M/L. Second, I noticed the shape and size of the glove is much smaller. I wonder if it’s meant for only bagwork or the MMA/Muay Thai market. I’m guessing the gloves are much lighter, probably less padding and less protection overall.

Cleto Reyes Training Gloves with EXTRA PADDING ($165) – now this is a good idea. It’s their regular training glove but re-designed with more padding. Perfect for those who want to train in Reyes quality but want extra protection and less damage done to sparring partners. This ought to be their sparring model. I’ve heard some reviews out say it feels top-heavy and not very weight-balanced because of the extra padding.

Everlast MX – “the Mexican Everlast” ($150-180; avg $165)

Everlast again?! What are they doing here? As I’ve already previously mentioned, Everlast became the joke of the boxing community and was no longer respected. And I’m guessing they started noticing their own decline in brand reputation and felt that it hurt their business. With all the pro fighters choosing to train in the Winning gloves and fight in Reyes gloves, that left Everlast without any credible brand ambassadors. They probably figured the best thing to do for raising brand awareness and brand reputation was to make a better glove that real fighters would actually use. That lead them to the the Everlast MX model. This model is their lone saving grace and the ONLY reason why you should ever buy an Everlast boxing glove.

What makes them different? Well, for one (taking a page from Grant’s strategy), they are made in Mexico instead of wherever their other gloves are made (China, Pakistan). Manufactured for much higher quality and actually used by pro fighters. For those who don’t know, the Everlast MX Pro Fight model is a common alternative to Reyes gloves for professional fighters. It’s filled with a blend of foam and horsehair and known for also being a great puncher’s glove. In fight negotiations where Reyes gloves were not allowed, some fighters tried to sneak by with the Everlast MX Pro Fight gloves.

Some advantages to the Everlast MX line is that they’re a combination of old-school Mexican quality but with a more modern shape. Some people who like Mexican boxing style glove but complained about their thumb design or the shape of the gloves may be appeased with the Everlast MX gloves. I do see some pro fighters not only fighting in Everlast MX gloves but also training in Everlast MX gloves (using the thicker-padded training models). The MX gloves are indeed much higher quality and probably the only thing keeping Everlast’s brand reputation from running down the drain.

It’s too bad the Everlast MX training gloves are still not as padded and do not protect your hands as well as the other brands. They do a relatively OK job, but they are not the best. I hear many fighters wouldn’t throw 100% power at the heavy bag with these gloves on, and also that they are too hard to spar with. Do note that the Everlast MX Pro Fight model is the only model that’s foam & horsehair. The training models are fully cushioned with foam. I do wish the quality was still higher because I keep hearing reports about loose threads on new gloves. I want to give Everlast the benefit of the doubt but I can’t. The other thing is that I wonder how many fighters are using Everlast in training simply because they’re being paid to do so.

Many people who like these gloves probably do so because of their looks, quality and comfort, and are willing to overlook the OK-but-not-great padding. For the price you pay, I would say Reyes is still the better deal and better glove but the Everlast MX is definitely not a Mexican clone and deserves to be considered as a unique glove.

Additional thoughts on Everlast:

• Everlast trying to stay relevant – Forbes.com
• Some people claim Everlast MX good but still only used because they pay fighters to use them.
• Back story and aftermath over the use of Everlast MX Pro Fight gloves during the Mayweather/Maidana fight – Boxingscene.com
• Default Maidana’s Gloves Controversy: Everlast PowerLock
• Everlast Pro MX banned in the UK – Boxingscene.com
• There are debates about their Powerlock line. Whether or not they perform well, it’s known that their construction quality sucks.

Everlast MX Training Boxing Gloves ($179) – this is a BEAUTIFUL GLOVE high quality glove! Very sexy. It has the authentic old school boxing design, hall marks of the Mexican glove design (in the textured leather), and also a kind of modernized look. It’s very tasteful and the design speaks to the quality of the leather as you can see that they don’t try to put crazy patterns or colors so that you can actually appreciate the quality of the leather. Very authentic, classy, and smells great. I’ve heard these are said to be somewhat similar to Grant in shape and feel. Very comfortable but unfortunately still not very good protection, and not the best construction quality (relatively speaking). I agree with this Youtube video review. See it up close.

Everlast MX Hook & Loop Training Gloves ($179) – here’s the no-fun version of the MX training glove in velcro. Laces looks better and has better wrist support.

Everlast MX Professional Fight Boxing Gloves ($150) – the alternative “puncher’s glove” for professional fighting! Fighters who can’t use Reyes (because of negotiation problems) and don’t want Grant, will probably choose this model for it’s high power-transferring abilities. It’s only available in 8oz or 10oz, and has horsehair in it so you can’t train in this.

Rival – “the Canadian Techie” ($50-160; avg $120)

Rival looked like a cool crazy brand when I first heard of them. Back in 2004 when I started boxing, the boxing gloves you saw in the gym were mostly something like….cheap $40 gloves from TitleBoxing, Everlast junk, unknown kickboxing company gloves, or mid-level $85 Ringside, or high-end Grant, or Reyes ($150) or ultra-premium Winning ($250). Pretty much all the brands you saw in the gym were either American or Mexican and they looked the part—simple, no-nonsense design, tough-looking gloves. Rival boxing gloves at the time cost around $80 but they didn’t look like anything we were familiar with (too fancy-looking) and so we didn’t know whether they were dressed-up overpriced junk or the real goods.

The other problem was that Rival wasn’t readily found in boxing stores. I believe only TitleBoxing (the online store) sold Rival at the time. There were only a few Rival models available and they were sandwiched in between all the other familiar big names. $80 being a lot for a glove at the time, nobody took the risk buying it online unless it was a proven winner like Ringside. Fighters care about a glove’s reputation.

So imagine that you were used to seeing a traditional-looking classic American or Mexican boxing glove, and one day, in steps this crazy looking glove with diagonal lines and colors going everywhere. Rival SEEMED like it was a wannabe cool brand. And so nobody bought it because it looked like it was trying too hard to be premium. And sure enough, the only guys who DID buy it were the beginners. To be a beginner kid boxer walking in with an $80 glove made you look like you were just some rich kid trying to be cool.

And so years passed while nobody had ever tried a Rival boxing glove. It was STILL that one glove company you saw online at TitleBoxing.com but never bought. Some people bought Rival boxing shoes, some people bought Rival focus mitts, but nobody dared to buy Rival boxing gloves. For whatever reason, it was still too much of a social risk. Besides, American brands were still good enough at the time and so nobody had the desire to venture away from their favorite brands.

In 2010, I lived in Canada for about 3 months, step into a boxing gym there and I see Rival gloves EVERYWHERE. I finally realized, “OHHHHHHH….they’re a Canadian company!” I already knew that but to see it in person, you truly understand it. I also saw other brands there for the first time too, like TOP TEN. So how did it go? Oh man, I loved Rival gear. Their headgear became one of my favorites of all time. So ergonomic and form-fitting to my head (whereas other headgear felt like either wearing a box on my head or suffocating my face with pillows). I didn’t know I could spar that comfortably and I swear their headgear alone probably improved my fighting ability by 10% in the ring.

Their gloves were really comfortable and really high quality. You feel like the gloves were made to fit a human hand, not a robot hand—the gloves conformed to the shape of your hand bending perfectly with your fist (whereas other brands felt like a stiff pillow duct-taped to your hands). And they feel great to punch in; no hand pain!

When I came back to the US, Rival seemed to have fallen in favor perfectly with the trends at the time. The American brands were getting worse and worse, MMA brands were getting people used to seeing aggressively-designed gloves, and people were willing to pay more for boxing gloves now. I think what helped push people over the fence to try Rival was their adoption of the new “d3o Intelli-Shock technology”, a new cushioning technology that supposedly protected your hands (gloves) and head (headgear) better than traditional cushioning. Whether or not the new cushioning actually worked didn’t matter, it was that customers could see an ACTUALLY NEW FEATURE in boxing gear that previously didn’t exist. For the average consumer who was sick of seeing the same Pakistan clones, to see a new feature was incredibly refreshing.

I was telling people how much I loved their products but it didn’t matter anyway. You were starting to see more Rival stuff in the states and growing respect for the brand. With many notable pros were using Rival in sparring and even fights, their aggressive designs were no longer seen as being “too much”. Rival became a cool alternative brand that was known for being high quality, very comfortable, innovative and definitely worth trying if you didn’t like your existing old-school brands. I’m really glad that they’re growing in popularity because they deserve it. They’ve actually created new products and new technology for boxing and they actually MAKE THEIR OWN BOXING GLOVE! Which is more than I can say for 99% of the other companies out there. What we need is more innovation, not imitation.

Additional thoughts about Rival:

• I love that their boxing gloves are separated between “bag gloves” and “sparring gloves”. I don’t like when boxing companies promote all-purpose “training gloves” meant for both hitting the bag and sparring. Either a glove has dense-foam that’s meant for bagwork, or soft foam for hitting a sparring opponent. There is no shouldn’t be any in-between.
• Rival is really innovative, creating many new boxing equipment designs and technologies for better padding and support. Their trademarked 15-degree cuff design is a big part of what makes the glove feel so form-fitting to your hand (keep in mind, not EVERYONE likes it). The special d3o padding in their gloves and headgear is what helps absorb the shock.
• Rival is the absolute most comfortable, most ergonomically-designed brand. Also the easiest to make a fist, IMO. Other gloves can feel just as good but may require a longer break-in time.
• Rival gloves can run small or lighter. For example, if you want a true 16oz glove, you might have to order 18oz or “L” or even “XL”.
• Their high-end models made with “microfiber” are supposedly more durable than leather, although requiring more break-in time. But then again, many people say the gloves felt comfortable right away. I still prefer leather over non-leather and can’t argue with those who feel Rival is cheating us out of leather. From what I’ve seen, Rival is as long-lasting as any other quality brand. Many people have attested that despite preferring leather, Rival’s outer-layer durability has been perfect. I’ve yet to hear of Rival boxing gloves tearing quickly. Many have been willing to pay extra for real leather but I’m guessing Rival simply can’t do it because their manufacturing is in China, and the leather industry is in Pakistan. I figure it’s cheaper for them to produce high quality synthetic leather than to import high quality leather.
• Interestingly enough, their boxing gloves are made in China. I’ll just have to presume that China CAN produce quality goods as long as the quality is specified and overseen. The iPhone is made in China and that’s a premium product right there. Rival is considered to be on par with the quality of Reyes, and perhaps even a little better. I also feel being made in China somewhat protects them from having their designs copied by the other brands (who are made in Pakistan).
• They have a junk/clone line as well. Ignore the lower-end models. Be wary of anything that doesn’t have their 15-degree cuff design or isn’t real leather.

Rival RS100 Professional Sparring Gloves ($179) – a beautiful new model intended to supersede it’s predecessor the RS1 pro sparring gloves, which I’ve heard were out for over 10 years. If it’s anything like the former model, it will be nothing less than amazing. It looks absolutely amazing, comes in 4 sexy color variations. High quality, great comfort, great padding. Again, this isn’t real leather but supposedly a high-grade synthetic material that’s supposed to outlast real leather (hmmmm). The only thing keeping me from putting them in my top 5 is that I haven’t tried it myself yet.

Rival RB10 Intelli-Shock Bag Gloves ($159) – this glove right here is what makes Rival such a high-tech company in boxing. If Winning was a Ferrari, this thing is a very solid Audi. Sexy, streamlined, performs like a beast. Looks and feels great. Super comfortable, high quality, and great support. It uses their own specially-patented d3o padding. Everyone that has this glove falls in love with it and swear it’s the best thing ever (aside from Winning, of course). Do note that their bag gloves are sized by dimensions S/M/L instead of weight 12oz/14oz/16oz. I hear their heaviest XL size only weighs about 13oz. I would look at the sizing chart and then pick whichever size you want. Click on the link to see all the sexy pictures. It’s actually non-leather and uses mesh, but still very durable. Definitely NOT for sparring. NOTE: the newer version that came out in 2017 says “WristLock2” on the wrist, whereas the old version (pictured above) says “ErgoStrap System”.

Rival RB11 Evolution Bag Gloves ($109) – not their top bag model but still a VERY good bag glove. Very high quality, super comfortable, with excellent support. Many fighters swear this is their favorite glove as well. They love the way it looks as well as the way it feels when they hit the bag. You feel powerful, nice solid pop. Beware, I’ve heard of some people loving everything about the glove except for the thumb not having a lot of room. This thumb design seems to be an issue with the Evolution Sparring glove model as well.

Rival RS1 Pro Sparring Gloves ($139) – advertised as “THE STANDARD IN SPARRING GLOVES” and I’d have to agree. Back when I only saw Rival online but never in person, it was this model that stood out with the distinct “X” lace-tracks on the wrist. The photo makes it looks some what like a toy or CGI, kind of plastic-ey and fake. But that perception changed when I saw it in real life. It’s a beautiful glove and the very first pair of Rival I ever put on. The funny thing is it was an old really beat up one, but you could tell it was a great glove by how well it was still holding together. It look like it had the life beaten out of it and yet was still intact and protective. I was visiting a gym in Canada so I put these on and MY OH MY, they are COMFORTABLE! Like wow, mannnnn….it was like slipping your hands into a Lamborghini backseat. If I had my eyes closed, I would have thought they were custom-made gloves just for me. And even though this model was completely worn out, I used it for everything. Sparring AND hitting the heavy bag 100% with it. (Even people who don’t like Rival still admit the padding is amazing.) It felt amazing and converted me into a Rival fan for life. I’ll never overlook an over-designed glove again. The Rival hype is real! (NOTE: for those wondering if the cuff is too small to offer blocking support, I can tell you that I was worried about the same and didn’t even notice.)

Rival RS11V Evolution Sparring Gloves ($129) – the sparring version of the Evolution series, with extra thick foam so you don’t hurt your sparring partners. Again, while this glove isn’t their top sparring model, it is STILL a very high quality glove. Those who have it claim it could have easily sold for twice as much. The materials and design is perfect, it feels great and performs well. Their are some slight drawbacks that may or may not matter to you. There are reports that the glove is relatively compact, a 16oz model might weigh in at 14oz, it’s definitely smaller. The second is that it can still transfer a lot of power, so you CAN use this as an all-around glove and even hit the bag with it…but for sparring, you’ll want a bigger/softer model for your opponent’s sake. Another thing some people complain about is the inside lining being abrasive whereas some others didn’t notice. And lastly, the glove is considered small (with the smaller thumb issue as well) and snug-fitting so you might care if your hands are bigger. With that said, some reviewers would have given this a 10 out of 10 score if Winning didn’t exist. That’s still a perfect score if you ask me.

Rival RSV2 Pro Sparring Gloves ($119) – everyone that has them says, “THEY’RE AMAZING! AWESOME! I LOVE THEM!” Super comfortable, great fit. They love the ergonomic wrist support. People love the real leather and the way it looks. Feel amazing on the hands. Very flexible and super easy to make a fist. Very durable and long-lasting. Some people say they can feel the different in the padding quality simply by blocking punches. I have heard some complaints that the small double-straps can be a pain to take off and you might still need another person to help you. There’s truth to it but I personally didn’t mind…then again, I’m the guy who prefers laces over velcro. I think if you want real wrist support, an extra 5 seconds of hassle shouldn’t be a big deal. I much prefer a super high-tech ergonomic wrist strap to a cheap clone glove strap.

Rival RSV10V Optima Sparring Gloves ($109) – this is three or four spots away from their top model and STILL, there are positive reviews comparing the build quality to a sports car. A testament to Rival’s quality. While the glove has been praised for great padding and wrist support, some people complained the velcro didn’t last as long.

Rival RFX Guerrero Pro Fight Gloves ($199) – their pro fight glove made with horsehair, available in 8oz or 10oz. They’re commonly used by professional boxers in Canada, as well as some Americans who are sponsored by Rival. They’re sold as “puncher’s gloves” but I wouldn’t have any experience to validate or rebut that claim.

Necalli (formerly Casanova) – “the forgotten Mexican” ($150-175; avg $160)

Casanova boxing gloves were completely out of my awareness until about 3 years ago when a company representative reached out to me with a free pair of gloves for review. I really wasn’t in the mood after having received tons of mediocre gear from different companies all using the same Pakistan clones. I couldn’t have cared any less about ANOTHER new fight gear company claiming to have invented an awesome new boxing glove.

Except only, Casanova boxing gloves weren’t new. There was nothing innovative or high-tech about them. No new features promised and no wild claims about them being better than all other gloves. Their gloves were simply made old school style with old school quality. And they weren’t an American company that just started business. Needless to say, she had my complete attention. Hahaha, I had never been so excited about a product that was so not re-invented.

When the gloves arrived in the mail, I tore open the package and noticed a strong leather smell immediately. They looked so beautifully ugly. The shape was boxy and very non-ergonomic-looking, like a glove from the medieval times had time-travelled to present day. The leather was nice and textured with wrinkles and aesthetic imperfections. (Many of the cheaper gloves will use a thinner leather so that it wraps smoothly around the glove.) Sticking my bare hand inside the glove felt like I was wearing a shoebox over my hands. The padding felt supportive although a little lumpy. The logo instead of being a colorful plastic tag, was a simple monochrome text printed on a piece of fabric— which actually looks more high quality to me. Everything about the glove felt old school. And now it was time to try it.

From the very first punch I threw at the heavy bag, I knew I had a winner. My hands had never felt so good hitting the heavy bag. My hands aren’t as indestructible as they used to be and it had been a while since I could throw punches with full force at the heavy bag. A pair of 16oz Casanova gloves felt better than EVERY other glove out there (including even 18oz or 20oz gloves in other brands). In case you’re wondering, I would say Winning is still better padded but Casanova is also very nice! At the time, Winning and Casanova were the only glove brands I could punch with maximum power without feeling hand pain or soreness.

I loved these gloves so much. Honestly, I think their secret is in the shape of the glove. Sure, the gloves are made with quality materials and put together properly but I think a lot of it has do with the shape. Given all things equal (quality of materials, type of padding used), the shape alone can determine how your hand will be supported when your punch lands. The shape alone determines what shape your hand will be in at the moment of impact. A better constructed glove will impact your knuckles in and wrist in a better way. I think older gloves were designed more for the way they felt and newer gloves were designed more for looking pretty (especially the cheaper models).

Now, are you ready for the next most impressive feature about Casanova boxing gloves? They are were only $140. THIS IS A STEAL! They only have one model, and depending on what features or colors you want, they range anywhere from $125-150. But that’s it, ONE MODEL. And that’s how a quality boxing glove company should be—one model only, not different models targeted at different customer segments. For the cost of $140, Casanova pretty much beats almost every other boxing glove out there from $200 and down.

Some of you may have caught on to the realization that Mexico is where quality boxing gloves are made, and are wondering how Casanova holds up against other Mexican boxing brands. I have not tried them all but I do hear that many of them are still made with the same great old school quality, rugged and long-lasting. Of the famous ones, I would say Reyes got big, started to become mass-produced, and dropped in quality compared to the other Mexican brands.

The rep explained that Casanova gloves used to be very popular back in the day and was used by many famous world champions. Their reputation fell as a combination of the original owner, great trainer Arturo “Curo” Hernandez passing away and their gloves being banned from professional fights in the US (for not having attached thumbs). The thumbs are not usually attached in Mexico, and they aren’t concerned about unattached thumbs potentially poking out an opponent’s eyes; but this has since been rectified. A former worker (and his family who took over the business) did a great job to maintain the same production quality of the gloves but was not well-versed in modern-day marketing methods. Despite the lack of an online presence and with many new brands showing up in the market, Casanova continues to sell worldwide among many fighters and is still well-known in Mexico. They are still a small company today but with a few design improvements and now a website presence, they hope to regain the popularity they once had.

Additional thoughts on Casanova:

• Casanova gloves have a wide pocket and are a good option for those who like Reyes but want a little more room for their hands. Excellent wrist support. Probably my favorite thing about them!
• Casanova gloves do have a stiff feeling when you first put them on but will break in and feel comfortable rather within a week or two of regular training. Rest assured, their quality is high; I think they’ve even gone up since I’ve reviewed as the newer models seem to have better stitching. Great leather, great latex foam padding, and well constructed in a small factory run by one family.
• I personally think they fell out of popularity because of the ban for unattached thumb, low padding in the professional fight glove model, old school boxy shape, poor marketing and with so many new brands showing up in the market with flashier designs.
• I will be releasing my in-depth review on these gloves soon!
• Old story on Casanova being banned for being too thin – BoxingScene.com
• Beware of the FRAUDS running under the name “Casanova Sports” (www.casanovasports.com), these are not real Casanova gloves! They are made in Pakistan and NOT Mexico! There’s a lawsuit out against them because these jerks went out and tried to trademark the Casanova logo. They’ve released some poorly-made gloves with a similar looking logo and pissing off many customers on Amazon. Beware!

Necalli ORIGINAL Sparring/Training Boxing Gloves ($160) – they’ve got one model for sparring/training and that’s it. Super high quality, well-made. Want to know all the special features? Here you go: “Hand made top grain cow leather,  latex foam, attached thumbs, lace-up, wide pocket, extra forearm coverage, superb wrist support and protection. Made in Mexico with Mexican leather.” THAT’S IT! No “space-engineered microfiber leather” and “Megatron 2.4 V-tech breathable mesh” and other marketing gimmicks. It’s MADE IN MEXICO…enough said!

It’s a great glove, trust me and buy it. It’s ugly as hell and honestly, that makes it even more beautiful to me. Some nostalgia is awakened when you put on a pair of Casanova’s. Feels like you’re putting your hand inside a piece of history. How on earth does it offer the amazing wrist support that it does? The representative explained it’s a combination of the padding and the way the glove is constructed. From hitting the bag, I honestly have no idea what it is. The glove simply absorbs the shock amazingly well. Something is securing my hand and giving me a solid punch while offering full support.

Necalli Sparring/Training Hybrid Boxing Gloves ($160) – this is the “hybrid” version featuring laces AND a velcro strap. It’s a recent addition they added within the past 5 years or so, I think. Previously…all they had was just that one all-purpose model.

Necalli Sparring/Training Hook & Loop Velcro Gloves ($160) – they’ve finally succumbed and made a velcro version. This is a new model and recent addition for the brand.

GIL (formerly Zepol) – “the sexy Mexican” ($150-170; avg $150)

Zepol is one of the major boxing equipment brands in Mexico (I’m guessing) for at least a while. I didn’t hear of them about them until maybe 2015 and didn’t get to try them until late 2018. They’re known for their small/narrow fist shape (even narrower than Cleto Reyes), sexy sleek design, nice leather, ribbon laces (very distinct), comfort, and high quality craftsmanship. Up until I tried them for myself, Zepol seemed like a smaller craft brand that was beloved by the fighters that owned them but seldom-seen by anybody else.

There was also the confusion about WHO was behind Zepol. The best Zepol gloves were made by its original maker, whom the internet likes to refer to as “Zepol father”. The lesser-quality Zepol gloves were made by the son, referred to as “Zepol son”. I’m guessing the son decided to to open up his own shop elsewhere to bank off the family name, but never fully learned how to make them exactly like his father. There were even internet articles and forum posts to help detect between gloves made by Zepol father vs gloves made by Zepol son. But all that came to a stop when Zepol father (the original Zepol) passed away in May 2017. As you can expect, many people were worried about losing Zepol father’s quality touch forever…but never to fear…there is now “Zepol STEPSON” to the rescue!

For those not in the know, Zepol stepson, is a man with the family surname “Gil” that used to work for Zepol father and continues to create gloves in the same manner as Zepol father. He has since started his own brand “GIL” and for that reason I cover the GIL brand and no longer the old “Zepol” brand. I’m not sure if the old Zepol brand is still operating and being carried on by Zepol son.

I have to say that I fell in love with the GIL gloves right away when I first opened the shipping box. Their online pictures don’t do them any justice whatsoever. They are VERY SEXY! And like a RETRO-SEXY, mind you. They don’t look modern by any means…more like MID-CENTURY MODERN, hahah. They still look like they were made 50 years ago, old school boxey/squarish shape, like they came from the same era as all the old school Mexican gloves…but you could tell in terms of design, their original maker was way ahead of his time and modernized the look of his glove. In the decades when everyone was making ugly box gloves, he created a very sleek sexy box that was beautiful to look at and very comfortable. The corners are stylishly rounded and every little detail and corner of the glove was neatly tucked into place. The handwork is top-notch.

The leather is undoubtedly Mexican; strong with rich texture. GIL leather has a cleaner/less-chemical smell than most other Mexican gloves but this might also be because these were stock colors and not custom colors. The stitching is super-perfect and quite beautiful to look at. Compared to the online images of the original Zepol gloves, I actually think the step-son made them in better quality and attention to details than the father did. I don’t know what it is but I love the sleekness of the palm-side of the gloves. It’s probably because he used slim padding on the wrist area instead of bulging cotton. The ribbon laces are a very stylish (and distinct) touch of Zepol. The rolled piping is also very tightly packed and neatly done; other brands can look uneven.

The padding is indeed stiff like other Mexican brands. I don’t know who said Zepol was soft or even “too soft” but I sure as hell didn’t feel that way about them. The padding is not only DENSE (especially by Pakistan standards) but also SPRINGY instead of SPONGY. For me, “spongy” is when the padding actually absorbs impact and compresses. Springy is kind of the opposite, it somewhat absorbs impact but mainly it rejects the energy and pushes your fist back out when you punch. I imagine some people might prefer the “springy” feel but I did not. It felt like my fists couldn’t impact the bag squarely unless I punched super hard. The gloves are still a lot of fun to use but I’m not sure if it’s due to novelty or because I actually like the feel. For sure, I felt they did not offer me enough protection to throw 100%. The padding needed to be a little thicker and a little softer, or at least feel that way. Instead, it felt like the padding was really thin but bounced off a little too early upon impact. If you don’t have hand problems like me, you will be just fine with these; many people do love these gloves. I also disagree with the notion that they are soft enough for sparring (which others have claimed about Zepol in the past).

The only thing left to talk about is comfort. The gloves are comfortable from a Mexican standpoint in that your hands can get in there and make a strong supported fist. But yes, the padding is a little stiff. If you care, the inside lining covers everything except your fingertips (which feels the inside of the rough leather; its not a big deal!) but the thing is the lining is thin on the padding and you feel some rough lining texture on the back of your hand through the lining (mostly covered with wraps anyway). It’s not a big deal…I still love the old school-ness of it all and didn’t mind using them like this.

Additional thoughts about GIL:

• Again, these gloves are really sexy and I’m not fooled by my own bias, by the way! I’m fully aware  I love these gloves so much is because of their looks. But still, you will not regret it! Hahahah, you’ll love these as soon as you get a pair. They’re fine for casual bagwork as long as you’re not a fragile-handed power-puncher like me.
• This is the first boxing glove I have ever tried with this unique SPRINGY feel. When I tap my fingers on the knuckle area of the padding, it almost sounds and feels like I’m dribbling a basketball…whereas other gloves feel like a typical soft cushion wrapped in leather (like a leather carseat!). It’s definitely more of a RUBBER cushion rather than SPONGE cushion.
• You can get them customized! Woohoo! I got the classic 2-tone (black on the back side and salmon on the front-side) and that alone was really sexy already. These gloves are so tastefully designed, you don’t have to go crazy with the colors for them to pop. I would actually recommend staying with 2-tone (avoiding split-thumb & split-palm) to show off their clean lines and leather texture. The laces are really nice, too. Again…they’re already so sleek because of the shape, so you probably don’t want to distract from that.
• Small and narrow fist shape (even narrower than Reyes), but actually still a big glove and comfortably fit/secure both small and big hands. When I measured them against Casanova gloves, their profile from certain angles were actually bigger!
• Very sexy design (some say the best-designed of the Mexican brands although they do have a squarish flat boxy look),
• They might have previously been said to be “extremely soft and comfortable (best fit of all the brands)” but I disagree. They’re more of a typical stiff feel that you find in Mexican gloves. The thumb pocket is comfortable in like a rigid/secure kind of way rather than soft/cushion kind of way.
• Things people have said although I don’t agree with all: nice thick leather (softer than Classics and also a distinct real “country” leather smell), and 100% natural latex padding. Good wrist support (despite having more wrist space). Construction quality is said to be a clear step down from Reyes (eh, I’m not sure about that). Has customization options like JC Pacheco but arrives feeling broken in and can be sparred with right away (JC is stiff). Probably better as a sparring glove than bag glove.
• Very common for pro boxers in Mexico. The Zepol gloves made by the father are better than the ones made by the son (I don’t know how to tell). People favor them over JC (for softness, nice ribbon laces, and quality) and over Reyes (softness, comfort), but Reyes still better overall. The only drawbacks about Zepol via personal preferences would be for feeling too soft and spongey (some prefer a glove with more bounce/feedback), less wrist support than other brands (although cuff is still longer than typical Ringside/Title gloves), inside lining doesn’t go all the way up so your fingertips are feeling the leather (rough feeling but not detrimental to comfort), and squarish look. Fighters love their Zepol. I wonder if the name Zepol is the reverse of the common Mexican name “Lopez”. Compared to 2001 model Reyes, and another Reyes.
• ***EDIT 5-5-17: I’ve come to learn that Zepol (father) has passed away only a week ago. Very unfortunate news. RIP. His son-in-law who makes gloves in a similar manner has started a new company called Professional GIL.
• I’m aware that GIL is not ZEPOL. They are 2 different companies. But unfortunately, it seems the Zepol line has discontinued and Gil is readily available as its successor.

GIL Boxing Training Gloves laces 16oz ($149) – laces model in BLACK/SALMON color. This pair is exactly the one I have and so freaken beautiful. Their vintage photography doesn’t do it any justice. They look so much better in person and I’ll upload my own photos when I release my detailed GIL gloves review. Like I said before: stiff/springy padding. Good for heavy bag and not for sparring. Boxey shape with a long cuff. They have a box shape but more sleek and streamlined, and while the shape is compact, the gloves can fit any hand size…it’s not tight in there. The thumb is stiff/tight but not a a problem by any means. I do feel like this padding will last long. And of course, the leather is very nice/sturdy. Good stitching as well.

GIL Boxing Training Gloves velcro 16oz ($169) – hahaha, Mexican gloves always got those interesting color combinations. I love it. Here is their sexy “hook & loop” velcro model in GREY/SEAFOAM-GREEN. You’re sure to be noticed in every gym; I get looks all the time with my Mexican gloves. You should really check out all their other color combinations as well. What can I say? Mexicans have a colorful culture.

GIL Boxing Training Gloves hybrid 16oz ($164) – and now for the ultimate test in glove aesthetics…will the gloves design be strong enough to be to stand out with only one color. GIL scores another winner being completely eye-catching in solid bronze. What a delicious chocolatey color! I love how Mexican gloves offer hybrid models. It allows you to train alone OR have full support. I would probably try to get this exact model for my next pair of GIL gloves.

The “OTHER Mexicans” – Boxeo, Campeon, Casanova, Classics, JC Pacheco, Morales, Seyer, GIL (formerly Zepol), Palomares  ($50-150; $130)

I think part of what makes Mexican gloves a cult-favorite is because of their old school appeal. It’s a bit of nostalgia wearing the same gloves as what the old-timers used to wear, and they also happen to be very high quality and extremely comfortable. You feel like you’re wearing a custom artisan glove made by a local craftsman compared to the factory mass-produced gloves made by the big corporations. The Mexican brands are also popular for their boutique “customization” options. It’s fun to order different colors and have a completely unique glove from what everybody else is wearing in the gym. Once you get your first custom color combination, you get addicted to ordering more. And hey guess what, the faster you wear out your gloves, the faster you can justify buying a new color combination. What a great way to motivate yourself to train, right?

2018 EDIT: due to the recent trend in Mexican glove customization, many American (Pakistan-made) brands are now offering customization. Rival, Adidas, Sting, and also new Pakistan pop-up companies everywhere offering glove customization.

2 reasons why Mexican boxing gloves are popular today:
1) Old school quality
2) Custom color options

Because Reyes is considered the standard in Mexican boxing gloves and Grant being the standard PREMIUM Mexican-American glove, most people will review other Mexican brands in comparison to Reyes and Grant (NOTE: the comments below are what I seen and heard in forums, not purely my own opinions):

• Boxeo – really primitive “ugly” boxy look but fine gloves, very high quality materials, comfortable, really protective and great padding in knuckle and wrist area (as soft as Zepol and Campeon), and long-lasting (will definitely outlast most gloves). Big pocket with more hand space than other brands; some complain that it’s too big (and will wear knuckle guards and/or extra wraps to take up the space), but some say it’s tight. You’ll notice the quality and different smell of the goat leather right away; the way it smells will make you a Boxeo addict. The biggest drawback is the lining. The way the gloves are shaped really helps you get perfect technique when hitting the mitts and bags. Nacho Beristain used this brand a lot in his gym. Video of Erik Morales sparring in Boxeo gloves. One of the few brands to still put welted seams (I think). Forum review of someone giving them a 10 out of 10, another says it’s easily the best glove for sparring and overall constructional quality, definitely “better than Zepol“, another vs Zepol, and vs Grant. Great for sparring AND bagwork. “Ugly but the closest to Mexican Winnings“. I hear they actually do custom work. WARNING: some people say they got a crappy Boxeo pair and that the brand is inconsistent.
• Campeon – narrower than Reyes (about same as Zepol), also made in goat leather (better leather quality than JC), not made as well as before, but still very comfortable and good craftsmanship. Very thick wrist padding (more than JC and Zepol) and tighter wrist area than Zepol (more support), longer finger compartment, comes with good laces. Campeon is really hard to bend the wrists; you may prefer Boxeo if you like to clinch a lot. Has an ugly boxy look externally (but actually fits tight—good for smaller hands), and gloves can sometimes look lopsided or uneven (but it doesn’t affect performance). Great for bagwork because of the support and also good for sparring because of the soft knuckle padding. Some say it’s the best Mexican glove (here’s another fan). Compared with Boxeo. The makers of Campeon and Casanova (nowadays) used to worked together for the original Casanova, so their style and design are very similar.  I personally feel the uneven look can be kind of charming and have more of a handmade appeal whereas others feel it looks unprofessional and amateurish. Apparently, they CAN do customizations but can’t do split thumb or split palm color customizations like JC/Zepol.
• Casanova – already reviewed but in comparison to other brands…it’s a great brand with a lot of history, high quality and known for its great wrist protection, great knuckle padding, and excellent comfort. The best wrist support, on par with any other glove out there (including Winning) if not better. Favored over Reyes by some folks and cheaper price. Has a very wide pocket compared to other Mexican brands that try to be small and compact “puncher’s gloves” like Reyes. I have somewhat smaller hands/wrist and it still fits me perfectly. Definitely one of the “uglier” Mexican gloves, too. I own a pair and absolutely love them. I’ve never been hit by them in sparring but they would make a great bag glove if you find them too stiff for sparring.
• Classics – they are actually made by the son of the original Zepol creator. He went and started his own brand immediately. For that reason, you may have noticed that the old Classics were often compared to Zepol. The newer models are better than the old models, higher quality than Zepol (and thicker leather than Zepol). Great gloves, great craftsmanship (close to Reyes), excellent stitching, thick leather, very good protection, comfortable thumb, thick palm padding, cast-like wrist support. They’ve been around for almost 20 years, well-known and highly-regarded in Mexico locally as well as here by some folks in the states. It seems their brand is getting better and better.
• Cleto Reyes – best-constructed, and most modern-looking gloves from Mexico. Great leather quality, better than Winning (then again, most quality Mexican leathers are better than Winning leather anyway), best lining, best stitching (looks perfect), and comfortable. Their padding does get softer when they break in and can be used for sparring. Many complaints about the thumb position. Those who like Reyes like them for their craftsmanship and leather. Despite the high quality and nice style, fighters may choose against Reyes because of there isn’t enough cushion, or they don’t like the hand fit or thumb fit (some people even cut the thumb attachment). Reyes may be the best-made but they aren’t for everyone. Some say the MEXICAN version of Reyes is much better than the US-market version. Reyes might offer customization depending on how many gloves you’re ordering (at least 15-20) but their customization is limited in comparison and the gloves still look mass-produced anyway. Photos next to JC & Rival.
• JC Pacheco ($150) – really nicely-designed gloves with a modern-shape and lots of sexy customization options. Great knuckle protection and wrist support, narrow snug fit (fit like a glove), used to have nice thick leather (looked better than Reyes) but now using cheaper leather, use to be good construction quality slightly behind Reyes and Seyer but now probably behind other Mexican brands as well. Good padding (densest/stiffest of all the Mexican brands) but too stiff for sparring; needs some time to break in for regular use. Shouldn’t be used for sparring until maybe at least 50 hours bagwork (but some people say they stay stiff or actually get worse when broken in). Seem lighter than Grant. Some people will pick JC Pacheco over Seyer as a Grant alternative because the logo has a better aesthetic, especially when designed with customized color options. Some people like JC Pacheco’s thumb position over Reyes. Some people will pick JC Pacheco over Zepol because they might have better leather for certain custom colors. (Mexican leather quality and color availability can vary at different times.) BEWARE: there have been complaints regarding quality control, cheaper leather, paint coming off, lining ripped, delays, etc. (I’m guessing they’re overwhelmed with custom orders like Grant.) Certain things about them make them appear “cheap” to me such as the stiff padding and short laces.
• Morales – this is actually a newer company that started only about 10 years ago. They don’t have a rich tradition but they seem to be a decent product at a premium price. I haven’t heard too much about them and their appearance seems to have more of the newer modern mold look. The glove dealer I know who specializes in Mexican boxing equipment says they’re uncomfortable.
• Palomares – they look like cheaply made, mass-produced gear to me. With many cheaper options using synthetic materials, and modern clone-mold designs.
• Seyer – originally started in 1938 by a family. A dispute between brothers led to a split and formation of Cleto Reyes in 1975. Along with Reyes, Seyer was formerly considered to be among the best-constructed Mexican gloves, very sleek look, with good knuckle protection and wrist support (although their quality has decreased from before). Narrowest fit (even narrower than Reyes), short cuff, stiffer than all the other Mexican brands when new, very protective because of the HIG compressed natural latex padding. Is rumored to be the actual maker of Grant gloves but with Seyer being made with cheaper leather. Because they do look very similar in pictures, many people who can’t afford Grant gloves will instead buy Seyer. Here’s a debased forum review of Seyer compared to Grant. Muhammad Ali used Seyer. Seyer has more protection and is stiffer than Zepol.
• SOLO Boxing – really bad quality, much lower than the other classic Mexican brands. Those wanting quality gloves should try the other brands, not all Mexican-made gloves are made the same.
• Zepol (now continued as “GIL”) – small and narrow fist shape (even narrower than Reyes), very sexy design (some say the best-designed of the Mexican brands although they do have a squarish flat boxy look), extremely soft and comfortable (best fit of all the brands), comfortable thumb pocket, very nice soft leather (softer than Classics and also a distinct real “country” leather smell), and 100% natural latex padding. Good wrist support (despite having more wrist space). Construction quality is a clear step down from Reyes. Has customization options like JC Pacheco but arrives feeling broken in and can be sparred with right away (JC is stiff). Probably better as a sparring glove than bag glove. Very common for pro boxers in Mexico. The Zepol gloves made by the father are better than the ones made by the son (I don’t know how to tell). People favor them over JC (for softness, nice ribbon laces, and quality) and over Reyes (softness, comfort), but Reyes still better overall. The only drawbacks about Zepol via personal preferences would be for feeling too soft and spongey (some prefer a glove with more bounce/feedback), less wrist support than other brands (although cuff is still longer than typical Ringside/Title gloves), inside lining doesn’t go all the way up so your fingertips are feeling the leather (weird feeling but no real world effect), and squarish look. Fighters love their Zepol. I wonder if the name Zepol is the reverse of the common Mexican name “Lopez”. Compared to 2001 model Reyes, and another Reyes. ***EDIT 5-5-17: I’ve learned the original Zepol creator (the “father”) passed away only a week ago. Very unfortunate news. RIP. His son-in-law who makes gloves in a similar manner has started a new company called Professional GIL.

All Mexican boxing gear are made for performance, comfort, and durability. Generally, Mexican leather is better than leather from Pakistan and Thailand, and especially China. Fighters with smaller hands may prefer the fit of Zepol, Seyer, and JC Pacheco. Zepol and Boxeo have the softest leather and natural latex padding, and also made to last. Reyes and JC Pacheco have the best velcro closure straps. You’ll love Zepol if you want softer gloves than Grant, but Seyer is better if you like stiffer boxing gloves. Some people like the feel of a wide glove because of the extra space and personal fit to their hand. Others prefer a tighter narrower fit, and don’t mind the extra break-in time. You have to try it to see for yourself. I personally thought I would never like a wide boxy looking glove like Casanova but I was wrong. It’s so comfortable and feels so good, you learn to like that shape.

Additional thoughts about other Mexican brands:

• Comparison chart of the Mexican brands. A little outdated, as more of them offer customization now and quality may have changed.
• Many pros in Mexico use Winning because of higher protection and also the status. Trainers and gym owners prefer Zepol, Boxeo, Campeon, Casanova for their durability. I would guess Boxeo/Campeon/Casanova are lower-priced and have a no-nonsense appeal since they aren’t very fancy looking and not known for customization options. Reyes is also common in Mexico.
• I think there used to be many more Mexican brands from the old days, small local boutique “glove-makers” but they probably disappeared when the original maker passed away. Only a few remained, passing on the tradition and evolved their production process to handle a more globalized boxing market. Different boxing glove brands and their history.
• Winning is still unquestionably better than Mexican gloves in terms of protection. Mexican brands (including Grant) all use latex which slowly loses its ability to recover its shape (getting slimmer/denser) when you hit the bag with it, whereas Winning stays soft and lasts longer in general. Winning can actually be SO SOFT that some fighters don’t like it because it literally feels like you’re punching into a pillow; like there’s no impact feedback and you don’t feel like you’re hitting hard at all. There’s also the matter of era. Quality comparison between old vs new: even a 5-year old heavily beat up Reyes glove from 15 years ago would probably hold up better than a 2-year old Reyes glove now.
• When it comes to the matter of customized boxing gloves, the Mexican brands are a steal. You normally wouldn’t have that option and to be able to get it for $150-200 is amazing considering it’s also a top quality glove. While not all Mexican brands do custom work, they may offer uncommon colors or different color combinations that you wouldn’t find in typical American/European boxing brands. It’s fun to wear those Mexican green or yellow colors when everybody else has the same old red/blue/black. Custom-gear is really addictive; it’s hard to go back to wearing soul-less machine-molded gloves that everyone else has. Some brands are known for offering custom work. Others, you have to ask directly to see what they can and can’t do (buying in quantity does help). You can ask for different colors, inscriptions, different leathers, padding changes, laces, etc. Some guys use this app to play around with possible color combinations.
• Those wanting the closest alternative to a Grant glove shape and quality will go with Seyer (not sure if they offer customization). Those wanting a lot of customization and still a relatively high quality Mexican glove, will go with Zepol and maybe JC Pacheco. Choosing between JC Pacheco vs Zepol will ultimately come down to fit, stiffness, wrist padding, and leather/color availability at the moment. JC Pacheco has stiffer padding overall which could give more knuckle protection and wrist support but needs to be broken in, Zepol has softer padding overall and feels great right away but has a little less wrist support (also feels top heavy because of less wrist padding). Zepol suitable for bagwork but great as a sparring glove, JC great as a bag glove but very unlikely for sparring. Zepol has thinner softer smooth leather (like Winning) whereas JC has thicker rougher textured leather. Both are high quality, it’s a matter of what what texture you like. I noticed many fighters try JC first (because they look more modern and less boxy) but then ultimately prefer Zepol for the softness, comfort, and more consistent quality. Zepol has better thumb position.
• If you don’t care about customization, Boxeo and Campeon are the top favorites for training because of their quality, comfort, and great protection. The brands with the softest foam (good for sparring) and overall construction quality, the order is Boxeo #1, Campeon #2, and Zepol #3…with Zepol being a little denser/harder than the other two, and do keep in mind that there are even people who say Zepol is “too soft” which I disagree with. Boxeo, Campeon, and Reyes padding feels SOFT & SPONGY. Zepol is DENSE & SPONGY. JC Pacheco is just HARD. Grant (older model) is about SEMI-SPONGY, not too hard or soft. SPRINGY has a bouncy feel whereas SPONGY has a compression feel. SPRINGY vs SPONGY will come down to personal preference. If you like using lighter gloves on the heavy bag, Boxeo and Zepol are the top 2 choices in that order. I think Casanova’s padding is softer than Zepol but also thinner so it kinda boils down to how hard you punch. If you’re sparring at 50%, perhaps Casanova is better. But above that, I’d probably pick Zepol.
• Top 3 for wrist support to me are Boxeo, Campeon, and Casanova, in no particular order. If I had to guess, Campeon might be the best since it has the stiffest wrist. I personally have only tried Casanova and it’s the best I’ve tried so far. Then again, some prefer having more wrist flexibility like Zepol.
• Mexican boxing gear can vary in quality from moment to moment. Zepol can be higher quality (or less issues) than Boxeo in one moment and then vice versa another moment. Sometimes a company’s leather, paint, or padding suppliers are delayed and they opt for inferior materials. Those in the know may be able to tell you, “Don’t buy this [brand] right now.” or “Don’t get that option right now, they’re out of their usual supply and the replacement is not as good.”
• Mexican gloves are traditionally made with laces. Their hook-and-loop models may seem like lower quality in comparison since velcro is a recent addition catering to the less-hardcore consumers. Sometimes their velcro models are not even the same quality glove, but a less serious “play glove”. To find a high-quality velcro option for Mexican brands, you should probably stick with HYBRID models that offer both laces and velcro. Some claim hybrid gloves give more support than laces-only models. You can also try lace-converters.
• Custom price is determined by the brand, number of colors (extra for special colors), laces vs velcro/hybrid, and if you want screen printing. Somebody paid $150 for JC Pacheco using 3 colors. Shipping around $30. Mexican brands also do custom headgear, groin protectors and anything else you may need. It’s common for hardcore fighters to order a 3-piece custom set of gloves, headgear, and groin protector. Looks very cool!
• Another advantage of Mexican gloves over other gloves is that their padding and design gives you good punch feedback. This can help improve your punch form since it feels better when you land with your knuckles in the right position, whereas the curve in other gloves can prevent you from landing flat or they produce the same thud and feeling no matter how you land.
• Use leather cleaner & conditioner to preserve your boxing gear. Many people say Obenauf heavy duty LP, made for mountain boots, is the best for hardworking leather.
• “Las Dos Emes” (the “2 M’s), made by the late Manuel Moreno was considered to be the best boxing gloves ever. The makers of Boxeo and Zepol used to work with him. Thoughts about how older Mexican gloves are built, in terms of padding, welted seams, and material. That foam should only be used on the knuckle area vs the wrist area which should be padded with cotton instead of foam (since sweat breaks down the foam).
• Great discussion about custom made Mexican boxing gloves (w/PICTURES), also PART 2 – Sherdog forum
• To buy Mexican gloves, please search online and/or also contact Juan: mexicombate@gmail.com (he now sells his own brand as well as others).
• For some context, you can compare prices in this popular Mexico website: MercadoLibre.com.mx (try searching different brands).

 
Boxeo boxing gloves – photos: custom work, hybrid model, Mexican colors, Pinterest, next to Campeon & Zepol, and including JC.

 
Campeon boxing gloves – photos: all black, more different colors, with Boxeo, JC, and Zepol.

Casanova boxing gloves – shown again for comparison purposes.

 
Classics boxing gloves – they look very similar to Zepol’s boxy shape but are not the same. Photos: black-cream, pink-blue hybrids, red-white-blue, black-red-green, black-red-gold, Mexican colors, crocodile custom.

 
Cleto Reyes – shown again for comparison purposes.

 
JC Pacheco boxing gloves – really beautiful custom work, right? They have so many nice photos out there, like this, and this (other angles). See their Facebook photos. JC next to Fairtex / Winning / Zepol / Reyes. JC can make nice velcro-only models (where others can only do hybrid).

 
Seyer boxing gloves – some of their newer designs have a distinct thumb design. Many say if you compare the old Seyer model to the old Reyes model, you can tell Reyes copied Seyer. Many say Grant also used to look like Seyer but they look quite different now. Photos: old Seyer vs new Seyer.

 
Zepol – they have so many nice photos out there. Please see their photos on Facebook, as well as Google search (different keywords), next to Boxeo & Campeon, with Seyer and JC.

TM Torres Medina – “the underground Mexican” ($125-185; avg $140)

If you’ve been following my reviews of Mexican gloves above, you’ll notice that “Juan” has been the expert (and unofficial distributor) on Mexican boxing gloves. Since having developed trust online through forums and other word-of-mouth means, he’s opened up his own brand using his family name “Torres Medina”. I was lucky enough to be offered a review pair and I can tell you that just like all the others, I warned him beforehand that I would not give his brand any publicity if I didn’t feel it was up to par with the top brands already on the market.

I requested a custom pair, 16oz with metallic colors and custom embroidery. Go big or go home, right? And let me tell you they did not disappoint. They arrived on time, about 4 weeks after I ordered. And right when I opened the box…AHHHHH, that whiff of strong leather smell. The leather was thick. The padding and cushion felt thick, and every corner of the glove seemed to be padded very well. Excellent fist and wrist protection. The inside felt nice and secure as well. Good even stitching all the way around. The first couple punches I threw at the wall felt pretty solid. It looks and feels exactly like a Mexican glove, high quality and with the typical box shape and stiffness.

I’m ecstatic about these gloves. The only thing I wished was to have more time with them so you can expect me to update this review after having beat on them for a couple more months.

Additional thoughts on TM:

• NOTE: TM has recently changed his supplier so I haven’t yet tried his latest models yet but I do trust his judgement and honesty.
• You’re getting the typical Mexican deal here – great quality at a great price. They also have options for more exotic leather if you’re willing to pay $225-275. Metallic colors cost an extra $15 or so. Embroidery or airbrushing cost $17. The options are endless.
• As common with other Mexican boxing gloves, TM gloves are heavier than the listed weight. 16oz gloves can weigh 19oz. Some of you may like this and consider it as extra padding. Others may find it a disadvantage for sparring. Juan explains that in Mexico, the gloves go by size and not so much weight. So 16oz means big and 12oz means small, but they both could weigh the same or even more than that. It’s possible to request exactly 16oz size AND 16oz weight, or even 16oz size but 12oz weight. These are handcrafted so I’m not sure how well they’ve got the science down.
• TM gloves have a more modernized Mexican glove shape – they’re still boxy and stuff but not as boxy as the super old school boxing gloves. They still look authentic and old school though and not like the machine-molded Pakistan gloves. Compared to my Casanovas, the TM looks prettier, still flat and boxy but slightly more rounded-corners. Although I do love the ugliness of my Casanovas as well.
• TM gloves are stiff – will take a bit of break-in time to feel absolutely comfortable. Right out of the box, the 16oz feel quite snug and tight even on my small hands/wrist (unwrapped). If I may dare say such a thing, I would almost not recommend them for bigger guys like 175lb and up or if they have big hands/wrists. My Casanovas have a much bigger pocket and softer more comfortable fit around the hand (despite appearing more boxy). The TM’s may feel like your hand is being suffocated by too much stiff padding. But again, if you’re used to Mexican gloves and like lots and lots of support, then this will probably be the familiar feel you’re looking for.
• Great fist – like other Mexican gloves, TM makes a great fist. You’ll feel like you can hit very VERY hard in these gloves. The gloves make your hand feel like a missile rather than a padded fist. The thumb is sleek and comfortable enough.
• The paint job can be a little imperfect – in the images, the gloves look super perfect like they were made by machine. When you receive them in person, you can clearly see they were made by hand. There will be little blemishes on the paint; with faded or rubbed areas. For me, this is beautiful because it shows it’s handmade character. But for someone else, you might want a manufactured look like with uniform color and consistency throughout every part of the glove. I personally don’t like the “toy glove” look like it came out of a printer.
• TM can make anything, not only gloves – they do mitts, and probably headgear and foul-protectors as well. Alfredo Caballero (the trainer for Juan Francisco “Gallo” Estrada and Miguel Berchelt) is using their mitts.
• Juan, well-known on Sherdog forums as “Technoir” has already some nice initial reviews. – “hold their own against Cleto Reyes” (although I’m not sure I’d go that far). He’s told me that he’s since sourced out better leather so the gloves should be even higher quality now along with several other improvements. I’m really excited for his company.
• Yes, I do think his logo looks like a ripoff of the Floyd Mayweather’s promotional company TMT (The Money Team) brand logo.
• Contact him at: mexicombate@gmail.com

Custom 16oz with metallic and embroidery ($150) – it’s great quality at a great price. I would say it’s hard to find anything of this quality below $200 and to get it as fast as I did. I suppose if you lived in Mexico, you might get it directly for cheaper but $150 for Mexican quality AND customization is a bargain deal in the US.

Another example with custom graphics ($140) – just an example of what he can do. Again, endless colors and customization options. I would have to tell you that the gloves look more “heavy duty” and unique in real life than in the pictures.

Adidas – “the sleek German” ($125-150)

Like Everlast, Adidas also makes a second showing here on this review page simply because of their professional models. Unfortunately, their professional fighting gloves (which only come in small sizes like 8oz/10oz) and their newly released custom models are their only good models. You may be tempted to try other expensive models of Adidas but they are not true quality gloves. They simply have nice designs and should be avoided. The pro models are the only ones I see being used (and only in professional fighting).

I really don’t understand what it is about Adidas. I feel they’re too busy developing products for so many different sports that they can’t really focus on boxing. I really want to like them as I love their clean styling but their boxing gloves, unlike of boxing their shoes and headgear, are really disappointing. Their gloves usually don’t come close to any of the top brands, aren’t innovative at all, and are priced too high in my opinion. I also don’t like that you only find their cheap gear in sports chain stores and department stores across Europe.

Adidas Dynamic Pro Boxing Gloves ($130) – I am not a professional boxer and do not like wearing light gloves but an Adidas distributor insisted on having me review this glove along with some others. After a dismal performance from their other bigger/heavier gloves even as big as 18oz, I tried on a 10oz pair of the Dynamic Pro gloves with absolutely no expectations and was surprisingly blown away by its amount of support. I didn’t even know it was possible to punch full force with a 10oz glove and not hurt but this glove managed to do it.

The foam padding on this is magical. No exaggeration at all: these tiny foam-padded 10oz gloves had more support than their 18oz Adistar model! (Adistar is marketed as their “pro line”, by the way.) I was able to punch full force with no pain whatsoever. The funny thing is they cost almost about the same as well. I’m guessing since this model is a professional fight model, maybe the trade-off is that the padding doesn’t last as long (even though it’s foam). Anyway…the model is included here because I loved it so much. You can find it cheaply online as it’s probably getting discontinued.

Adidas Glory Pro Boxing Gloves ($130) – this is a popular fighting glove used by many pro boxers in Europe. Get what’s it’s stuffed with…HORSEHAIR! Hehehe, it’s Adidas’ “puncher’s glove”. I’ve tried it and hated it from day 1, like, OUCH! I suppose they really are true “puncher’s gloves” because I felt zero support at all whatsoever. Then again, maybe horsehair gloves will pack in better after you break them in with a couple warm-up rounds. This was my first and only experience with a horsehair glove. BLACK & YELLOW color $99.

Adidas MyGloves ($500) – everyone welcome Adidas to the recent “custom-gloves” trend! I’m kind of annoyed that everybody’s jumping in on this but then again, I do appreciate when companies adapt. I do have faith in Adidas (when I know they’re trying) but still holding my tongue on this until I hear more good reviews and even see a pair for myself. Adidas is now officially targeting the high-end category of the boxing gloves market where Winning and Grant sit. I think they’re daring to be even better. Custom-made in the USA (I wonder by whom) to the highest quality standard and every bit of the glove can be customized to your taste.

A – “TOP-level premium” (high-end, boutique, with pro/custom options)

These are the only real hardcore brands. Everyone else is just screwing around trying to make money off the casuals. These brands are what the pros and all the most legitimate boxers use. If you have money and plan to box for a while, I seriously don’t recommend using any less than this grade of gear. Knowing what I know now, I would have been using these brands from day 1. They are expensive and you may pay a premium for them but they are worth it and they protect a very valuable part of your body. I’m telling you now: once you hurt your hands, they pretty much never go back to normal.

Winning – “the Japanese pillows” ($300-500)

Winning gloves are pretty much the gold standard in boxing. You’ve probably heard many things about these gloves: that they are amazing, feel like pillows, made of incredibly high quality, and that the foam has some kind of magical special padding that takes away all your hand pain. It’s all true! The only reason why not everyone uses them is simply because of the price. At a time when regular training gloves cost $50, Winning cost $200+. Today while most training gloves are priced around $100, Winning gloves cost $300-400. And it isn’t only their gloves that are famous, but also their headgear. Winning has the #1 best headgear for boxing. Winning is also considered a status symbol. Wearing winning implies that: 1) you train hardcore so you can’t stand inferior gloves, and also 2) that you have money to pay for this which is a big deal in some countries.

With a price like that, they better deliver, right? Let’s get straight to the facts. Yes, they really do feel like pillows. It’s incredible. Of all the gloves you can put your hands in, Winning gloves will put the least amount of impact on your hand. Unfortunately, they will also transfer the least amount impact to your opponent as well. For that reason, you may have heard of pro boxing negotiation problems where one fighter tried to force another fighter to use Winning gloves as well. This isn’t to say that no boxer would ever choose to use them in a professional fight (because some do) but Winning does live up to their moniker as “pillows”.

Winning gloves are made with the highest quality. The paint-job finish, the stitching, the craftsmanship, everything looks and feels absolutely top-class. You don’t feel like you’re holding a mass-produced factory clone, but it’s also not a handcrafted perfect-because-it’s-imperfect art piece like Mexican gloves. It feels like an alien-engineered glove from the future. It’s no wonder professional boxers all over the world train in Winning gloves more than any other brand. And it’s not only professionals but many amateur boxers as well. They are an absolute must if you have sensitive hands or previous hand injuries.

What’s the secret? I think their secret is in the padding and also glove shape. Something to do with its foam (soft cushion but doesn’t let you punch through). I don’t know what it is but nobody has been able to copy it, and not for a lack of trying. TitleBoxing modeled their “Fighting” brand off Winning gloves, hoping to reproduce it’s high-cushioned qualities at a lower price. Their sparring gloves were nice attempt—yes, very cushioned, but nowhere near as cushioned and long-lasting as Winning. RingtoCage has also tried to make a “cheaper Winning glove” in their C-17 2.0 model (reviewed above) but it’s only marginally comparable the real thing. Yes, nicely cushioned at first but still nowhere near as high in quality of construction and longterm performance. I like to think that if it was truly that easy, somebody would have figured it out by now. I mean can’t somebody just put the same foam that Winning uses and put that in their glove? It’s no shock that a country known for technological innovation would produce the most technologically-advanced boxing glove. Winning is STILL lightyears of it’s competition. NOBODY has come close to Winning gloves in the 15+ years I’ve been in boxing.

I also love Winning’s marketing. They don’t sponsor any pros. No fancy website or gimmicky features. They don’t even have distributors, they don’t want any. The product sells itself. Your best chance is to find them online but there might be a reputable dealer nearby you in person. You can ask a nearby professional boxing gym and they might know where you can get a pair of Winning gloves. (However, if you buy from my links, that would support me as I get a commission.)

Additional thoughts about Winning:

• The best in everything! Best protection, best comfort, best fit, best durability, best stitching. The most perfect glove ever. While some people think Mexican leather is better than Winning, I disagree. I think Reyes might possibly have better leather but to my eye, I prefer Winning leather over 99% of other gloves simply because it looks nice, feels nice, smells clean. Other leathers may be thicker or feel softer but Winning feels surprisingly rich to me. They even put some conditioner on it so that only goes to show how much they care about the leather.
• Also known for their super comfortable thumb position. The thumb area is something many boxers will complain about on different gloves (especially Reyes). On Winning gloves, the thumb is in a “straight position” and allows you to make a perfect fist while keeping the thumb protected. If you want my opinion, I think Winning has the most comfortable thumb because the thumb compartment is smaller instead of a big floppy wing like other gloves. Your thumb feels free to move (even though it can’t), whereas other gloves (especially Mexican ones) make your thumb feel trapped under a pile of cardboard.
• Winning’s other secret? I think it’s their incredibly smooth lining! It’s so easy to slide your hands in and out of the gloves with wraps on. Also with other gloves, you can get blisters even with their “smooth” lining but with Winning, it’ll never happen. Winning has the best lining.
• Winning does offer customization but you have to contact them directly. They can allow for all sorts of color optimizations and even do “no-logo” or custom logo option. TIP: their headgear and foul guard come in synthetic leather (claimed to be lighter weight and longer-lasting against your sweat), but you can ask for real leather at no extra charge. When I bought my gloves in person from the official distributor, I got to see Amir Khan and Canelo’s custom glove design sketches.
• Winning gloves are definitely still handmade and I do notice slight differences between different models. When I buy in person, some pairs definitely do feel a tad more cushioned than others. They’re still great, mind you but if you go in person…you can pick the absolute most cushioned one.
• A testament to Winning’s cushioning powers: people complaining about not feeling the power – BoxingProfessor.com
• Slightly-outdated reference of Grant vs Winning – Sherdog forums
• Premium glove comparison between: Winning vs Everlast vs Reyes vs Grant – BoxingScene.com
• Winning is the only major glove company that doesn’t pay pros to use them.
• Great Youtube video and comments comparing the big 3 – Grant vs Reyes vs Winning
• The typical pro boxer’s glove combo: Winning for PROTECTION (in training), Reyes or Grant for POWER (in fights).
• See my detailed: Winning Boxing Gloves Review (with photos/videos)

Winning MS-600 Boxing Gloves 16oz ($395) – the blue version with laces is probably the most common Winning gloves version I see in the gym. I love this color as it associates so strongly with the brand. Laces give more support than velcro. Also, if you’re a serious fighter, you should be wearing laces PERIOD. No fooling around, take the 5 minutes to tie up so you can train for the next couple hours with maximum support. I actually love the tie-up process of laces because everything feels so much more secure, it’s part of the process of being a serious fighter. Winning gloves are priced by weight. A 12oz pair would cost less than a 16oz pair and an 18oz pair would cost more. I guess that validates the idea that they might be using some kind of magical foam.

Winning MS-600 Boxing Gloves 16oz VELCRO ($395) – here’s what the velcro version looks like. I have personally NEVER seen anybody wearing the velcro version. If you buy it, you can be the first! (YES, it’s the best velcro training glove.)

Winning MS-200 Boxing Gloves 8oz ($240) – an example of their professional fighting glove. Known for offering the absolute best hand protection of all the fighting gloves but comes at the cost of decreased punching power.

Winning MS-500 Boxing Gloves 14oz CUSTOM COLOR ($365) – an example of the customizations they offer. It comes with an extra charge.

Winning MS-500-2B 14oz DOUBLE-WIDE VELCRO ($465) – they have a wide velcro version in case you need this. Just makes me wonder what other customizations they can do.

Di Nardo – the “Ferrari of boxing gloves” ($830-1000: avg $830)

Di Nardo (from Italy), named after its sole 1-man maker & leather craftsman (Filippo Di Nardo De Leccese), is a boxing glove like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Using his family’s heritage in leather expertise, Di Nardo has created a completely unique glove blending the timeless old school aesthetic with unparalleled materials and support structure. To say it is a marvel in modern boxing glove engineering would be an understatement. This glove is a timeless piece of art. You will love it more each and everyday because you can feel the passion in how it was made.

What is the difference between Di Nardo and all other gloves?

No offense to anybody else but I feel all other gloves are manufactured. Whether they are made by machine or made by hand, they are still manufactured. The worst ones are made to be finished as cheaply and quickly as possible. The better ones are made to last. Di Nardo’s are made to be loved. This crazy guy made his gloves with such insane attention to detail. You can tell whoever crafted them loved the process. There are so many tiny tiny details in the glove that can only be felt and not seen. You can tell they were made by the master, not an employee or even an apprentice. He was truly hellbent on making a glove that could be improved every step of the way.

And what are the improvements? Oh boy…I wrote a whole review guide on his gloves. He’s just doing things that nobody else does. No ones even imagined all the innovative things he added; nobody’s even close. All the materials he used. The structure of the gloves. The leather, the padding, the stitching. He’s from another world. You can’t do it by machine. And you can’t do it without decades of experience in knowing how things are held together. He added so many layers and dimensions to boxing glove craftsmanship that I really can’t even compare his work to anybody else. Everyone else is basically wrapping foam in leather and doing their best to stitch it nicely. Di Nardo crafted a unique multi-compartment adaptive padding that bends to your hand, then wrapped it in multiple layers of sweat protection, then threw it inside a leather shell that was also lined from the inside for extra sweat protection, then stitched the whole thing up with kevlar threading, and structured it all in a way that feels so damn good to punch with.

And the design is SO FREAKEN SLEEK! Like damn…these are the sexiest gloves ever made. They really are the Ferrari of boxing gloves. It’s like wearing Gucci, Prada, and other designer Italian brands on your hands. They look expensive right away. You don’t need any loud designs. When you see the richness of the colors and materials in person, you’ll know immediately. It’s not like a gimmicky fancy gadget from an electronic store. It’s more like something from a high-end art gallery or even national museum. It really is that beautiful. Just from the shape alone already, you can tell they are not from this world.

Now let’s talk about the moment I threw my first punch with these on. Right away from the feel and the sound, you know FOR SURE these gloves are different. The way they impact is not like anything else. It’s a really unique feel. Other gloves have like a *THUD* or *SMISH* sound. These are like a sharp *TUNK!* sound. It’s sharp but also powerful at the same time. The wrist protection is incredible. The knuckle protection is incredible. Everything is top notch. I can’t say enough and I’m starting to sound like an informercial but really…you just need to see them in person and you’ll see what I mean. There are way too many details to cover.

Additional thoughts about Di Nardo:

• All gloves can be customized! He has beautiful color options available, screen-printing, etc. So tasteful. Again, this is classy Italian leatherwork and not gaudy/aggressive American styling or cheap Pakistan styling or copycat Asian styling. Yes, you can put words and initials and stuff.
• He also makes boxing shoes although those aren’t advertised on the site. Maybe he can do other stuff as well, just ask.
• His gloves comes in several padding options. Training gloves are either TUTELELA (standard padding for bagwork) or CAESTUS (slightly softer for sparring and bagwork). Pro fight gloves are either EQUUM1 (rigid), EQUUM2 (semi-rigid), or TUTELA (soft).
• His gloves also have re-padding option. He designed his gloves to last forever so you only need to replace the padding when they wear out. He doesn’t believe in throwing away such beautiful gloves. Visit his website for padding replacement details.
• See my detailed: Di Nardo Boxing Gloves Review (with photos/videos)

Di Nardo Pugnator Training Gloves 8-20oz ($830) – they really do look like this in real life. The leather and quality of these gloves are so sexy. You can choose from many customization options. Color, lettering, laces or velcro, CAESTUS or TUTELALA padding, all sizes available.

Di Nardo Hereditarium Training Gloves 8-20oz ($830) – another beautiful design but again, you can choose your own design!

Di Nardo Victoria Training Gloves 8-20oz ($830) – and yet another beautiful design but again, you can choose your own design! They look so beautifully sleek. Like an Italian racecar! WOO!

Di Nardo Infernum Pro Fight Gloves 8oz/10oz ($830) – his pro fight competition gloves are certified by all the major boxing organizations. . Color, lettering, laces or velcro, EQUUM1 or EQUUM2 or TUTELA padding…in either 8oz, 10oz, or 10oz XL. EQUUM1 is rigid padding, EQUUM2 is semi-rigid padding, TUTELA is soft-padding.

Grant – the “Mexican-American cushioned-puncher” ($500-1000; avg $600)

I would guess Elvis Grant’s original vision in 1995 was to make a better version of the famous traditional Mexican boxing glove, but for the American market. At the time and probably still very much so today, Mexican gloves were the preferred glove of choice for professional fights because they had maximum power transfer and a compact (hard-to-block) shape. His idea was to keep the high-quality and good power transfer but add sexier custom-design options and a little more padding.

The gloves are hand-made in Mexico and still retain their Mexican qualities in their long streamlined sleek design and hit with good power. Unlike other Mexican gloves which were typically low on padding, Grant gloves had a decent amount of padding everywhere, the hand, wrist, and forearm areas were all very nicely padded while still keeping the design compact. (Interesting note: some people foolishly claim Mexican gloves are only good for breaking your hands and that the Grant gloves are “the best”, without realizing that Grant gloves are made in Mexico. There are rumors out there that Grant gloves are actually made by local Mexican glove companies—past whispers point to “Seyer”.)

For a long time, Grant boxing gloves were known as being one of the highest quality boxing gloves ever made. When I first started boxing in 2004, I borrowed a pair from a pro to spar with and man, they were beautiful. So well-made, so well-crafted and nicely-padded. Everything felt good on my hands. It’s one of those things where you have to see it in person to appreciate it. I never forgot how amazing those gloves felt. So nice to wear and very nice to punch with. It’s no wonder that Grant quickly became the pro’s choice for professional fights whenever Reyes wasn’t used.

At the time and perhaps even still today, the top 3 glove brands used by the pros (by order of popularity) were Winning, Grant, and Reyes…and probably in that exact order. In training, Winning dominated, Grant was the alternative, and Reyes was almost non-existent. In pro fights it was the opposite, with Reyes dominating, Grant still the alternative, and Winning almost non-existent. Reyes offered high power transfer at the cost of hand cushioning. And Winning offered the best hand cushioning at the cost of power transfer. Grant offered the best of both. For that reason, you will hear people say Grant gloves are for punchers with hand issues. Floyd Mayweather, known for hand problems in his later years, starting fighting in Grant instead of Reyes like when he was young (although still preferring Winning gloves in training.) Grant gloves developed a cult-like following among the pros and everyday boxers followed suit.

Two reasons however kept Grant from becoming #1. The first reason was because the owner sought to keep it a boutique brand (after his old mass-produced “Campeon” clone line failed, not to be confused with the real Mexican “Campeon” brand). The only way you could buy Grant was with a custom order direct from the company (you can pick cool colors and stuff). You couldn’t find Grant in stores anymore and mostly only pro fighters had Grant gloves. The second reason was that the gloves were VERY expensive. For a moment their pricing was on par with Winning gloves and nowadays it’s even beyond that. You’re not going to be popular when you’re hard to find, cost that much, and take months to order!

Today, Grant’s boxing gloves have definitely fallen a bit. They are still within the top 3 in terms of pro fight gloves (Reyes, Grant, Everlast) but definitely no longer the preferred choice in training. If their price hasn’t turned you off, it’s that their quality and customer service has also gone down. People are complaining about orders being shipped late and that the glove quality is horrible (for what you pay). It’s falling apart faster, the stitching is poor, the leather feels definitely cheaper than Reyes (this one’s really bad considering Reyes has also slipped in quality). Grant gloves are generally considered a ripoff for the price of $500-1000; many say they’re not worth more than a $140 glove at best. Some people will tell you Grant is definitely inferior in quality to $160 Reyes gloves in terms of leather, stitching and customer service.

While I still consider Grant to be among the better boxing gloves out there, I can’t recommend training in them when they cost over $500. It makes no sense to buy Grant when the superior Winning gloves cost so much less. Even if you like how how Grant feels, there are other very similarly-made Mexican-made brands out there (also offering customization) at only a third of the price.

Additional thoughts about Grant:

• Really bad customer service, orders delayed and emails unanswered.
• Poor stitching, velcro coming off. With that said, they are still very high quality overall. Good gloves but not at all worth $500, maybe $150 is fair and street value can be $300 because of the brand name.
• Some people say Grant is a stiff glove, kind of hard to make a fist. Perhaps, it takes time to break-in?
• Grant’s construction quality is considered to be AT BEST, to be about the same as Reyes quality or less. It’s only value over Reyes is having more hand protection.
• They do make beautiful custom glove designs. Check out their Facebook photo album for inspiration.
• You CAN sometimes buy Grant gloves in stores but you’d be cheating yourself out of the chance to customize your own design. You should email them directly to purchase. (Beware that it can take 3 months to receive your gloves!)
• Grant suspected of sponsoring fighters. This is a big deal because they claim not to; and that fighters are using their brand by choice. – Youtube video

Grant Boxing Glove ($500 & up) – this appears to be the most current design, laces with the name “GRANT” on the cuff. Grant gloves are custom-made to order. This is a unique feature usually only found with Mexican brands (most likely because the company and the factory are in the same place). You can pick different colors, have custom inscriptions, and even exotic materials. Many fighters will choose metallic colors because they look flashy and aren’t found in many other brands.

Grant Triple-Cuff Boxing Glove ($500 & up) – this is the classic triple-cuff design that was more common a couple years ago. It has a very nice feeling that I can’t explain. The ribbed-cuff makes it easier for your laces to stay in place when you tie them around your forearm. This feature probably isn’t as important since most fighters who order Grant gloves are pros and they tape down their forearm anyway.

Grant Exotic Leather Custom Boxing Glove ($500 & up) – the velcro version of their glove, customized in some kind of exotic leather (crocodile?). See how cheap it looks without laces? I don’t like velcro at all but I understand why it’s appealing to folks who train alone or don’t have time to tie up. See how these custom designs look on video.

TopBoxer – the “Custom-Champ” from PAKISTAN ($100-250; avg $150)

TopBoxer, is a small Pakistan company run by Muhammad Irfan. Unlike the several hundred other boxing equipment manufacturers in Pakistan, he’s picked up a loyal internet following over the years for customized boxing equipment. He’s done custom work for everyone; from everyday people like you and I to the biggest names in boxing, MMA, and other combat sports. Also unlike other Pakistan companies, he’s ALL ABOUT QUALITY. Higher quality leather, perfect stitching, and best of all—he brings your glove design fantasies to life, creating them even better than you imagined them.

If you’re not sure of what you want, he’ll hold your hand every step of the way explaining every possible option and their pros and cons. If you know exactly what you want, he’ll go the extra mile to find the exact materials and colors, and customize every little thing about your glove whether it be the size, shape, padding, and more. He can copy other gloves or make an entirely new glove that hasn’t ever been done before. Your imagination is the only limit. He’s a great fellow and passionate artist from the new generation of boxing equipment craftsman. A true asset to the Pakistan boxing industry and boxing worldwide.

From everything that I’ve read about him online and judging from the images, I love that he stands behind his work. You can tell he enjoys making gloves, learning every day, and there’s something in being able to connect your creation with the end user. It’s different from the usual factory worker who will never know who he’s making gloves for. Muhammad is chatting with you through every step of your glove creation putting all of his heart into it, and when he’s done with it, he can’t wait to hear how you’ll respond. He just as excited about your glove as you are.

SO…how good is his work? I’ve heard amazing things. Some say it’s slightly behind Winnings or right on par with Winnings. Some say it’s even slightly better than Winnings. Now, I don’t know about BETTER but I can respect the fact that he’s even close enough to be compared. I can respect that he’s done so many custom models and constantly evolved his process so much over the years, he probably knows how to make a better custom glove than anyone at the moment. I also love that he’s the only custom shop I’ve heard of where you can actually communicate with your glovemaker. I never thought I would be able to put “Pakistan” and “quality gloves” in the same sentence, but Muhammad’s proven me wrong.

Additional thoughts about TopBoxer:

• TopBoxer gear discussion, photos, and reviews – Sherdog Forum
• More great reviews, and another. His gear has the nice smell of high quality leather, great craftsmanship.
• Also makes gear for numerous other companies. One of the better known custom shops is Beaulieu Boxing Equipment (aka “BillBoxing”) as well as Iboxcustomise.com (not confirmed but I’m guessing). If you’re working with somebody offering high quality custom gloves made in Pakistan, there’s a good chance they’re using TopBoxer as the manufacturer.
• Makes all kinds of gear, not only gloves. His punch mitts are a top favorite. Many also feel the same about his headgear, claiming it’s better than even all the Mexican brands (fits tighter, higher quality leather, thicker padding, and better padding distribution).
• See other interesting creations: black-gold-red, wild colors, ortho gloves, quilted pattern, old school style, another old school glove, REALLY old school style functional replicas, Ironman-themed gloves, another super-hero themed glove, extra wrist protection, exotic leather on hitting surface (not previously possible).
• Reverse-engineering discussions about: Winning padding, ortho model better than Winning, wrist filling should use EVA for bagwork and fiber-filler for sparring, improved a Twins glove (another), copying a classic Everlast (although you could go to John Golomb for the real thing), Winning headgear, hand-mold vs machine-mold foam, why it’s so hard to get the perfect weight.
• I love that he’s slow to answer sales-related emails and fast to answer customer-service emails. Most companies are usually the OTHER WAY around, they’re quick to chat about their products but stop replying once they have your money!
• You can purchase his STOCK gloves starting at $89 his TopBoxer eBay account. (All the images I show below are his custom work.)
• You can order custom gloves from his new website here: https://topboxer.com
• See my detailed: TopBoxer Gloves Review (with photos/videos)

A not so clear image of my gloves but let me be the first to tell you that I LOVE MY GLOVES! First off…they do look and feel Pakistan-made. I don’t mean that in a bad or good way. The leather is still Pakistan and the craftsmanship still have a Pakistan style (unlike Mexican or Japan).

What I love, is the padding. Like wow, damn. He really did make the gloves perfect for me. He had my hand measurements and everything, asked me what padding combo I wanted. The padding is great. If I could explain how it feels…it feels like many layers of socks. A very soft padding that dulls your punches. It’s different from the usual gloves that have that foam feel (which gives great feedback). These definitely won’t “pop” like your usual gloves but that’s also not what I wanted them for. I’m sure he can do any kind of glove you want without any problems. I love mine just as it is.

The other things that I notice and really appreciate about the gloves is their unique design. Right off the bat, you can see he has a unique thumb design. And I appreciate this so much because I feel the thumb is probably one of the most finicky areas of the glove design. It’s hard to make it look nice AND feel nice. Well his does both well and you can see how he was trying to get maximize comfort. Then there’s also the palm-side padding. He put an interesting padding bar on the bottom edge of your hand (the karate chop part).

Now for the CONS. I would say the gloves are big (16oz look more like 18oz). They will be your biggest pair of gloves ever. Maybe you’ll like this for a sparring shield. Maybe you’ll hate it. I personally didn’t mind at all but I do feel some people will complain about it. The other issue is that the gloves seem to fit a really wide hand. Which is weird considering that I gave him my hand measurements. The thumb area, even though it’s fine and feels ok and doesn’t hurt, it’s still built a little awkward. Like the way the glove was designed stresses the fleshy palm side of your thumb. Again, you don’t notice any of this in actual use but if I had to find something to nitpick, there it is.

TopBoxer custom gloves – he’s done tons of work for pro boxers. This one, featuring exotic crocodile leather, is for Willie Monroe Jr. Check out the ones made for: Dereck Chisora, Michael Conlon. More beautiful croc designs: here, and here. See more photos on his Instagram. To order your own custom-made gloves and gear, email him: irfanskt11@gmail.com

TopBoxer Grant-inspired glove – very similar style to the classic Grant design with triple-cuff, metallic paint, and custom embroidery. More photos. He also does Winning-inspired gloves as well. Photo comparisons with Winning.

TopBoxer custom gloves – also done work for MMA stars. Check out the ones he’s made for Donald Cerrone, Jon Jones, Yair Rodriguez (I love this one) and Holly Holm. You can embroider any part of the glove that you want.

TopBoxer womens gloves – some really nice designs for women. Here’s another in gold and teal.

One without the TB logo, here’s another.

This one was done for another brand of boxing gear, by Billieu Boxing. I love the colors. Also love this one, and these too.

Another one done for the Billieu brand. I LOVE these colors. Please don’t copy me because I’m going to get mine like this! (I actually got mine like this but with black laces).

John Golomb – The “Everlast Grandson” ($425)

He is the grandson of Everlast’s original founder (Jacob Golomb). John Golomb, known as “The Glove Doctor”, is an expert of all experts, a true leather craftsman, and has contributed much to the science and history of boxing gloves. Has been the go-to expert for restoring historical sports gloves, not just boxing but also baseball and many other leather pieces.

• Story about the Golomb’s work in Everlast’s history – New York Times
• Interview with John Golomb, “A World Champion Craftsman” – Shinola
• He’s also known for glove repairs (maybe you want your gloves re-lined and re-padded?). Probably isn’t cheap but can repair your favorite gloves even better than it was new.

John Golomb’s American Training Glove ($425) – just going off the images alone (look at the welted seams), I have no doubt this is a quality glove that is built to outlive you. It’s made in the USA by a craftsman who cares. Instead of buying an overrated Grant glove for the same price, you can get an authentic piece of American history. Built with latex and also horsehair.

Fly Sports – The “Air Jordans” of the UK ($400-450)

From the conversations I’ve had with other glovemakers and studying reviews and images around the internet, Fly appeared to be learning on the job (started out around 2017). They came out with a fantastic brand and design, marked their ground in the high-end category, and now just have to create the glove that lives up to the hype. There have been some reviews speaking on minor flaws around craftsmanship and stitching, and others noting that they quickly re-designed their initial models and are already on their 3rd or 4th revision. I imagine for the money, you’re better off with a tried-and-true perfected glove like Winning.

My other reservations revolved around their overall vibe and brand representation. They market their gloves as being “Made in the UK” and innovative, but some things don’t feel right. Their website doesn’t feature an owner or glovemaker’s name which is more typical of a big company rather than a small company. Maybe the owner (Josh Steffan) was going for a more professional corporate look. That’s ok.

The other thing is that their original models seemed to copy a lot of the design from Di Nardo (formerly called “Mason”). I understand that when new brands copy, they can’t help but copy the best brands (like Grant, Winning, Reyes, Rival). Just about all new brands do. My thing was that the older Fly models looked so close to Di Nardo’s. Like a blatant ripoff. Of course, I don’t think anybody would ever admit to that. But I called them copycat gloves and rightfully so.

Josh (the owner) contacted me sometime 2019 because he didn’t like that I called his gloves copycat gloves and iterating sentiments that they might be made in Pakistan. He offered to send me a pair for my honest review. He also entertained me over a video call showing me his office and workplace and shared little details of how his gloves are made differently from others. I ended the call satisfied that the gloves were made in the UK and even more so, made by someone who cared about their quality. I warned him that I would be honest in my review and he respected that.

I received my “Superlace” AQUA/GOLD 16oz review pair in 2020 and immediately put it to the test. After about 20 rounds of sparring, heavy bagwork, and constantly putting them on and off alongside other gloves, I’m quite confident of how I feel about them. Will be interesting to see how they break down under consistent abuse.

I will tell you right off the bat that they have a LOT of visual appeal. All the guys (and especially girls) that saw these gloves loved them right away. They are definitely among the sexiest boxing gloves ever designed, and of course we already knew that by the images all along. The shape, the color, the texture, the fine details. These gloves ooze sexiness all over. The feel nice/luxurious IN your hands, and really comfortable ON your hands.

The first thing you notice about them is their softness. They are crazy soft (inside and out). The softest gloves I ever put on. The leather is super soft. If most boxing gloves are made like shoes, Fly gloves are made like socks. You can bunch them up in your hands, squeeze them, compress them, twist them. They feel more like a soft sponge than like a dense foam. Sponginess everywhere…in the knuckles, back of the hand, thumb, and wrist areas. The grip bar is super soft as well, almost non-existent. When you curl your fingers, you feel more of the grip edge by your fingertips rather than the gripbar in your palm.

In case you’re wondering, Fly padding is even softer than Winning. I think it’s crazy that they went that route as nobody ever thinks to go more extreme than what’s already considered the most extreme. Well, looks like there’s a new softness-rating in boxing gloves now. Of course…we have to wonder: “does this mean they’re more protective than Winning?” I’m going to say it DEPENDS. Winning gloves have thicker foam that doesn’t compress as much (although it’s really soft) whereas you feel a Fly glove can be compressed flatter. If you’re mostly sparring and not hitting all that hard on the heavy bag, I could see some preferring Fly. But if you’re punching crazy hard on a really stiff heavy bag, most will prefer the Winning.

The second thing you’ll notice is the neat craftsmanship. The leather is tucked away nicely. The stitching is perfect. No thread ends sticking out anywhere. Everything perfectly uniform. Even the piping is super neat, instead of the usual rolled or flat piping that most brands have, Fly gloves have super-thin flat piping that’s flushed along the edges (and almost doesn’t even stick out). It’s like it was only used as a color accent. It’s a unique look. These gloves feel like the perfect embodiment of British tailoring. They remind me of a perfectly-tailored British suit; stylish and neat. Super comfortable and classy, with refined gentleman’s demeanor. I’m glad to see they’ve since gone away from copying and come out with their own more authentic design.

Additional thoughts about Fly:

• Buy them if you like soft-padded Mexican gloves (also soft grip-bar) and a worn-in comfort.
• Their stitching is quite possibly the nicest/neatest stitch job of any glove I’ve ever seen. You can take it as a pro or con. Pro since it looks great and high quality. Con if you realize that it’s done by machine and you wanted gloves that were more “handmade”.
• See Facebook photos of their gear, looks like they do beautiful custom work for another extra $30-150. Check out Fly – Bespoke.
• Videos of people comparing them to Winning, and Rival RS1.
• From this video review (old version) and this review (comparing old vs new versions), they seem like high-grade leather and nice flexible design (can open and close your hand). But you can also see some sloppiness. I think they’re still learning here and developing their own design. They’re very obviously copying Di Nardo in the earlier models and then Winning gloves in the recent models. Look at other models out there and you see a lot of Grant influence in them. The headgear images on their website are totally based off Winning and possibly even Rival as well.
• Fly still offers their older Di Nardo lookalike versions of their gloves for specific pros who prefer them.
• Beware of fake Fly gloves.
• Full review coming soon.

Fly Superlace Training Gloves ($370) – on photos, it looks like the Air Jordan’s of boxing gloves. “Fly Sports” is founded by a guy out of the UK and sold as a premium craftsman glove. It certainly looks like a work of art; a glove from the future. Judging from the images alone, the design is unique and the stitching is really clean. They look so perfect in photos, it hardly looks “hand-made”. They only have one training model which comes in laces or velcro version, and the other model is pro fight gloves. There are some known pros using them but I don’t know if it’s for endorsement reasons or by personal preference.

I have these Superlace gloves in 16oz, in the AQUA/GOLD color scheme that you see below. Online photos look more flashy/shiny. The glove colors look more matte in person (still very flashy and beautiful, mind you).

Look carefully and what do you see? Ha…I start to laugh. They look like Mexican gloves but neatly stitched, and padded in a softer manner. I had to be sure so I pulled out some of my Mexican gloves and compared side-by-side. Yeaup…I think they imitated the shape of Mexican gloves (with the more rolled-up fist and squared impact surface), thumb design, and longer cuff. It’s funny that I didn’t notice that before from the pictures; I only recognized it in person. So basically, they used a Mexican glove design but put super soft Winning-esque padding in there.

If you love the solid flat-knuckle punching surface of Mexican gloves and/or the softness of Winning, Fly will be a solid option for you. It’s an interesting mix. The soft padding and flat punching surface really helps to give a comfortable protective impact. If you punch really REALLLY hard, you might prefer denser cushion. That’s fair.

Now for the CONS. I wish the gloves had a little more “structural support”. Their overall frame is so soft that you don’t feel the sensation of a reinforced bar running down the wrists (to solidify the hand with the forearm). I’d guess this lacking structural support is mostly due to the soft leather and padding, and maybe also the way the way it’s built. The other secret I feel and now suspect is that the piping is too thin/soft. When trying my other gloves, I feel their piping does provide some of the structural support around the wrists. If you really think about it, tightening the laces gives you support because it tightens the piping and leather…and if your piping and leather are too soft, then tightening the laces doesn’t feel as secure. I’m curious to see how Fly gloves would feel with stiffer piping. Or they could also put a layer of denser foam inside of the soft foam so you have both that same plushiness but also added structural support.

Do I think this lack of structural support automatically means Fly gloves are inferior to all other gloves for wrist support? No, not necessarily. One area I noticed is that Fly (like most Mexican gloves) fits really snug on your hand. Everything is fastened tight with no extra space anywhere, whereas my Winning gloves have a little space here and there. We’re talking about the tiniest of differences, ok? Well with straight punches on a super stiff bag, Winning may feel more supportive for straight shots because of better structure and thicker foam. Fly still feels almost as good (as Winning) for straight punches; actually feels better for medium punches but then slightly less protective for your absolute hardest punches. But when you’re throwing hooks that might stress your wrist bend, Fly might seem more supportive because there’s less space for your wrist to wiggle around during impact.

Fly Superloop Training Gloves ($370) – oh, I get it now! “Superlace” for their lace-up gloves, and “Superloop” for their velcro gloves. How clever. And how stupid of me to have missed that for over a year. I’m loving the candy color combinations. Very sexy stuff. Some greek hero color theme going on here. Check out their website to see other cool colors.

Honestly, for their clean aesthetic and softness (no need to break in). I can’t help but feel Fly should be an extremely popular choice for female fighters. Of course, this sentiment can extend to males as well. If you want a pair of gloves that feel broken-in from day one. Fly is for you.

Miscellaneous brands (all other brands)

These are all the other brands that I haven’t reviewed in depth. I have not personally tried all of these brands. These are simply general opinions that I either formed myself or heard from people I trust.

• 1v1 Fight Gear (USA) – seems to be a well-intended US-based outfit. Jason (the owner) had the idea to make custom gloves stateside and charge a $300 premium for it. He has 2 levels of gloves, the lower level seems like a beefed up version of the Pakistan clone variety and the higher level is his own hand-made custom gloves. Personally, I’d rather not spend hundreds on a glove made by someone with only a few years of experience but I do respect a man aiming to make a quality product. Maybe I’ll get to try them some day.
• Amber Sports (USA) – local brand in Houston, TX. Selling typical Pakistan clone. Many similar models to Ringside and RDX. Online reviews complain about poor quality and toxic color dye running off the gloves.
• AMMO Boxing (UK) – fast-growing brand selling cheap clone Pakistan gloves with customization. Think of them as the UK version of Sabas.
• BAD BOY (USA) – their old gloves were said to be poor quality and stiff. The newer version of their premium Legacy 2.0 line looks to be better designed but I doubt it’s any better.
• Booster (Belgium) – they look like Pakistan clones but with extra padding. I can’t tell if their gloves are unique models. They do have some good reviews online and seem somewhat like another Ring to Cage in the muay thai world.
• Charlie (Spain) – they seem somewhat well-known but to me, they look like really bad Pakistan clone gloves.
• Chaos (UK) – They look like typical Pakistan clones. Their social media and company website also annoy me in not stating where they’re located. Anyway, I think it’s obvious they’re from the UK.
• Corti (Argentina) – I hear they’re the best brand in Argentina.
• Clinch (Russia) – terrible quality and padding, stiff and uncomfortable.
• Crest (Finland) – bad, lowest quality.
• Demix (Russia) – better than Clinch but still crap.
• Hit N Move (USA) – up and coming company that makes high quality gear, has an owner that actively boxers, and actually has unique designs. Check out their mitts and other gear. Aside from the typical quality training gloves, they also have special gear like the 24oz training gloves which are still same size as 16oz ones and also the Turtle Mitts where the back of the mitts can also be punched. I totally respect with they’re doing! Use coupon code “EXPERT15” for 15% off!
• Infinitude (Pakistan) – awful cheap Pakistan junk. I hate seeing their ads everywhere.
• LECO (Russia) – worst brand ever, feel like regular street gloves, wear down in a month.
• Lemarr (UK) – they seem like classily-designed clones with a good reputation in the UK.
• G&S Fight Supply (USA) – formerly made in New York but no longer owned by the original family and quality has dropped since their production went overseas.
• Green Hill (UK) – crap quality and feels like bricks. Also popular in Russia.
• Machina (USA) – fight gear brand made specifically for women (basically smaller size and cleaner design). Absolutely garbarge of the Pakistan variety. Same bubbling issue as Sabas.
• No Boxing No Life (Mexico) – Canelo’s boxing brand. Apparently, they have 2 tiers. The training gloves are cheap Pakistan-made, and the pro gloves are more expensive Mexican-made. I haven’t tried either yet.
• ONYX Sports (USA) – absolutely loving their unique idea of making gloves that don’t need handwraps. I think it’s a cool idea but obviously one more appealing to MMA guys (like the owner himself) than pure boxers. With that said, watching review videos on it has me intrigued. I love that the owner nerded out about it and tried to invent several new mechanisms to protect the hand. If there’s any drawbacks I can see…I can say that I’m not a fan of having so many darn seams. That’s just more areas for craftsmanship to get lazy and cut corners and doesn’t improve the glove strength in any way. Hope I get to try a pair soon.
• Paffen Sport (Germany) – over-priced clone gloves from all ranges. Pretty much the TitleBoxing of Germany.
• Pro-Box (UK) – cheap Pakistan clone crap.
• Punch Equipment (AUS) – the Pro Boxing Equipment of Australia. Cheap generic stuff, with a clone version of every type of glove out there (traditional, Mexican, Muay Thai, etc and etc). Now maybe I’m wrong, and they’re just absolutely fantastic at everything. But with a generic name like that? Hmmm….
• Triumph United (USA) – Pakistan clone gloves but with better quality control. From the reviews I’ve heard, their top model “Death Adder” was formerly the same mold as the Everlast Powerlock, and they’ve since improved upon that. There are far better options at $90 IMO.
• Ultimatum (Russia) – high price but average quality. Something like a Russian Hayabusa in that they are fancy design but clone models. Some models are not even full leather.
• Unified (UK) – cheap Pakistan clones of the Revgear tier.
• UMA – Universal Martial Arts (Pakistan) – another custom outfit in Pakistan doing quality work. I’ve never tried but they’re supposedly cheaper but not as well known and not as skilled as TopBoxer but still great gloves at an awesome price—around $100! Their leather is not as good as the highest quality Mexican leather. UMA also does Winning clones (called UMA RT 41), Hayabusa clones (but better). Checkout their website, and reviews: here, and here.
• TUF-WEAR (USA) – just like Everlast, used to be an old school quality brand made in the USA, but now junk made in Pakistan.

Have a brand to add to the list? Add your own comments on certain brands, models, and the year you bought them. (Please don’t shill your own brand unless it’s amazing—OR I will DELETE IT!)

Is Winning still the best boxing gloves you can get?

• Anybody asking that, just slap yourself right now.

C’mon guys, stop kidding around. Winning is still very much considered the BEST BOXING GLOVES in the entire fighting world. The Japanese brand has not only managed it’s brand respect over the years but more importantly, it’s quality control!

Not hype at all. Also not reliant on endorsements like other brands *cough* GRANT *cough*. Winning gloves are the de facto standard for pros all around the world, purely out of choice. No gimmicky marketing, or redesigns every year. They are simply incredible gloves! The gold standard and extremely popular with pros and serious amateurs.

Let’s find out why fighters love them so much!

Winning – Background & Reputation

I wish I could say more about this company’s history but I know nothing of it. What I can share however is my personal feeling of the brand, the way it was communicated to me and the way that the boxing community views them.

Look at most of today’s brands and what do you see? Annoying advertisements everywhere, email spam, internet ads, affiliate marketing, even home mailers. They’re everywhere. And they’re always on sale! (How is that a “sale” when you’re always on sale?)

Most boxing gloves out there insult our intelligence. They assume you don’t know the difference between a quality glove and a shit glove. They assume you’re naive enough to fall for fancy graphics over substance.

And they’re right! *shaking my head*

For every 1 pair of Winning gloves that are sold, there are probably 20 Title gloves, 10 Ringside, 10 Hayabusa, 5 Reyes, and 5 Venum gloves being put on fighters. Worst of all, many of those other brands all claim to be “THE BEST GLOVES EVER MADE!”

How freaken silly! It annoys me to no end. Can you imagine if every fighter went around claiming themselves as “THE BEST CHAMPION EVER”? That’s how most glove brands occur to me.

But then when you look ONLY at the pros and what do you see? Many of them, and in even some gyms almost all of them wear Winning. Heck even many of the serious amateurs wear Winning as well. The question is…how is it that they got to be that way?

Winning evokes the nostalgia of a time when PRIDE exceeded EGO…gloves of Japanese pride!

For those not aware of the difference:

• PPRIDE – is the feeling of accomplishment.
• EGO – is a sense of self-esteem or self-importance.

Whoever runs that brand does in the most respectful way possible. I LOVE THEIR BRAND for their no-nonsense way of marketing it. No spam, no begging, no promising, no gimmicks. For the longest time ever, they didn’t even have a website. It was a photograph of a printed Japanese ad with English over it (lol, like a dubbed-over poster) and posted online. That was it. There was some mail-order information and the whole thing looked like a scam ad for an overseas toy company.

Their marketing was so laughably bad and yet charming at the same time. They were the epitome of old school marketing. Not a single representative from their company could be found in promotional videos hyping up their product. They never sponsored or endorsed any fighters. Their company banners weren’t obnoxiously plastered all over fighting events.

It’s as if all their company ever cared about was about making quality gloves AND NOTHING ELSE! They didn’t care about marketing. They didn’t care about distribution, promotion, nothing. If they ran out of stock, too damn bad, you just gotta wait.

And if you’ve ever been to Japan (which I have), you’ll understand right away why they make the best gloves. The most high-tech, intelligent, humble, and hardworking people you’ve ever met. That whole country is PERFECT at everything they do. It’s in their culture.

So it’s no surprise to me at all that you never ever hear of BS problems with Winning. No torn threads or torn leather, none of that crap you get with other brands. This company makes gloves as if you were going to fight a 100-year war in outer space.

Oh and they make assumptions about you, too:

• They ASSUME you’re a serious fighter.
• They ASSUME you need the best glove possible.
• They ASSUME that you will train for a long time.

I can’t say enough. I love a company that respects its customers. Winning doesn’t make gloves for fighters. They make gloves for champions.

Winning was the pros & rich kid’s brand

There was no reason at all for a regular kid like me to have it. Sure, I was hardcore but not like going to tournaments every weekend. You could say I was a typical club fighter. Good enough to go rounds with everyone, skilled and durable, but not a career fighter.

And it wasn’t only the gloves that you had to get. Many fighters will get Winning’s legendary headgear as well. Super light and yet so damn protective. Some fighters will even get the headgear first. (Your brain is more important than your hands!) Anyway, it’s all on you and what you can afford.

I don’t get people saying they can’t afford $400 headgear or $400 gloves when I see them walking around in $300 Air Jordans and with a $600 iPhone in their hand.

Reasons why some pros don’t use Winning:

• high cost
• don’t need (or don’t like) their pillowy cushioning, and/or prefer other brands
• sponsored to use other brands
• prefer flashier or custom glove designs (although Winning does do custom gloves designs as well)
• not easily accessible (in their country or region)

Buying from Winning-USA (in Redondo Beach, California)

Kazumichi’s showroom

Yes, this story gets a whole section to itself because it’s part of the ‘Winning experience’ for me. The USA distributor (probably the only distributor outside of Japan) happens to be in Los Angeles just a few miles away from me in beautiful Redondo Beach, California. It’s run by a very erratic Kazumichi Hayashi and his wife Junko Hayashi.

Being in LA, I’ve heard about him for a long time and his strange ways (through friends and other fighters). He used to run a “showroom” out of his own house in Redondo Beach. You call him up and he screams at you a few times over the phone before giving you an appointment to come see him.

When you arrive at his house (or I think it was an apartment), he lets you in and shows you his closet full of Winning goodies. For a good 10-15 years he operated this way until his wife couldn’t take it anymore. She basically said STOP BRINGING PEOPLE TO THE HOUSE and GET AN OFFICE! He complained about having to pay for an office as well as running it but ultimately gave in after only a few more years—haha!

After seeing the recent decline of Sabas gloves, I was cautious to make sure my favorite gloves did not go the same way. I absolutely didn’t want to be wrong about recommending Winning to boxers all over the world. Yes, I bought a recent pair of $400 Winning gloves just for you guys!

If you don’t already know by now, DO NOT CALL KAZUMICHI! I repeat, DO NOT CALL HIM! (red text) He hates phone calls. He’s a really nice guy in person but will come off as an insane mental patient on the phone. He hates phones! (He probably hates all technology after 1990.)

He hates going to his office, hates getting phone calls. He hates people acting fake or tough around him. Anyway, I contacted him the ‘preferred way’ which is via email and made an appointment. He responds very quickly and precisely. Your email won’t get lost, I assure you.

Office chaos

Unlike other fightgear shops usually located on a main street, the Winning-USA office was located in a half-empty strip mall. I found the tiny office at last on the 2nd floor where it seemed to be the only one in business. It was a tiny office with one desk, a few chairs, one couch, and walls plastered with boxing pictures all over. AHHHHH—that authentic boxing vibe that I love—pictures and autographs all over the walls!

Inside, an old Japanese man working behind his desk yelled at me, “Are you Dave?!”. I clarified that I was Johnny but he seemed in disbelief shuffling through his papers with handwritten notes. After a couple more tries (more incorrect names), he finally gets my name correct and introduces himself as “Kazumichi”. Through the shut door behind him, you could hear people discussing boxing gear and sizes. I guess I was supposed to wait for my turn.

Alone in the office with him, he began his version of 20-questions while I checked out the photos on his walls. I’ll let you judge our “natural chemistry”:

• Kazumichi – YOU WRITE ABOUT BOXING ON THE INTERNET?!
• Me – yes, I do.
• Kazumichi – I HATE THOSE GUYS!
• Me – [silence].
• Kazumichi – THEY KEEP ASKING ME FOR FREE STUFFS!
• Me – yeah, they do that sometimes. [I’m really not sure what to say.]
• Kazumichi – I DON’T HAVE FREE STUFFS! WE NEVER ADVERTISE OR DO PROMOTION OR ANYTHING!
• Me – that’s good.
• Kazumichi – WE DON’T SPONSOR ANYBODY. NOT EVEN FOR CHAMPION! I DON’T CARE IF YOU’RE MIKE TYSON!
• …more silence..
• Kazumichi – WE ARE ALL EQUAL!
• Kazumichi – EVERYBODY THE SAME! DON’T CARE IF A ALI, A MIKE TYSON, SOME GUY ON THE STREET, OR YOU, OR ME! EVERYBODY THE SAME!
• …I just let him ramble while I stared at pictures…
• Kazumichi – MIKE TYSON MY FRIEND! WE EAT DINNER!
• Kazumichi – AND HE BUY ME GIFT!
• Kazumichi – COME HERE! I SHOW YOU!

He proceeds to show me secret drawings of custom gloves designed for Canelo. He also showed me a custom one for Amir Khan as well…and perhaps thinking I still didn’t believe him, he shows me a photograph of Amir Khan wearing his custom pair.

Ali, Tyson, De La Hoya. Hearns, Hagler. Then Barrera, Morales, Pacquiao, Mayweather. Then Triple-G, Canelo. Everybody was there. In many of the photos, Kazumichi and his wife were in there with the fighters as well. All the photos of all the greatest fighters of the past 50 years taken in their absolute prime. The photos were in such pristine quality, as if the prime fighters could jump out at any moment. From the sincere smiles and body position, you could tell these fighters knew him well and adored him. These weren’t fan-pictures, but “family shots”.

A hispanic guy suddenly burst through the front door carrying boxes through the shut door to the other room (the showroom, I presumed). I mistakenly thought this guy was his employee or delivery guy but it later turned out to be a local gym owner who came by often to buy gloves. Kazumichi stopped him to tell him about me (very loudly), “THIS GUY WRITES ON THE INTERNET! I HATE INTERNET PEOPLE!” It was funny because Kazumichi didn’t seem to hate me at all.

Kazumichi’s career

He told me his life story while the sales discussion/negotiation was still going on in the other room. Kazumichi was a former professional boxer, a lightweight. At the height of his career, he almost got to fight Roberto Duran but then lost the eliminator fight leading up to it and the opportunity dissolved. He claims he took a lot of punches. After his pro career he became a sport photographer for a popular boxing magazine in Japan. It got him special entry and ringside seats into the biggest boxing events for many decades. Because of his work, he lived in Los Angeles (close proximity to Vegas and many famous gyms on the west coast of USA).

Throughout his photography career, he was always close with the owner of Winning Boxing. From how he explained, I imagined the owner to be an old-school Japanese businessman. The company didn’t want to go global or to have distributors. They had no desire to be mainstream or make as much profit as possible. They simply wanted to create quality boxing gloves and have the business run by trusted people. The owner loved and trusted Kazumichi with all of his heart, and probably since he was living in the US (where many people ordered from), he begged him to become his USA-distributor. It would be the easiest way to deal with orders coming from the US.

Not surprisingly, Kazumichi declined about a hundred times. Made excuses to avoid every phone call and meeting with his close friend. He loved his photography job covering the biggest names in the sport at famous destinations around the world. To be tied to an office shipping and distributing goods didn’t seem like much fun for him.

In a bittersweet sequence of events, Kazumichi’s wife (Junko) had developed an illness forcing Kazumichi to rethink his constant traveling. Upon discovering they were both in the same city (I forgot where in the world), Winning’s owner called him and asked, “where are you?” and then intercepted Kazumichi right at the airport as he was flying out. This time, Kazumichi agreed accepting his new responsibility as the Winning-USA distributor. It seems the job never grew on him (or so he claims). He never liked being in the office and came only by appointment (no walk-ins). If he could, he would prefer to go to the office only one day a week if even that.

Still waiting for the showroom

We’re an hour into my visit by now and FINALLY the showroom door opens. Some came out with a bag of gloves and paperwork filled-in by Junko. Right as Kazumichi nearly finishes ringing up, 5 more people walked in. I had no idea who they were and neither did Kazumichi. He repeated his entire game again of insisting on guessing people’s names even when they had already told him. It seemed the 5 new people didn’t fully know each other as well; they simply walked in at the same time.

Sensing a room full of strangers, he yelled out loud to them, “THIS GUY HAS A WEBSITE! HE WRITES ON THE INTERNET!” while pointing at me. As they smiled politely, he yelled again, “I HATE INTERNET PEOPLE!” before running to grab a sheet of paper in the back. Out loud, he asked the buyer, “who are your favorite boxers?” Taken aback, the buyer stumbled across a few names and finally his transaction was complete. Kazumichi started his “everybody is equal” all over again to the new people. He yelled a new question at me this time, “ARE YOU GOING TO BUY?!” After I said ‘yes’, he answered, “YOU DON’T HAVE TO! ONLY IF YOU WANT!”

Sensing his stress, I told him it was alright if he took care of the others first. I didn’t mind waiting at all. At this point, the phone rang and I got to see his spite for them in person.

• I HATE PHONES!
• I NEVER LIKE PHONES!
• I DON’T LIKE OFFICE. I DON’T LIKE TO BE HERE!

He picks up the phone in front of everyone and yells, “HELLO! KAZUMICHI! WINNING-BOXING, USA! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!”

• DAVE? ARE YOU DAVE?
• YOU HAVE TO TALK LOUDER! I TAKE A TOO MANY PUNCHES TO THE HEAD!

By now, me and the hispanic guy (I feel awful for forgetting his name) had already chatted a bit and were just laughing at Kazumichi’s eccentric phone responses. “Dude, you should blog about that!” he joked. And well…here you are, reading the play-by-play.

The others in the room were just awkwardly staring at each other not knowing what else to say. Luckily, 2 of them were a quick transaction. The other 3 were together so they went into the showroom altogether with Junko. The phone rings a few more times and Kazumichi yells his usual pleasantries at them before FINALLY accompanying me into the showroom.

Finally entering the showroom

I tried on some headgear and also some gloves. He’s really nice; gives you all the time you need to try on the headgear, check yourself out in the mirror, and throw some punches and bobbing-and-weaving movements. If anything, I felt more pressure from the nice folks waiting outside than I did from Kazumichi himself.

• DO YOU LIKE IT?!
• DOES IT FIT?!

I told him I was still checking it out. And he responds much softer, “Ok. You know…you don’t have to buy it.” (Almost whispering to me, as if it was some kind of secret.)

Hahahah, worst salesman of the year. So terrible and charming at the same time. The headgear fit perfectly but I didn’t need it this time. I was here for gloves and then went straight to the task of picking out my 16oz blue Winning gloves. Why did I get blue? I feel it’s the color I most associate with Winning. The classic Winning blue color!

Afterwards, he very carefully wrote down all my information as 5-6 other people came into the office and waited their turn personally. And then it was my turn for the dreaded post-sale interview. He asked me which fighting sports I trained. If I was amateur or professional. Who my favorite boxers were. Hahaha….all this while a half dozen other people in the small room were waiting for their turn.

Winning Gloves Performance review

Up until recently, I had only experienced Winning gloves through other fighters. Borrowing or playing with a friend’s Winning gear but never really having a pair of my own to beat up on. The pair I’m reviewing now is already over a year old and tested throughout bagwork and sparring. I’m very proud to own these gloves and proud to review them as accurately as possible for you. They’re such a joy to handle and compare side-by-side with other gloves. I appreciate them more every day.

Quality & Craftsmanship

Leather – BEST QUALITY 

Winning is probably the best leather for boxing gloves. The only other one that I think is even better is probably Di Nardo of Italy (those cost $1k/pair). But Winning definitely has the edge in the “mass-produced” world.

I hear people trying to compare other leather, like from Mexican boxing gloves, to Winning and they need to stop that crap. Winning is easily so much nicer and classier. When it arrives, it’s got a beautiful rich buttery texture and with leather conditioner on it to keep it soft and supple. I don’t know even one other manufacturer that does that. Why?…probably because their leather is junk stuff or lower grade, that’s why.

Don’t believe me? Just buy it for yourself and compare it to anybody else. You don’t need to be a leather expert to know the difference. You can see and feel it right away.

Look at the texture and wrinkles. That’s the biggest giveaway of quality that you can see from pictures. The leather is not so thin but yet folds easily. Other gloves have leather that’s either too thick and stiff, or thin and flimsy. I love the luxurious look and feel of Winning leather.

STITCHING

Winning stitching is perfect. Honestly, it’s just Japanese culture. They’re absolute perfectionists and their gloves are no different. Winning gloves are crafted perfectly with every attention to detail. The stitching is perfect everywhere, like it was done by machine. The ends are very cutely tucked in and finish. I don’t know how else to explain it but to say they are finished in a very “cute” manner.

PADDING

We already know the legends about Winning’s unparalleled padding. So many brands have attempted to copy it over the past decades. Super soft cushion that protects your knuckles through its big pillowey padding. So protective in fact that some fighters even complain that it’s TOO SOFT and feels too much like you’re punching into pillows. (Some like more feedback, or more “thud”.) Either way, I love it for training. Feels great on the bag but exceptionally soft for sparring partners.

The padding is thick around your knuckles, back of the hand and then slims down toward your wrists. Still some padding on the back of the wrist and then relatively thin on the front of the wrist and palm area (as with most gloves).

LINING

This is one of the most underrated aspects of a boxing glove and something I’m sure you’ll appreciate so much about Winning. Winning very EASILY for me has the absolute best lining in the world. It’s perfect! Feels fantastic. So damn super smooth, you will love it!

Smooth lining makes it so much easier to put your gloves on and off. Rougher lining snags your hand wraps more, creating annoying friction that requires you to loosen up your glove laces more. When putting on the gloves, rough lining will pull your hand wraps out of place. When taking off the gloves, rough lining can trap your hand inside more easily. Life is so much easier with smooth lining. And of course, Winning’s lining is breathable and high quality, also prevents sweat from penetrating.

I also like that the lining is carefully stitched to the inside of the glove. Some gloves have smooth lining BUT the lining is not fasted well, it kinda floats around in the glove creating a feeling of an annoying slippery layer that won’t let you grip the padding. With Winning gloves, the lining is unnoticeable once you slide your hands in…you just feel the padding and the glove.

Performance and Durability

PROTECTION

What else do you expect from the most copied padding on earth? It’s GREAT! Unrivaled super soft and plush protection. Feels like you’re punching clouds. My knuckles feel great. My wrists feel great.

COMFORT

Winning’s comfort is another one of those unrivaled qualities. But what IS it that makes it so comfortable? And in which ways is it comfortable?

• Ergonomic shape – a shape that truly fits your hand perfectly. Yes, it really fits like a glove. Feels broken in already. So plush and smooth.
• Anatomic thumb – Winning has the most comfortable thumb of all boxing gloves! Very distinct unique shape that you notice right from looking at it. I’ve taken a guess at the secret. It’s the superior craftsmanship and materials. The softer leather and softer padding allows them to build a smaller and more curved thumb which fits more like a “glove” around your thumb. Other boxing gloves use stiffer leather and stiffer padding which forces them to make a big thumb that feels like a splint (limiting mobility) rather than a glove (allowing mobility).
• Easy opening/closing the hand – soft padding/leather combined with great craftsmanship/shape makes it’s a really comfortable glove that lets you open and close your hand easily. You feel so much less hand fatigue using these gloves and they feel broken in right from the start. Other gloves make a fist easily but you can’t open the hand much, or vice versa.
• Smooth liner – feels great on your skin, also feels very cool in temperature. Great
• Secure/supportive – you feel more comfortable when you feel safe. And the gloves feel very secure/protective!

DURABILITY

These are high quality gloves. Made to last. Made for professional use. No toy junk. No gimmicky marketing. It’s what pros all over the world use. They don’t need to convince you of anything. The gloves speak for themselves. Winning is one of the most trusted brands in boxing. Very unpretentious.

My personal thoughts on Winning

Should you buy them? (What kind of fighters should buy them…)

At the price of $300-400—YES, THEY ARE WORTH IT! But are they worth it for beginners? Are they worth it for people who can’t afford it?

I do secretly think that some people wear them only for the status and not because they even train on that level. First off, if you’re the kind of person who’s only hitting the bag twice a month and not training for competition…you probably don’t need Winning. You could do just fine with some dense bag gloves.

If you’re training seriously, plan to spar, or want another pair of great quality “soft” gloves that don’t cost as much, why not try one of the copycat brands?

• Read my comparison of Winning vs Ring2Cage C17’s & Sabas Supersoft – Winning boxing gloves VS the copycats

Where to buy Winning Gloves

LEATHER vs SYNTHETIC

You can choose to buy Winning gear in either real leather or synthetic option. I’ve been told that Winning uses Lorica (made in Italy), and known as the highest quality synthetic leather possible (an Italian told me this). It looks and feels very much like real leather and very hard to tell the difference.

BUY WINNING GLOVES IN PERSON (from USA distributor)

Kazumichi Hayashi
811 N Catalina Ave #3002,
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
USA
boxing@winning-usa.com (email him, do NOT call!)
www.winning-usa.com (super ugly site)

Go in person so you can get the same crazy experience I did. I’ll warn you ahead of time. Despite his best efforts, old man Kazumichi is disorganized as hell. He can’t remember anybody’s names or what time they’re supposed to come. It also doesn’t help that his English is poor and he reads off every name like it’s the first time he’s ever heard it.

You may think you’ve nailed down an appointment for “Wednesday, 12pm!” but that very quickly becomes a 2-hour wait when random characters jump in and out of his office as he scrambles to make sense of his handwritten notes.

BUY WINNING GLOVES FROM A LOCAL SELLER

While Winning only has one official US distributor (Mr. Kazumichi), there are many gym-owners or equipment dealers who buy from him in mass and then resell at gyms in their neighborhood.

If you aren’t able to get to Kazumichi, there might still be an unofficial “dealer” nearby you. Usually, it’s some random guy who visits all the local gyms once a month and sells gloves to all the pros there. Call up different boxing gyms and ask around. If there’s pros training in the gym, there’s probably somebody bringing Winning to them.

BUY WINNING GLOVES ONLINE

For those of us who can’t buy in person, you can also order them online. This is usually more expensive and may take longer. There are a few main places I recommend:

• Amazon (my affiliate links above) – I get a small commission if you buy from here.
• America-Ya on Rakuten – I’ve never bought from this seller (Steve but many people use it to get authentic Japanese boxing gear like Winning gloves, or Mizuno shoes. Customization also available. I think this is probably the best and most hassle-free option if you want custom.
• Koubudo on Rakuten – another person selling authentic Winning stuff. There’s a lot of debate back and forth on who’s cheaper (A-Y vs Koubudo), nicer, better person to buy authentic winning gear. I don’t know since I live nearby the USA distributor.
• Kozuji.com – another trusted online store. Their available stock can change from time to time.
• WJAPANBOXING.com – I’ve never seen them before but they look ehhh…seems like a US-based reseller.

BEWARE OF FAKE WINNING GLOVES!

Be careful buying from anywhere else! How to make sure yours is real? I think real Winning gloves always come in a plastic bag and leather conditioner on the gloves. The conditioner feels like a light grease. There’s usually a little paper tag accompanying the gloves as well.

It’s easy to tell if you’ve seen a pair of real Winning gloves in person before. The leather, inside liner, and overall craftsmanship are pretty hard to copy. There are also helpful videos like this to make sure you don’t get cheated…but then again, cheaters always find a way!

The #1 mouthguard review! 20+ brands and dozens of models covered.

I’ll break down what qualities to look for in a mouthguard. Which things feel nice and protective, and which things feel annoying or less-protective. I’ve tried dozens over the years and also get free ones all the time.

Let’s decide which mouthguard will protect your teeth, jaw, and brain the best from punches!

IMPORTANT QUALITIES for boxing mouthguards

In case you don’t know WHY fighters wear mouthguards, it’s to protect themselves and also their opponents. Your teeth can cut into your lips, insides of the mouth, or their tongue, or dig into your opponent’s knuckles. Or also the other terrible scenario, you don’t want someone’s teeth getting punched out.

I can tell you from my own personal experience that sparring without a mouthguard is a terrible mistake. You are bound to bite your own lip or chomp on your own tongue. I’ve bitten through my own tongue (basically gave myself a tongue piercing) when I got hit with an uppercut while not wearing a mouthguard.

1. COMFORT

You have to feel like it fits your mouth comfortably and that you feel “natural” with it in. If it feels like a rock is suffocating your mouth, that’s not the right feeling! If it feels like it’s leaving your mouth open and kind of vulnerable to getting punched, that’s also not the right feeling. If you don’t feel comfortable, you won’t relax.

The worst mouthguard are the ones that don’t feel like they leave your jaw in a natural position. Some will make your mouth, jaw, or neck muscles tired. Others make you salivate a lot. Tension is really bad, as even a little bit of jaw tension can spread down your neck and to the rest of your body, affecting your overall body movements.

2. PROTECTION

The mouthguard should protective your teeth, your jaw, and brain. The teeth is protected by the “rigidity” of the mouthguard. The jaw is protected by the mouthguard keeping the upper and lower jaws aligned; if the lower one is “loose”, it feels like it can be broken! The brain is protected by how well the mouthguard distributes the shock impact across your entire skull instead of only to one area.

NOTE: everything I just said is a wild guess. I’m not a doctor or mouthguard scientist. I’m simply going by what I feel!

3. BREATHABILITY

You have to be able to breathe through the mouthguard. There’s no point in a mouthguard that feels secure but makes it harder for you to breathe. Some mouthguards feel like they cover all your breathing holes, or that you have to use more lung muscle to force air in and out. This feeling can come because the breathing holes are too small or maybe because the way your lips roll over the mouthguard. Everyone’s mouths are shaped differently so it can come down to personal preference as well.

4. MULTI-DENSITY

I think the best mouthguards absolutely have to be made of multi-density plastic. It’s because if you have single density, they end up being either SOFT all over (for comfort) but then are easily chewed through or aren’t rigid enough to offer support….ORRRRR…..they’re HARD all over and don’t mold well enough to your mouth for comfort. I think the best balance is that the parts that get bitten have to be strong enough to resist your teeth and the parts that wrap around your teeth should be softer for comfort (molding to your mouth better, and also not cutting into your gums).

PERSONAL QUALITIES for boxing mouthguard

1. BOIL-&-BITE vs CUSTOM MOUTHGUARDS

In my opinion, the cheap $25-50 boil-and-bite mouthguards, will most likely always be better for you than even a $150 or $2000 custom mouthguard (yes, they exist).

IMO, standard BOIL-&-BITE is usually better than a custom mouthguard.

PROS & CONS of boil-&-bite mouthguards:

• SINGLE and DOUBLE options – if you love having a DOUBLE mouthguard which also covers the lower row of teeth, or maybe you like having breathing holes in the center, your only choice is to get a boil-&-bite. Custom mouthguards do not come in the DOUBLE design. I think it’s because it’s incredibly hard to know exactly how the top and bottom row will line up for each individual person.
• CONVENIENT – you can buy them from a store and mold them right away to your mouth within 10 minutes. With a custom mouthguard, you have to get an appointment to get fitted somewhere (which also has a wait in itself) and then wait a couple more weeks to get your mouthguard. If for whatever awful reason the fit isn’t perfect, you have to do it all over again.
• CHEAP – boil-&-bite mouthguards may cost only $25-35 for the absolute best ones. Custom mouthguards can run anywhere from $50-150 for the best ones.
• BETTER PROTECTION – I feel more protected with boil-&-bite mouthguards than I do in custom ones. Granted, I haven’t tried very many custom ones but the experience I had was enough for me.

PROS & CONS of custom mouthguards:

• CUSTOM FIT – if you need a truly custom fit around your teeth, gums, and mouth…custom mouthguards are your best option.
• THINNER MATERIAL – because they are custom, they can be far less bulky and yet still protective because they’re made of a certain material.
• CUSTOM DESIGN – custom mouthguards can have your own design and names put on them since they are made custom after all.
• BETTER PROTECTION – custom mouthguards can also seem more protective because they’re perfectly fitted to your teeth and don’t feel like something foreign that you have to bite on.

My experience with custom mouthguards….

I know…it’s funny, right? Everyone assumes that a custom-fitted mouthguard should be not only higher in quality but also better fit. I will happily be the first to advise you against that.

First off, I think the boil & bite mouthguard will fit just as well as any expensive custom mouthguard simply because you’re actually biting the mouthguard that you’re using. I know the “custom mouthguards” sell themselves as having a better fit but I haven’t found this to be true. You have to go to get a mold done by a dentist, and then your mouthguard is based on THAT mold.

Basically, your mouthguard will be a copy of a copy, or more accurately—a negative copy of a negative copy. I think having multiple copies allows for tiny imperfections…and then the mouthguard is “cured” and hardened outside of your mouth, which only leaves room for further imperfections. By the time you get it, I assure you it will not fit as well as a “BOIL & BITE” mouthguard that you actually bit into and let cure while it was in your mouth!!!

Secondly, I think the BOIL & BITE mouthguards are simply better/fancier material. They have multiple layers and a more refined design in my opinion. The custom guards seem to spend all their time focusing on the “custom fit” process and not as much on the actual material. The ones I did see that even offered different material choices, still didn’t look or feel as fancy as the higher end B&B mouthguards. Again, I’m sure custom mouthguard have gone a long way and I’ve yet to try a recent model (but I will soon).

You’re welcome to prove me wrong and let me know if you found a custom one worth trying. I was not able to. I can offer a few words of advice in case you still want to try a custom mouthguard anyway:

1. Go to a dentist or company that specializes in BOXING/FIGHTING/COMBAT mouthguards. Many of them are familiar more for baseball, football, basketball, or sleeping (to avoid teeth-grinding)…which I feel are made in a different way and with a different material.
2. Don’t let the mouthguard reach so deep into your mouth. I had one with that issue that made me salivate like crazy. You can generate so much spit, you almost feel like you’re choking/drowning during a fight.
3. Custom mouthguards are probably your only choice if you have a weird mouth alignment or teeth layout that doesn’t fit a standard boil & bite.
4. I imagine fighters with braces may also prefer a custom mouthguard. But this is also weird to me since custom mouthguards don’t cover the bottom row, so those will still be exposed.

2. DOUBLE mouthguard vs SINGLE mouthguard

In case you don’t know the difference…the DOUBLE mouthguards protect both your top and bottom teeth and usually have some breathing holes in the middle. The SINGLE mouthguards are usually more slim and protect only the top row, and/or a tiny bit of the bottom row.

It’s a matter of personal preference. Which one feels more comfortable, secure, and easy to breathe. Honestly, I’ve seen people who said the similar things about both mouthguards.

Some people feel single mouthguards are more comfortable because it’s less material in your mouth. Feels more secure because your mouth closes tighter and you don’t feel like your lower jaw is hanging out so far (vulnerable to getting punched off). Feels easier to breathe because you can open your jaw to breathe and also breathe around the entire bottom of it. It breathes as well as if you didn’t have a mouthguard in. I will also say that if you can’t breathe with your mouth closed with a SINGLE mouthguard, it ends up being more of a risk since you’ll open your mouth to breathe!

But likewise, other people will feel the same advantages about double mouthguards, although in a different manner. Some say they feel more secure because they cover more of your teeth and lock the upper and lower jaw together. They also feel it’s easier to breathe because your mouth doesn’t have to shut the teeth perfectly closed to grip the mouthguard, and that the mouthguard has nice breathing holes right in the middle.

• I would say if you like a naked feel, go for a single.
• If you like a more protected feel as if you’re wearing a shield in your mouth, go for the double.
• If you like the nakedness of a single mouthguard but still want the lower jaw to lock in, there are actually some single mouthguards that have a little bit of bottom coverage to lock in the lower jaw somewhat…kind of like a 1.5 mouthguard.
• If you have braces, get a double.
• If you like to breathe in and out deeply in a huff-and-puff manner (basically panting), single mouthguards are easier for that and don’t leave your mouth as open/vulnerable as a double mouthguard.
• If you like to breathe in a sharp hissing manner, a double mouthguard will feel perfect and not at all like it restricts your breathing.
  Honestly, I recommend you to just try both and see for yourself which one feels better.

Single mouthguard:

• Feels like your mouth can close tighter.
• Simpler, slightly less hassle to put on and off.
• Doesn’t collect as much saliva.
• Easier to breathe.
• Easier to talk or sip water.
• Lets you open your mouth without the mouthguard slipping off.
• Cheaper.
• Less coverage than double.

Double mouthguard (my personal preference):

• Secures both upper and lower jaw together.
• More teeth coverage (covers the bottom row as well as the top).
• Absolutely needed if you have braces.
• Harder to breathe (for some).
• Feels like you have to always bite down on it, or else it falls out. Some considered this a “PRO”.
• Harder to talk and sip water.
• More expensive.
• May cause more saliva.

3. HARD mouthguard vs SOFT mouthguard

Mouthguards do come in a range of hardness; HARD, MEDIUM, and SOFT. I would say Brain Pad is HARD, Under Armour is MEDIUM, and Shock Doctor is SOFT. I think it’s part personal preference and also has to do with your teeth hardness and bite strength.

If you have a stronger your jaw (and stronger bite), you’ll likely prefer a harder mouthguard. The soft mouthguards will feel too soft and too easy to bite through. On the other hand…if you have softer teeth or softer bite, you’ll feel the harder mouthguards are too stiff and too uncomfortable to bite, almost like you’ll chip your teeth.

Soft mouthguards:

• Can feel more comfortable, less painful/tension to bite on, flexibility is more allowing of imperfect teeth alignment.
• Less durable as the teeth can bite through the material easier.
• Can feel less protective upon impact since it has less rigidity to distribute the entire impact.
• Can melt too easily during the boil process or are too weak to reboil again.

Hard mouthguards:

• Can feel more protective because its rigidity distributes the impact more across the jaw and skull.
• More durable since you can’t bite through the material as easily.
• Stiff material can be really annoying and require a reboil if the teeth don’t align perfectly.
• The stiffer material can feel like it “sticks” to your teeth better and less likely to fall out when you open your mouth.

4. Bite depth

Some mouthguards have more teeth coverage and feel like a protective shell that completely wraps around your teeth. Others feel super slim like you’re biting on some gum that covers only half of your teeth; these also allow you to speak during your sport.

I would say the fighting ones will protect more teeth and the slimmer ones are made only to minimally protect you. For this reason, I don’t recommend using basketball or ball-sport mouthguard for fighting. Not only do they cover less teeth but I think they’re more likely to fly off when you’re getting hit.

5. What if you have braces?

If you have braces, you absolutely need to have a double mouthguard (or at least have coverage on whichever rows of teeth that have braces). Without covering the braces, they’ll cut the insides of your mouth during impact when you get punched.

You should also look into the mouthguard specifications to see which ones can be used with braces. I don’t think all of them are compatible. Don’t quote me, but I think the ones that work with braces will have like an inside track or space where the braces can lay…instead of having to mold the mouthguard perfectly to your braces.

6. Kids or females

Kids or females may need to wear smaller mouthguards to fit their smaller jaws. Any reputable mouthguard brand will definitely smaller mouthguard sizes available or you.

7. SPORTS mouthguard vs COMBAT mouthguards

To be honest, I’ve never used any mouthguards outside of the ones made for fighting. I’ve never tried the basketball or football ones. I do feel many of them are made to allow more breathing and talking rather than purely to secure the jaw. Some of them look somewhat similar to fighting mouthguards but others look noticeably different. I also feel mouthguards made for weightlifting are built more to resist biting.

I don’t know the difference and not sure which ones are interchangeable. I can’t help but feel like mouthguards made for other sports are softer and less protective against impact. Again, I don’t really know; it’s a made-up thought I have off the top of my head.

8. What about mouthguards that promise increased power/performance?

What?! A $2,000 mouthguard that makes you run faster, jump higher, and punch harder? C’mon, don’t be an idiot.

9. Moldability

I think this is part due to the quality of the mouthguard but also how well you mold it to your teeth. I highly recommend that you mold the walls very tightly and perfectly to your teeth so that there’s no room for air in there. Get it as close as you can.

You know what happens if you let air get in there? It’s especially annoying with single mouthguard as the air space feels like you have to breathe out through your mouthguard…imagine a BLOCKED coffee straw and that you’re exerting more energy to exhale. This is only an issue with single mouthguards as double mouthguards usually have breathing holes right in the center. Nonetheless, you should get as tight as you can for better protection anyway.

10. Flavored mouthguards

I think this is a recent thing and definitely not something I feel was invented to help fighters. I think the flavored mouthguards are made for children in football or wrestling. And they’re actually talked about and compared in terms of flavor (how good it tastes) and how long the flavor lasts (like bubble gum).

I don’t get the whole flavor-thing to be honest. It might make sense if you’re standing around bored, but to be producing saliva in the middle of a fight and confusing your body’s fight-or-flight instincts? That’s probably too distracting for me.

It would make sense if existing mouthguards tasted so gross and therefore the product actually solves a problem. But current mouthguards don’t bother me or taste funny. And during a fight, I don’t even notice how they taste.

11. Boxing/Kickboxing vs MMA

I’ve never done too much MMA, and almost nothing for kickboxing so I have absolutely no expertise in those. I feel boxing and kickboxing, you need the best protection against jaw impact. But for grappling, comfort may be a little more important. I think it’s also easier for the mouthguard to fall out during grappling struggles so it’s important to have one that really stays in your mouth (sticks to your teeth) even if you open your mouth a little.

NOTE about mouthguard rankings:

I list all the mouthguards here by my own personal preference. I typically prefer double-mouthguard and more on the stiffer side. Some of you may prefer a single mouthguard, or one that’s more on the soft side. You’re welcome to go by what you feel is best for you!

BEST BOIL-N-BITE MOUTHGUARDS – Brain Pad & Shock Doctor

Brain Pad and Shock Doctor are the 2 best brands of mouthguards in my opinion, and should be your first choice if you’ve never had a mouthguard before. They’re both comfortable, protective, come with dental warranty, and easily found in most fight stores for about $20-35.

I also respect these brands the most since they seem to have built their name off of mouthguards…and not off of other products like gloves, shoes, etc. They focus only on mouthguards and also offer the highest dental warranty compared to anybody else.

In case you’re curious, I never heard of anybody actually claiming the dental warranty. I’ve never seen anybody lose their teeth with a mouthguard on and I also wonder if it’s just a gimmick (with fine-print to avoid paying out claims). In any case, it’s nice that they stand behind their product.

Anyway, if it were up to me: I want you to stop reading here and just pick either the most expensive option of Brain Pad or Shock Doctor. It’s a couple extra dollars, pay the extra bucks, and protect yourself! Don’t even waste your time with the gimmicky cheap stuff!

Brain Pad – the stiff double

I list Brain Pad first because they are my favorite mouthguard.(RED) Don’t quote me but I think they’re the older company of the two. They also seem much more serious and I love their old school company vibe and branding. Even their packaging looks like a 90’s toy brand.

They offer only a few solid product choices and with all of them being high quality. I hate the other companies that offer tons of choices and colors. C’mon now, it’s just a mouthguard!…and not some silly “lifestyle brand”!

Brain Pad branding is pretty ugly and so is the product. It’s a very industrial-looking design with hard lines and edges. But the fit and protection feel great. I love it! I would say the material feels a bit stiffer than most other mouthguards on the market, and especially compared to Shock Doctor (which has a softer “gel” feel). If there’s any downside to Brain Pad offerings, it’s that they don’t seem to offer any SINGLE mouthguard designs. All of their mouthguards are DOUBLE, which is totally fine by me!

I also like the huge breathing holes. You feel like you can breathe just as well as if your mouth was wide open, and not like you’re trying to suck air through some tiny coffee straws. With that said, some people do complain that Brain Pad mouthguards have too much material, leave your mouth too open (vulnerable to getting knocked out), and cause too much saliva/drool. That’s up to you to decide and they do have slimmer versions that don’t have that issue.

I would also say that Brain Pad is great for people with big mouths, big jaws, and strong biters…which describes me perfectly. Other mouthguards feel too small (not as protective, doesn’t cover as much), and too soft (like I can bite through them). I love the rigid strength of Brain Pad but I totally get why some people complain that it’s too stiff. Yeah, I can see it being uncomfortable if you feel like the mouthguard is harder/stronger than your teeth.

• high quality, few product offerings
• no-nonsense old-school branding
• great fit and protection
• big breathing holes
• “stiff” feel, but they do offer “soft” feel if you want
• only DOUBLE mouthguard designs
• can feel big/bulky, but they do offer slimmer models

Brain-Pad, Inc. (3XSWP) 3XS Triple Laminated Mouthguard with Special Formulated Super Gel Pads WHITE/BLACK Adult ($22.99)

Their top model (the 3XS series); it’s a DOUBLE mouthguard. I love it. Very protective and feels high-tech. Stiff and strong. Great breathing. Some people might complain that it’s too bulky but I don’t mind it at all. I love it.

It can also fit over top and bottom braces. Can also be used for football and other sports.

Brain-Pad 3XS Triple Laminated Strap/Strapless Combo BLACK/BLUE Adult ($21.99)

I think it’s the same model as the one above but with different colors.

Brain Pad 3XS Professional Youth Mouthguard with Case ($15.99)

Same 3XS model but in smaller size for children, and maybe even females.

Brain-Pad PRO+PLUS Strap/Strapless Mouthguard – ADULT – Black/Gray ($21.10)

The PRO series is the next step down but a great quality model as well. Great protection. You can also get this in clear color.

Brain-Pad Youth PRO+Plus Double Laminated Mouthguard BLACK/GRAY ($7.99)

Awesome PRO design but the youth model. I’d say it’s a massive bargain at only $7.99.

Brain Pad LoPro+ Adult Mouth Guard ($14.99)

Their “LoPro” models feature a slimmer design for smaller mouths or those who don’t like such a bulky mouthguard. These can still cover and protect braces as well.

Other options: BLUE/CLEAR, CLEAR, WOMENS/PINK, YOUTH/BLACK, YOUTH/BLUE, YOUTH/PINK.

Brain-Pad Adult Double Guard Single material Mouthguard BLACK ($9.99)

This is their “cheap” line. It’s made of only one material. From what I’ve read, it’s still pretty stiff and pretty good protection. They also sell this in “youth” size as well but I couldn’t find any links at the moment.

Shock Doctor – the super soft

Shock Doctor is for me the “cool brand” of the mouthguard industry. Sexy sleek designs and packaging. Tons of colors and options. All kinds of fancy choices. Lots of gimmicky marketing and over-hyped “technology” features as if they were selling cars. Anyway, they sell mouthguards ranging from $5 all the way up to $30.

Unfortunately, all of these things are a huge turnoff for me. I don’t take them very seriously because of that. What kind of self-respecting mouthguard company even bothers to sell the crappy $10-mouthguards?! Do you see Ferrari’s selling $50k entry-level cars? NO, YOU DON’T! I also don’t like that Shock Doctor has so many designs. It certainly feels like they’re ripping off designs from other mouthguard companies.

But let’s focus on the actual mouthguards, shall we? I found them to be subpar because of the softness. I don’t feel as protected with them on (compared to Brain Pad). But I do understand their appeal. Many fighters love their “soft” feel as it’s more comfortable than a “stiff” mouthguard that can sometimes seem to bend your teeth. If you like how they feel, then get it!

The other thing about Shock Doctor that I think is a benefit is that their mouthguards do come in SINGLE and slim designs. This is nice if you don’t like having so much material in your mouth. They’re a great choice for those who like the feel of a slim or SINGLE mouthguard but still want some protection for their lower teeth. Shock Doctor has many designs that are like 1.5 coverage (full top, and half bottom).

Overall, I’ll never like Shock Doctor because they’re too soft. I feel like I’ll bite right through them. I also feel like their material is so soft that if I don’t bite it perfectly on the first try, they’ll be too mashed up to re-boil again. But again, you should try them regardless as they might still be a good option for you!

They have way too many designs so I won’t cover all except for the most notable ones. There are also many designs that I think are more intended for other sports rather than for fighting. They’re too slim or too soft or don’t have the right shape for fighting IMO. Shock Doctor also has tons of cheap stuff (although they look fancy).

• soft gel feeling (very comfortable)
• great fit
• feels more protective than usual SINGLE mouthguards
• too soft, melts while boiling or can be easily bit through
• may feel less protective than harder mouthguards
• some people feel they fall off easily

Shock Doctor Fangs Braces Double Mouth Guard ($26.99)

As is the case with most Shock Doctor guards. Most people like it, love the fit and comfort. The ones who don’t like it either don’t like the fit or because they feel it’s too soft, too easy to bite through, and not protective enough. This one is good for braces. Adult and youth sizes available.

Shock Doctor Gel Max Power Print Mouthguard ($21.99)

Some people like it. Others say it’s made too cheap or awkwardly-sized (too big). There’s also complaints that the design comes off, ouch…major turnoff and big reason why I hate “cool designs” on mouthguard.

Shock Doctor Superfit Convertible Mouthguard ($19.99)

Sold as an “all-sports” mouthguard. I never tried it but it looks flimsy to me!

Shock Doctor Gel Max Power Mouthguard ($10.99)

Comes with a nice $10k warranty but honestly, I think it’s cheap stuff.

Shock Doctor Nano 3D Convertible Mouthguard ($19.99)

It’s called “Nano” because it’s smaller, slimmer, thinner, and has about 1/3rd less material than traditional mouthguards. Some people love it. I think most fighters will find it’s too slim to be protective. I’ve also heard complaints about it falling off easily which isn’t surprising when you have a small AND soft mouthguard. Also pay close attention to the low height of the inside wall and it’s not hard to imagine why the might not clamp onto your teeth as well. They do have some really cool colors though that can cost as much as $40.

Shock Doctor Nano Double Mouthguard ($24.99)

The DOUBLE version of the Nano 3D mouthguard. Some like it and some complain that the lower part doesn’t mold well or doesn’t cover enough. Others say the outside and inside edges are too hard and can cut into the lip or top of the mouth during impact.

Shock Doctor Nano Double Fight Mouthguard ($24.99)

I have no idea what the difference is between the NANO DOUBLE and NANO DOUBLE FIGHT models.

Shock Doctor Ulra-slim Microfit Mouthguard ($19.99)

No, I don’t recommend this guard at all. I only listed it here cuz I was appalled at this blatant rip-off off SISU’s mouthguard design. Somebody please let me know if I’m wrong!

Shock Doctor Gel Max Convertible Mouthguard ($7.99)

This is the iconic Shock Doctor design that most people have recognized for years. I think it’s cheap shit and still not worth getting. All their other ones below this are definitely NOT worth getting. The main complaint is usually along the lines of too soft, and also too small.

Shock Doctor Pro Mouth Guard ($7.99)

Cheap and too soft. At least they put enough material around the molars so you don’t bite through. And at first try, the mouthguard doesn’t feel so bad. But once you compare it to others, you realize it doesn’t mold well to your mouth despite how soft and thin it is.

2ND TIER MOUTHGUARDS – Nike, Under Armour, Venum, Title, etc

These are in my opinion, the next best brands for mouthguards. They are probably not as good as the Brain Pad and Shock Doctor, but are still better than nothing and still better than the super cheap ones.

I do like to make of these brands and call them the “wannabe mouthguards” since they try so hard to look just as premium. They come with fancy packaging and also offer dental warranty. I reckon if I was a new to boxing or MMA, that I might have thought they were more prestigious. My bias against them is probably because I know mouthguards aren’t their main focus, and simply only another product segment for them to make money off the sport.

Do keep in mind that many of these brands make the cheap $5 mouthguards as well but I don’t bother showing those as they’re a waste of time and I don’t like covering products I would never use myself.

Nike – football specialist

Nike mouthguards feel like a joke to me. The material looks like whatever.

Nike Adult Hyperflow Flavor Mouthguard BLACK CHERRY ($39.99)

This looks to be their best one. Looks bulky and high-quality. I think it was designed more for football than for fighting. Nice breathing holes and dual-density. As always with Nike products, it’s pretty stylish.

Nike Pro Hyperflow Mouth Guard BLACK/WHITE ($29.99)

Still looks stylish but much cheaper model because of single density. Don’t be fooled by the fancy design. I don’t think this is very good at all.

Nike Pro Hyperflow Mouthguard ROYAL-BLUE/WHITE($29.99)

Same thing as above but different color.

Nike Hyperstong Mouthguard ($14.99)

Dual-density and looks stylish. The one I have molded nice enough and the material feels strong enough for boxing. I like that there’s enough material in the molar area to bite. Might be ok if all you need is a simple SINGLE mouthguard and you like Nike. I’ve also seen them priced as low as $11.99 in some stores.

Nike Youth Hyperflow Mouthguard ($19.95)

I hear it’s bad and melts easily in hot water. Also, it looks like the cheap $2 crap but with a Nike logo on it.

Under Armour – football specialist

Under Armour makes a ton of different mouthguard models and I’m not sure which ones can be used for fighting or not. It seems most of them are made for football and also with the “flavor feature” (what for?! lol). I was able to try 2 models myself and will have to guess on the performance of the rest based on those.

Under Armour ArmourBite Antimicrobial Mouthguard Adult ($34.95)

This is probably their premium model. Super high-quality and comfortable. Anti-microbial qualities, blah blah blah.

Under Armour UA ArmourBite Mouthguard Medium Tropic Pink ($22.95)

Same thing as above but smaller version for females.

Under Armour ArmourShield Mouthguard Adult Red ($24.95)

Multi-layered mouthguard supposedly designed for all contact sports. Looks alright to me.

Under Armour Adult Armourshield Flavored Mouthguard ($21.95)

Not the best reviews. Some people complain it’s too small (child size). But there were some good comments about long-lasting flavor.

Under Armour Mouthwear ArmourFit Mouthguard STRAPLESS ($11.95)

Looks kinda simple but has some good reviews online. The good comments are due to it molding well, durable, and some people liked it better than even Shock Doctor mouthguards. I kind of have to agree. It does fit nicely and I like the thickness around the molars. I’m not so sure how good it’ll be for fighting but it’s definitely one of the better cheap SINGLE ones. I’d also say the design is more of a 1.5 design where the bottom row does get some coverage (just a little) but it still feels like a single.

Venum – Thai clone

Oh boy, here comes another “Shock Doctor”. Tons of colors and designs. Price ranging from $8-20. Luckily, their seemingly limitless color options essentially boil down into only 2 models, the more premium “Predator” or the standard “Challenger”.

Venum Predator Mouthguard ($19.99)

Tons of color options. Has a multiple-layer core, and then also some bits of gel for comfort. I think this is the one to buy if you like Venum stuff. I’d say the mouthguards look fancier in pictures than in person. I have it and it looks really cheap and gimmicky in person. It seems like usable protection but hard to aim your bite (especially if your teeth aren’t perfectly line up a certain way). It has the similar issue as Title being that it melted together too quick.

I’m not a fan of the user guide pamphlet saying “This mouthguard passed M33:2011 Performance Level 2 impact tests for players playing lesser contact sports and recreation…etc..etc..” What the heck do they mean by “lesser contact sports”? Isn’t boxing a GREATER contact sport?!

Oh and what’s this? Just as I’ve made fun of Venum gloves before for being a “Thai clone brand”, it seems they’ve done the same for their mouthguards. You can look up the Fairtex mouthguard on Amazon yourself. It’s the exact same design with just a different logo. Seriously, go see for yourself. This kind of crap makes me lose respect for brands entirely.

Venum Challenger Mouthguard ($14.99)

This one has tons of color options as well. It might look cool and have multiple colors, but I think it’s only single density and basically just Venum’s redesigned version of the super cheap mouthguards.

CHEAP MOUTHGUARDS – Battle, Meister, Safeguard

These brands for me are the absolute lowest you should ever go. They’re priced pretty cheap but still intend to be protective (or at least market themselves to be). I honestly wouldn’t use any of these unless I had no other choice. Seriously…the Title ones even have instructions “DO NOT CHEW YOUR MOUTHGUARD”…hahahah, how pathetic!

Some advice for you when boiling cheap mouthguards…DON’T TRUST THE INSTRUCTIONS! It might say to hold it under water for 30 seconds, or 60 seconds, or 90 seconds. Just trust me on this. You should eye it yourself to know when to pull it out. The moment you see the side-walls collapsing under the heat is when you should take it out. Wait a second longer and your mouthguard will completely melt to pieces. The higher quality ones can withstand more heat.

Title / Fighting Sports – Pakistan clone

Ahhhh, where would we be without Title doing copycat “me-too” generic products? Just like their boxing gloves, Title has released several different mouthguard models and designs, ranging from $0.80-12. And yes, they’re all pretty much crap. Not enticing whatsoever and I don’t recommend them personally. They also don’t offer any dental warranty. Let’s go through their “better” options shall we?

Title GEL Victory Mouthguard ($11.99)

Lots of material for a cheap mouthguard. Get it if you like the feeling of biting on a sock.

Title GEL Triple-Shot Mouthguard ($12.99)

I don’t know about you but this insults my intelligence. Title sells a mouthguard under their brand that’s also released in the exact same design by another brand (not surprisingly, another copycat brand in “RDX”). These cheap companies just can’t find a way to produce their own unique stuff, can they?! They do the same with boxing gloves (LINK) too if you don’t already know.

The instructions say to boil it for 90 seconds but I knew better. I pulled it out around the 30-second mark because the walls were already collapsing and the mouthguard was visibly shrinking. Luckily I took it out in time as any longer and I would have ruined it completely. It molded just fine and I like that there’s a lot of material to bite into. It’s good if all you want to do is lock your jaws together but I don’t think it’s a good guard. I highly doubt that the way it fits is what the company intended. I think they meant to have medium-thickness walls around your teeth but because this things melts together into a lumpy mush, it just feels like you’re biting on a thick sock.

Oh, and in case you think I’m just bashing on this mouthguard unfairly, I’M NOT! I got it for free (as a review product) and can attest to its suckiness from day one. It’s just way too soft. Maybe you’ll like the “gel feeling” and amount of material in your mouth but I’m still skeptical about its protection abilty. It’s not a bad attempt at wanting to be premium but once you try it side-by-side with a better brand, it looks like a joke.

Title Assassin Mouthguard ($10.75)

It’s looks like a typical cheap plastic mouthguard but the bottom has some slightly thicker pads where your molars can bite down harder.

Waste of time. Instructions tell you keep it in boiling water for 90 seconds and don’t take it out before 90 seconds. Well at 45 seconds, the mouthguard already melted into a mess of ugly bubble gum. I took it out at 60 to salvage what was left and stuck in my mouth anyway and tasted some melted plastic—GROSS!

Battle – football specialist

Their brand and product line is built more for football and so are their mouthguards. Most of their mouthguards are the football lip-protector type that look like pacifiers. But they do have have like 2 models which I think might be ok for fighters. Both come off as “cheap crap” to me but I have to consider them as they offer $30k in dental warranty. I wasn’t blown away or anything when I tried one but who knows, maybe you’ll like them.

Battle Fangs Mouthguard 2-PACK ($16.99)

They look really simple but actually feel pretty good. Probably the best below the $10 mark. And actually better than many of the $15-20 ones. The plastic feels thick and strong, boils well without melting. Enough material to bite through without having too much material in your mouth. I liked it. One of my favorite SINGLE guards for sure.

WORST MOUTHGUARDS – Bottom of the barrel

This is the bottom of the barrel. the worst of the worst. The kind that you probably only buy in bulk, like $10 for 100…and you hand them out like disposable mouthguards to first timers at the gym.

Why are they the worst?

The material they use is really cheap, the lowest quality, or too soft. Most of them will melt too easily in hot water barely surviving the boil if at all (also can’t be re-boiled), easy to bite through, too soft, don’t pretend against impact, uncomfortable, also feel cheap (which can affect you psychologically).

Meister – cheapest Pakistan clone

I don’t take this company seriously at all. It’s the really cheap stuff masquerading as “branded gear”. All their gloves and all other equipment have the same generic Pakistan designs. Their

Meister MMA Moldable Double Mouthguard w/Case

Absolute piece of crap that doesn’t deserve to be called a mouthguard. The instructions say to put it in hot water for ONLY 10 SECONDS. That’s how pathetically fragile it is. I tried this exact model myself.

First off, it’s both too fragile and also too inflexible at the same time. It melts easily as hell…I’ll bet 50% of you will ruin it on the first boil. It melts into an ugly mess and the breathing holes will close. Secondly, parts of it will melt way too easily collapsing the “protective” part of the mouthguard BUT other parts don’t melt uniformly around your mouth so things like the inside walls or lower half look like you didn’t melt them enough.

Lastly, even if you DID manage to melt it perfectly to your teeth, you’ll notice the mouthguard is way too soft. The material is so damn soft that it doesn’t feel protective at all; no rigidity to block the impact or to lock your jaws together. It’s a bit like you’re biting on a pacifier. Completely soft. If you even bite down just about 25% strength, you’ll close the center breathing holes. It’s a great lesson to myself…never buy CHEAP double-mouthguards. The material is so soft that the center holes won’t stay open. Cheap mouthguards should be SINGLE if you ever have to use them.

Meister MMA Single Mouthguard ($2.99)

This one actually feels better than the double the plastic is slightly thicker, and also I think there’s less material in there to feel how cheap it is. But still, it feels way too soft to be protective. I also hate that it doesn’t mold well. Most of these cheap ones don’t. It’s like the water isn’t hot enough to melt the plastic, but then once it gets to boiling point then it melts too easily.

I really wouldn’t put any trust in this one still. At best, it’s like half a notch better than those super cheap $0.50 ones.

SafeTGard – cheapest “usable” mouthguard

This is the name brand version of those cheapest clear SINGLE mouthguards that are given out like candy at the local boxing gym. I was really expecting something cheap but I love the material they use. Yes, it’s probably too soft for impact protection but it molds so well and so perfectly to your mouth. I like the grip as well. This is probably the best mouthguard you can get if you want a “naked” feel.

Again, I like how they feel but I don’t think they were originally designed for boxing, probably more for avoiding teeth-grinding when you sleep at night. Anyway, this is probably the best of the $1-2 mouthguard range.

UNTRIED MOUTHGUARDS – brands I never tried

I don’t know (or never tried) these brands but will leave my comments in case you really want my completely-uneducated opinion on them. (NOTE: several of them promised to send me review copies but I’ve yet to receive them, even after waiting over a month, so I’m just gonna post this review now and update it when I actually receive my review copies. Hopefully, I’ll have tried more of the custom ones later to review them accurately.

SISU

To be honest, I’m a bit on the fence about this brand. I love that they’re a far-away European company with a unique idea for mouthguards. Different shape, different design, different protection logic…and above all, a truly different mouthguard product!

So how are their mouthguards different? They’re really thin, way less material, and really stiff. Their extra rigidity allows you more protection so that you can have less material in your mouth. This way you feel more comfortable, more natural, and able to talk. Now when it comes to fighting…I have to ask myself, is this “naked/natural” feeling what I really want?

I WANT a protective feeling. I WANT there to be a giant shield in my mouth that makes me feel like it’s taking all the damage. A small thin mouthguard makes me feel like all that damage is gonna transfer straight to my jaw. The smallness of it also makes me wonder…is there additional benefit to small vs large mouthguards? I feel a large mouthguard has more cushion and area to disperse mouth impact across a wider area of my jaw. But maybe a small mouthguard is less likely to be hit and therefore my teeth are less likely to absorb damage to punches that are landing only near the mouth but not directly on the mouth itself.

Anyway, I’ve yet to try the brand and didn’t feel they were worth buying with my own money to try. Their company doesn’t focus solely on fighting sports and some of the reviews I’ve seen out there aren’t that great. Some fighters complain their thinness (hard edges) and holes cut their lips during impact and also that they really aren’t as protective as the more typical bigger mouthguards. There’s less to bite down, less to cover your teeth, and overall just less material to absorb impact.

SISU MAX 2.4cm Custom Fit Mouthguard ($14.99)

This is the thickest model that they offer (recommended for combat athletes). It’s still 30% thinner than most other mouthguards on the market. Get this if you want to try something really thin.

Other mouthguard brands:

• Adams – they make mouthguards for football, but some people like them for boxing. Either way, it’s a cheap small mouthguard that I don’t think is very protective.
• Adidas – looks cheap.
• Everlast – they sell both cheap stuff and also wannabe-premium cheap stuff.
• Fairtex – Fairtex mouthguards look exactly like Venum mouthguards. I don’t like generic gear so I’d just avoid this wannabe-premium crap.
• FightDentist – popular mouthguard company, but god-awful outdated website design.
• Gladiator – popular custom mouthguard company.
• GuardLab – yet another “premium custom mouthguard” company.
• impact – popular, and also one of the cheaper custom mouthguards out there. Funny 90’s-style marketing videos and brand design. They promise maximum protection with minimal feel. Note the top cutouts in the gumline and decide if you want that or not.
• Makkar / PPM (Pure Power Mouthguard) – don’t be stupid. If you want more power, work on your conditioning and technique rather than paying for this over-priced junk science!
• MOGO Mouthguards – they make flavored mouthguards that supposedly taste great and last all season. I don’t take them seriously in terms of protection.
• MouthpieceGuy – I’ve yet to try their mouthpiece but am curious. It looks like they’ve really evolved the world of “custom mouthguards”. It’s not only just custom-fitted to your teeth but also to the gumline and properly centered. If I had any reservations, it’s that I still prefer DOUBLE over SINGLE mouthguard. I also like that this company is from Covina, CA which is a really popular area for MMA fighters and also some boxers, and that the owner himself was a former fighter.
• OPRO – popular mouthguard company in the UK area. They promise really thin custom mouthguards. I love that they offer D30 material (same stuff Rival uses in their gear as well) that absorbs shock really well. They’re probably the only mouthguard company I know that does that.
• Revgear – I haven’t tried but they look like the same cheapest grade Pakistan guards.
• Sanabul – cheap crap, that comes in different colors.

My personal mouthguard tips

The funny thing is most fighters only think of wearing mouthguards during sparring but I do recommend smoe other moments. You can wear them during bagwork and mitts, and also during running/skipping-rope! This will help you get used to them faster.

Mouthguard boiling tips:

1. ignore the boiling instructions, eye it!
2. shape it perfectly to your mouth or else air gets through.
3. singles should have breathing space on bottom
4. thick mouthguards should be bitten through
5. practice lining up your lower jaw bite
6. mouthguards typically float when boiling, can use strap or spatula (pushing down, then lifting out)
7. pay attention to any mouthguard saying to boil for only 10 seconds, that means it’s the really cheap kind!!

When to wear it in practice (building comfort):

1. sparring
2. bagwork & mitts
3. shadowboxing
4. running
5. throughout your day (be careful that you don’t end up chewing right through it!…this tip is just to help break it in a little faster!
6. can even wear it while sleeping

Special shoutouts to …..

www.zoobgear.com – ZoobGear is an online superstore for Boxing, MMA & Fitness equipment!

I would like to thank ZoobGear store for sponsoring this mouthguard review. They donated around 20 mouthguards for me to try out. It is through their generosity that I’m was able to put together detailed review guides like this for you.

Please check out their incredible store and support them just as they have supported our sport.

The Ferrari of Boxing Gloves! Nearly $1k a pair!!!

What?! Thousand-dollar boxing gloves? Are you kidding me?!

No, I’m not kidding. The last time I saw thousand-dollar boxing gloves, they had Muhammad Ali’s signature on them. But this…THIS is the real deal. They are not collector items. They are not toys for the rich. They are serious boxing gloves made for serious athletes. Handmade by Italian leather craftsman, Filippo Lecesse Di Nardo from Torino, Italy. They are what I would call,

“The best boxing gloves of this generation. The Ferrari of boxing gloves!”

At last, I have finished my personal review of the BEST BOXING GLOVES I have ever worn! (Oh and btw, I’ve now had these for over a year…with many rounds to put them to the test.) Let me take you step-by-step through every feature of my own custom-made Di Nardo boxing gloves!

I’ll release a full video review later. Here are some videos of me testing these amazing gloves with heavy punches on the heavy bag. See photos below. (Click to enlarge)

Di Nardo Boxing – and short history of “Mason’s Boxing, USA”

Initially started as “Mason’s Boxing, USA”

A year ago while writing my latest boxing gloves review, I briefly remembered a new brand called Mason’s Boxing. They were premium Italian-made gloves aspiring to compete on the level of Winning (Japan), Grant (US made in Mexico), or Fly (UK). The brand toted itself as being 100% Italian, premium leather, artisanal, and other fancy words to hype their new product on the market. They had a retro look (maybe even overly-retro), perhaps to play off the sport’s old-school nostalgia. Naturally, Mason’s combination of unestablished branding and premium pricing came off as a gimmick to many.

While researching the company, I saw they had already fallen apart. From the actual craftsman himself and piecing together stories shared online, I learned its American distributors had financial issues (mismanaged funds). Mason’s Boxing went under before the public could form an opinion. Skepticisms of the brand went rampant as the brand’s failure echoed louder than its product quality.

The birth of Di Nardo Boxing

While the Mason’s brand has fallen, the real product and the REAL BRAND behind it was always meant to be. In January 2018, a Filippo Leccese Di Nardo reached out to me via email and very proudly wrote,

I am the proud producer of the Di Nardo Brand, the first glove in the world entirely handmade in Italy. I would like to collaborate with you, in your ranking of the best gloves in the world.

My product is already approved and certified by the following athletic commissions:

Nevada

New York

WBC

BBBofC (in the process of being certified)

I look forward to your kind feedback

Thank you

Filippo Leccese Di Nardo

I didn’t know it at the time, but he was the actual craftsman behind the Mason’s brand. Since Mason’s disbanding, he had taken full control of his own product, now representing it under his own name and logo.

I didn’t care who he was at the time, I was actually only fascinated with that he had Italian-made gloves. This caught my attention because I have family in Italy (my mother’s side), have been to many cities there, and familiar with the Torino area (where Di Nardo comes from). I have a beautiful leather jacket from Florence, also designer belts from Bellagio and can attest to Italians having the best leather in the world. I’m a big fan of the country and its people. They remind me much of Mexicans that I grew up with here in the USA. Very humble, kind, and warm.

Nonetheless, the skeptic in me challenged him regardless:

• “How long has your company been around?”
• “And are you sure you’re the only Italian glove manufacturer?”

I was pretty sure I’d already seen other Italian boxing brands. He replied back explaining that other Italian brands like Leone had only the name but are now made in Pakistan or Asia, and definitely not in Italy. He reassured me once again that his gloves are 100% hand-made in Italy.

“I am a craftsman tailor, and I am the first Italian glove entirely designed and handmade in Italy 100%. I represent the excellence of Italian craftsmanship.”

If you couldn’t tell, he had my full attention by now. I asked more questions and got more of his personal story…

I come from a family of Italian tailors, and specialists in the leather work, and all this has been handed down from generation to generation, I am the last of this generation, my two other brothers and sisters, have taken different paths.

Basically, I started boxing in 2001, and a lot of passion, I wanted boxing to be my life, boxing helped me a lot in a very difficult moment of my life, so I keep it as a treasure inside of me. Boxing is a school of life, everyone can do boxing, but few can get into the boxing ring and fight, so I realized that the ring was not my place, my only thought was: “how do I create my life in the world of boxing?”

What was clear to me, is that the laboratory was my world, a magical place, where everything takes shape, where creativity is mistress and where I could express my full potential. So I decided to combine the two things, my sartorial skills and boxing to create the best glove in the world, with the goal of leaving a mark in this world.

Filippo is a trained artist

To be exact, he is trained tailor and leather craftsman since he was a boy (family business). In having run ExpertBoxing for nearly 10 years now, I’ve been contacted by nearly every boxing company out there. Many big famous ones and hundreds of small unknown ones. I can tell you right away which ones are “businessmen”, which ones are “manufacturers”, and which ones are “artists”.

• Businessmen – talk about branding, problem-solving, and partnerships (marketing)
• Manufacturers – talk about pricing, quality, and quantity (efficiency)
• Artists – talk about their passion and process (motivation)

My favorite are the artists. Artists live by the code of their beliefs, passions, and ethics. They are mad scientists who pour their heart and soul into everything that they do. Filippo agreed to send me a pair of boxing gloves (and boxing shoes) to be put through my ultimate test. I warned that if the gloves did not hold up to my expectations, I would not sacrifice my integrity to the boxing community. 2 and a half months after we first spoke, my custom Di Nardo boxing gloves and boxing shoes had finally arrived. *They arrived in March 2018.*

Let’s begin…

The THOUSAND-DOLLAR Boxing Glove Review

Insane PRICE ($1,000)

Let’s start with the price…the gloves cost nearly $1000 dollars (free shipping included). I love repeating this price because it sets the tone for what expectations should be. I want YOU to expect the most impossible fantasy boxing glove that has ever existed and I want YOU to be the biggest skeptic and to hold the brand up to the highest standards.

• Will the “Ferrari of boxing gloves” live up its moniker?
• Or will it bust like another wannabe “premium, hand-crafted, high-tech” glove brand?

In boxing, we have “true” premium brands like Winning ($400) where everyone is happy to pay it and then we have “over-priced” premium brands like Grant ($500-800) where no one thinks they are worth the price-tag. Which one will Di Nardo turn out to be?

Impeccable QUALITY

The utmost quality in boxing gloves. 

I feel these were made by one-man in one-shop the entire time. There is no factory line where the gloves get passed from the “leather-cutter” to the “padding-stuffer” to the “stitcher”. There is no weak link because every step of the process is personally overseen by the man himself.

Highest grade raw materials

• Finest Italian leathers (full-grain calfskin, vegetable-tanned)
• Hybrid Padding (using foam rubber, horsehair, and EVA foam)
• Highest-grade polyester lining (water-proof layer) for the leather
• Polyamide & Silver lining (instead of regular nylon) for the hand
• Kevlar thread (instead of regular nylon, cotton, polyester)

The leather was chosen for beauty, comfort, and strength…it will last FOREVER. The padding was chosen for maximum protection, comfort, and durability…and then crafted to be replaceable as needed. The inner-lining materials were designed to prevent hand sweat from ever reaching the padding (accelerating its wear), and also to limit unpleasant odors (“glove funk”). The kevlar thread was chosen for its unparalleled strength and resistance to stretching, providing superior long-lasting support.

Italian leather is the best leather in the world

The leather used for all my products is a full-grain leather of first choice, obviously tanned and semi-finished in Italy, the country from which the best leather comes to the world, we are masters in this sector.

Di Nardo boxing gloves have the nicest and most luxurious leather I have ever felt in a boxing glove—PERIOD! What makes Italian leather so special? It’s the way that they tan their leather, using vegetable-tanning (which takes much longer) instead of chemical-tanning, and delegating each step of the tanning process to specialists. Their tanning process is a combination of ancient secrets, modern technology, and cultural pride. High quality Italian leather is the most beautiful leather in the world, strongest and most durable, and also very soft/supple (for supreme comfort). This kind of leather will actually look more beautiful with time.

In contrast, you have Pakistan who are also known as leather experts but for high-volume low-quality leather. And while Pakistan leather can be soft and supple, they are much weaker and not as beautiful. Mexican leather on the other hand is usually super thick and rugged, so not as comfortable. I think that’s why some Mexican glove manufacturers use softer/thinner goat leather instead of cow; it feels much softer and more luxurious.

Polymide and silver LINING 

The lining applied in my gloves, it is obviously a lining of Italian manufacture, of the highest quality, is not a common polyester lining with which most of the gloves in the world are lined inside, but well yes it is a polyamide lining and silver thread, thanks to which the glove will never undergo the formation of unpleasant odors inside, thanks to the active ions emanating from this lining.

Most boxing gloves line the insides with nylon or other silk/satin-like materials to:

1. Waterproof – prevent sweat from breaking down the padding.
2. Smoothness – give a smooth surface so hands can slide in and out easily.

But Filippo takes it a step further. He opts for a fabric that not only carries a distinct look but also has chemical properties (colloidal silver) in it to combat odor-causing bacteria. It’s the same kind of silver agent used in anti-odor/anti-bacterial clothing and also deodorant.

Hybrid PADDING

The padding is a mix of latex (I think that’s what he means by “foam rubber”), horsehair, and EVA foam. Many manufacturers use only a simple piece of foam or latex in the padding but he goes all out mixing different materials and bringing back the old school horsehair! I find this choice really intriguing since horsehair went out of fashion for training gloves several decades ago. He also spreads the materials throughout the gloves in different ways from other manufacturers and for his own reasons. (More about his padding later!)

Maximum-strength KEVLAR THREAD

My glove is entirely sewn in Kevlar yarn, another added value, this thread makes the glove practically indestructible, as this thread is applied for the production of bullet-proof jokes and all the clothing of the military forces, which are in fact subject to heat, temperature variations and various stresses.

Kevlar thread (much more expensive than nylon/cotton/polyester thread)…is known for its superior strength, heat resistance, stretch-resistance, and proven performance under high-stress. Some of you may be wondering, “Who the heck needs kevlar thread?” And I laugh out loud because the answer is NO ONE! NO ONE NEEDS KEVLAR THREAD! But you know what? No one needs 12 megapixels in their iPhone either!

But here we are in the time of future technology because of mad scientists in this world improving things beyond what we dream them to be. Filippo Leccese is boxing’s Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. I love that he functions beyond the realm of reality. Is that not the mark of a true artist? The best leather, the best padding, the best thread. Guess what he’s NOT doing…the best “marketing”, the best Facebook campaign, the best viral ad. His personal challenge is to make the best boxing gloves, not the biggest company. I’ll raise my fist to that.

Unique/unparalleled craftsmanship

Perfect construction quality

Di Nardo boxing gloves were made with pride!

All the fine details are absolutely perfect. The cutting, the fitting, the stitching. Not a single mark of imperfection anywhere. The gloves have a machine-like precision and yet at the same time, you know there’s no way in hell a machine could make it. There are too many intricate layers, intense stitching, materials carefully positioned around other materials. This is Italian craftsmanship at its finest. Next to them, even my other high-end gloves look like toys.

I spent many days wiggling my fingers inside the glove from all angles, trying to visualize everything I felt. The gloves were made in such a complicated manner—oh if only I could draw what my fingers fingers were feeling! Get your own pair, take off the laces, spread the gloves open, and feel around for yourself.

Multiple-layer HYBRID padding

The “CAESTUS” padding is a padding that I use only on training gloves, but before going on I want to point out an aspect that I consider important, each piece of my boxing gloves is made entirely by hand, including the padding.

The “CAESTUS” padding is a padding composed of a mixture of horsehair and foam, all completely quilted so as to avoid movement from the most stressed areas, such as knuckles.

At first it may seem a bit stiff, given its composition, but with use, it will turn into something exceptional, taking completely the shape of the hand of those who use the glove, ensuring protection is comfort.

All this makes this padding very durable over time compared to those of my competitors, who in fact, after a short time of use, open up to their interior, no longer guaranteeing the necessary protection of the hand.

I didn’t know what any of that meant or how it would affect my real world experience, but right after I stuck my hands into them, I ran to my computer and emailed right away, “WOW!! SO COOL! WHAT THE HELL IS IN THE PADDING?!” It felt like a hand-contouring mixture of foam and straw? (In case you’re wondering; no, it’s not memory foam.)

The padding of the gloves in your possession called “CAESTUS” composed of horsehair, foam rubber and EVA is produced as follows:

• a mattress of foam, with the horsehair in the middle, which is uniformly amalgamated along the entire length of the mattress, in the area of the knuckles there is an EVA pad, as well as at the tip of the glove to better protect the tip of the fingers of the hand, the whole is completely quilted, so that the padding does not move, and has its own casing completely independent of the glove itself.

I’m not sure I understood those technical details perfectly or how they make his gloves better than others but here is what I felt:

• MANY layers of padding – other gloves feel like one or multiple layers of glued padding, Di Nardo gloves feel like a mix of semi-floating materials. I have no idea what’s going on in there.
• DIFFERENT types of padding – other gloves feel like one solid consistency throughout the padding, his feel like an ice cream sandwich.
• ADAPTIVE padding – other gloves force your hand into the shape of the padding. His mold to your hand internally while holding their protective shape externally.
• DIMPLES – there are strategic indentations on the inside (hand-side) and outside (leather-side) of the padding. I don’t know why but they add to the glove’s comfort and ergonomic qualities.

QUILTED padding.

This is a really interesting feature that made such an impression on me. He stitched the padding into what feels like four little compartments (think 4-piece Jacob’s ladder). One compartment goes from the wrist to the middle of the back of the hand, second goes from from back of the hand to the big knuckles, third goes from big knuckles to the middle knuckles, and forth goes from middle knuckles to the fingertips. I call it the “4 magical hand cushions”.

It’s incredibly clever as this padding segmentation serves two functions:

1. Keeps the padding evenly distributed in their designated places, instead of sliding around as you throw punches.
2. Allows the glove to move with your hand, since it has more “joints”. Other gloves using one solid piece of padding would never be able to shape to your hand the same way his does.

I swear this guy probably spent more time on the padding than other manufacturers spend on the entire glove. It’s like an intricate network of padding in there. I can only imagine how much extra time and attention to detail it requires. It’s things like this that make his glove so incredibly protective AND comfortable. What a clever genius!

SEPARATE LINING for leather and padding.

Unlike my competitors, Grant, Winning, Reyes, Fly, Rival and others, the glove is entirely lined inside, while the gloves of the companies listed above, on the upper part of the glove, the leather is without any lining, factor which makes these gloves more prone to premature deterioration.

My glove being entirely lined with leather, then a combination of leather and lining, ensures a long life in time, as the lining contributes to the strength of the leather.

The cover that covers the leather, is not a lining, it may seem, but it is not, it is a lining 100% polyester of the highest quality, completely resin, anti-tear and water repellent, I use for a simple reason, coupled with the leather, absolutely makes the indestructible glove, the possibility that the leather has breakages is not impossible, but it is really remote.

This guy is absolutely crazy. He separately lined EVERY LAYER of the glove. I don’t even know how to explain it but will do my best.

ALL other boxing gloves have:

1. Leather outer layer (the outside material of the glove)
2. Inner foam padding layer (to cushion the hand)
3. Inner-lining (to prevent hand sweat from reaching the padding and leather)

CRAZY Di Nardo boxing gloves have:

1. Leather outer layer (outside material)
2. Polyester inner-lining (sweat blocker), on the INSIDE of the leather outer layer.
3. Padding layer (hand cushion), placed inside the glove but SEPARATE from the leather outer layer, running all the way along the back of the hand and thumb.
4. Polyamide/silver lining completely wrapped 360-degrees all the way around the padding, and also the full length of the palm side of the gloves.

Other gloves have only one layer of inner-lining to seal your hand sweat off from the padding and leather. In Di Nardo gloves, you have as many as three layers of lining (between your hand and the outer leather). It’s absolutely crazy and so much extra work to do it like this. He’s protecting every single layer of the glove and from all angles. The lining is everywhere, protecting the back of the padding as well as the inside surface of the leather. What’s even more insane was that he did the same with the thumb padding (lining the padding separately from the inside leather surface).

I went on a rampage sticking my hand into ALL my other gloves. You can do it, too. Stick your hand upside-down into any glove, with your other hand straightening out the curved part, and reach with your inside hand past the curved edge of the padding. Can you touch the spongey texture of the padding? If yes, then you know your padding and leather are vulnerable to the sweat.

I was surprised which brands completely sealed off the fingertips area and which ones did not. Most Pakistan gloves (even cheap ones) sealed it off but many Mexican-made gloves did not. Some of the unsealed gloves at least tried to glue some thin plastic around the padding but others didn’t care at all, leaving the padding completely exposed. (NOTE: I later learned from some makers that the thin plastic isn’t really to protect the padding from sweat but to make it easier to slide into the glove.) Not surprisingly, the ones with sealed-off lining usually had better padding durability! Anyway, Di Nardo had the best attention to detail. No shortcuts whatsoever and if anything, you’d think he was going out of his way to make it harder for himself.

REPLACEABLE padding!

No less important, which must be stressed, in all the gloves in the world, when the padding loses some of its absorbing and protective effectiveness, the glove is actually to be thrown away and / or to be changed, my glove no, just have care of the leather, as over time, it will be possible to replace the padding with a new one, without any need to buy a glove of new workmanship.

Yeaup, you can use up your gloves and send it back to him to replace the padding. No more throwaway gloves…these will last forever! But what do the replacements cost??! I’ll tell you soon enough.

PERFECT WEIGHT – 16oz.

For those complaining about Mexican gloves being too heavy, or other gloves being too light or uneven between the left and right gloves…Di Nardo is perfectly on weight. Hahaha, I’ve been fooling around with Mexican gloves for so long I almost forgot what a true 16oz feels like. These feel fantastic!

UNIFORM PAINT JOB

Bad paint jobs can definitely be a pet peeve for some, although I’m a bit biased on that nuance myself. When I see bad paint jobs on Pakistan clone gloves, I dock them for bad quality control. When I see paint imperfections on Mexican gloves, I chalk it up to hand-made charm. Unfair, I know!

Well, with Di Nardo you get a perfect paint job. It’s a laser-precision luxury-car paint job. It looks like it was painted by a machine, not someone’s nephew in the backyard with an airbrush. The gloves have perfect coloring and consistency throughout. No blemishes, color bleeds, crooked markings, or other “handmade” vibes here.

To be technically accurate, Di Nardo gloves are professionally dyed to standard industry color codes. It looks so much better and allows for exact color-consistency; important if you buy more than one glove or want the same color many years later. Cheap factory-made gloves can get great color consistency as well, although the quality of their dyes will vary. The biggest color problems will usually come from custom gloves. Instead of buying dyed leather, they sometimes mix their own colors and paint/dye it themselves (which doesn’t last as long and/or flakes off easily).

Unrivaled/Excellent HAND PROTECTION

Incredible knuckle protection

Now we’re getting to the #1 criteria. After all, what’s the point of fancy-made gloves if they don’t do their basic function? We’re not buying them to look fancy, we’re buying them for hand protection. And the people want to know if these gloves have the best hand protection! I’ve got a decade-and-half of worn sensitive hands, perfectly suited for testing these gloves.

They felt great on the bag, mitts, also walls. (Yes…I went around the house punching walls because they felt that amazing.) If you have hand problems like me, you will love these. You’ll forget all about your hand problems. You may also forget about that 2 o’clock street cleaning while playing with your gloves and get a stupid parking ticket.

The grand question will always, “How do they compare to Winning?” To be really precise, I separate punch protection into 2 areas: one is hand impact, the other is wrist & forearm impact.

• Winning – hand 10, wrist 10
• Casanova – hand 8, wrist 10
• Di Nardo – hand 9, wrist 10
• Rival – hand 8, wrist 10
• Hayabusa – hand 6, wrist 7
• Pakistan clones – hand 6, wrist 6-7

I don’t consider Di Nardo to be inferior hand protection to Winning. It’s more that I feel he has a slightly stiffer thud. It’s a very nice feeling and very unique to his gloves. You have to try it for yourself. But if what you want is a really pillow-ey feeling like Winning, then I would say Di Nardo is different.

I also LOVE that the special quilted-padding extends all the way to your first finger knuckles. Many gloves use thinner padding on the small knuckles near your fingernails. While you may not care, extra padding in this area is useful for throwing hooks and parrying punches. I’m a speedy-type of fighter, so I love how these gloves protect my small knuckles (for horizontal hooks or slapping punches) and make shoeshine combinations feel more powerful.

Great back-of-hand padding

Incredible protection in the back of the hand and actually covers part of your wrist. This is not something I’m looking for but noticed the padding in the back of the hand is really incredible. Great if you like to block and shell up a lot.

Normal wrist/forearm padding

These gloves have standard padding around the wrist/forearm areas (on back-side and palm-side), consistent with other lace-up gloves like Winning, Grant, and even Mexican gloves. I mention it in case you wanted thicker/beefier padding like Mexican triple-cuff gloves, these aren’t big and puffy like that.

For comparison purposes:

• Most Pakistan clone gloves and most non-triple-cuff glove designs, have minimal padding in the wrist areas, using thin pieces of EVA to maintain the glove’s shape rather than for cushioning purposes.
• Some Mexican gloves (especially the triple-cuff designs), have thick wrist padding using cotton for a pillowy feel. Unfortunately, this contributes to their common complaint of being heavier than the listed weight.
• Some gloves are padded more on one side than the other. Casanova for example has thin padding in the back but a thick wad of cotton on the palm-side of the wrist. MMA or muay thai brands may have more padding in the back (to block kicks) and less in the front (to allow wrist flexibility).

Ergonomic COMFORT

Flexible Protection

I have always thought of giant boats, I have made gloves that regardless of their weight, adhere perfectly to the hand without giving that ugly feeling of having in your hands a pillow, but a real glove that fits your hand and takes its form.

Balancing comfort and security has been a struggle for many gloves. If the gloves are comfortable, they offer no security. And if they’re secure, they’re not comfortable. Many are like wearing a cast—“security through restriction”. They’re built with a rigidly-curved layer of padding wrapped in leather and it feels so stiff because of that. Your hand is stuck in a fist position and you can’t open it without wearing down the padding.

Di Nardo gloves, however, feel very natural whether you want to open or close the hand. The padding’s unique mixture of latex, EVA foam, and horsehair all have a lot to do with that, I’m sure. I don’t know how to explain it, but it feels like a jelly sandwich. With latex being the “bread slices” and the horsehair being the “jelly” in between the padding and also leaking around the sides. The thumb is also very comfortable and feels protected from both the front and side angles. The gloves truly feel like they’re made for you and get more comfortable with each use. And despite all this “flexibility”, they’re also extremely protective!

Other gloves give you security through “restriction”, and Di Nardo gloves give you security through comfort!

Old school slickness

Despite looking modern, they have a resemblance to old-school professional gloves. Instead of a stiff-fist shape, they’re relaxed gloves that easily open to parry away shots, but let you close with lightning quickness to strike. It reminds me of old-school slick, speedy boxers like Muhammad Ali bouncing around with loose hands before launching rapid counters. Imagine the comfort of a thin hand glove but quickly closes into a full-powered hand cannon. You feel slick, fast, AND strong.

You also feel like you can fight with any-style. Touching and parrying from long range with open hands, throwing knockout punches from mid-range, or clinching from the inside. These gloves let you do it all!

Streamlined weight distribution

The weight distribution is really nice. They are made for fast slick boxers. Pakistan gloves (Title/Ringside) feel like a big shield. Mexican gloves feel like a heavy missile. Winning feel like pillows duct-taped around your hands. Di Nardo gloves feel like a long pillow-ey spear. Very smooth streamlined shape, perfect for speed and slickness. You feel light and also like you have a longer reach.

Sharp punch feedback

Some fighters really care about punch feedback as they want to feel like they’re hitting hard. Di Nardo gloves give GREAT feedback. I think it’s not only the padding but the shape of the padding. Your fist feels like it always lands perfectly flat with the impact distributed nicely to the top knuckles (instead of the middle knuckles). Very satisfying to punch with, and you get both the feeling of a snapping smack as well as dense thud. I love these gloves more every time I use them.

I’ll do my best to describe different types of punch feedback:

• Dense-foam gloves (bag gloves, some Mexican gloves) – give you a solid THUD! impact.
• Pillow-foam gloves (Winning, or cheap worn-out gloves) – give you a soft tish! impact.
• Stiff-foam gloves (Twins, some Mexican gloves) – give you an abrupt tack! impact.
• Di Nardo gloves – give you a sharp TUNK! impact.

Innovative STYLE (timeless & unique)

Timeless design

==Design IS quality.==

The first giveaway of his craftsmanship was his glove design. He knew damn well he was pushing the art of glove-making and could have gone with a loud obnoxious design like other desperate brands on the market but he didn’t. He chose to respect tradition and go with the elegance of timeless design.

The gloves look like BOXING GLOVES, not robot arms, birds, monster claws, or other “cool designs”. Also no jarring diagonal color contrasts or bold geometric shapes to look “high-tech”. His gloves are the classic stereotype shape of boxing gloves, using matte colors, and yet they look so beautiful and eye-catching all at the same time. This is because its real design isn’t in the external decoration but the quality of the glove. True beauty is from the inside!

Don’t believe me? Think of all the boxing glove brands in the world. The most time-respected brands…(Reyes, Winning)…use basically the same glove design for decades. Their glove is already perfected through decades of professional use. They don’t need new features or “improvements”, they only need to respect their heritage and maintain it. And the crappy generic brands…(TitleBoxing, Ringside, Everlast, Hayabusa, Venum)….new glove designs every year. How else do you sell crap products to unsuspecting buyers? Keep marketing new designs and gimmicky features to them!

Filippo’s gloves are never in or out of fashion. They would look stylish no matter what decade you wear them. So tastefully-designed; and distinctly unique with a measured subtlety. Such matured elegance. Just like an expensive Ferrari or black suit, you don’t need flashy colors and jarring lines to get attention. These gloves catch your eye right away because you can _tell_they are quality!

Unique Design

Innovation comes from instinct.

I love his glove design because they show his artistic instinct and scientific mind. Whereas other gloves keep trying to find “new” materials or “new” designs, Filippo’s gloves just went with his instinct. You can tell this guy picked up some gloves and thought to himself, “NOPE! This is not how you make gloves.” He didn’t copy or improve on anybody else’s design. He just completely did his own thing with every aspect of the glove.

The leather he uses is completely different from everyone else. He made his own padding formula. While everyone else was reverse-engineering each other’s gloves, he just did his own thing. A true innovator! As much as Filippo stays classic, he’s also going completely against tradition.

Lifetime DURABILITY

Replaceable Padding

Di Nardo, unlike any other glove maker, will also replace the padding free of charge once you have undertaken the many hours of hard work in the gym that these gloves can provide you with.

(First replacement is included in your purchase price. After that, each replacement is 60 EURO + SHIPPING COST.)

I absolutely love that these gloves are made for life. For this reason alone, the gloves don’t seem so expensive to me. We are now living in a “throwaway economy” more than ever before. We throw away fancy cellphones, name brand shoes, designer clothes that work just fine. But we get rid of them anyway because of their built-in obsolescence (old features, old fashion styles). I’m embarrassed to have been a part of this throwaway economy myself.

My dad used to tell me back in his day, we never threw anything away. Everything was built with quality parts and could be fixed. A broken home appliance like a vacuum cleaner or laundry machine needed only a new washer. Worn-out shoes could be re-soled by the local cobbler. But today, it’s cheaper to buy a new piece-of-crap than to fix your old one. Your belongings no longer hold personal value, they’re all disposable.

I loved shopping for quality items in Italy. A beautiful $130 leather belt would easily outlast a dozen cheap $30 belts from the department store. A pair of Italian shoes might cost $500 but could be re-soled indefinitely, easily outlasting all the $300 “designer” pairs you find at Nordstrom. Not only that but its leather would mold more to your feet and its outer layer (patina) would wear in uniquely over time giving your shoes a unique character.

Filippo has done exactly this with his Di Nardo gloves. The gloves are meant to last forever and need only to be re-padded from time to time. They are not to be used once and thrown away. They are YOUR gloves. For those that appreciate quality, craftsmanship, and artistic pride, Di Nardo is the finest piece of boxing art money can buy. And let it be known that you are not buying a product, but a man’s pride behind his work. You’re buying a masterpiece who’s creator has more pride in it than you do— ahh, the unfortunate fate of artists.

Are they worth the price?

For $1,000? Yes, absolutely. Outlast 3 pairs of Winnings and you’re practically stealing money after that. I don’t know any other glove with a lifetime re-padding model. I also don’t know of any other gloves that feel on par or better than Winning.

Are they the BEST boxing gloves?

Yes, they are definitely better than Winning, Grant, Reyes, Rival, and all other brands. I’ve tried them all and you can feel the difference right away. I haven’t tried any other high-end individually-crafted boxing gloves before the 2000’s (like Flores, MM, etc) but I wouldn’t be surprised if Di Nardo’s became the best of all time. It certainly seems like it.

The BEST hand protection

I have damaged hands and can attest that these gloves feel amazing. Excellent for bagwork or sparring. Unbeatable protection and comfort. ANDDD you have great punch feedback! You really can’t beat his unique combination.

Do they have any flaws?

• NOPE! Not a single one. (Trust me, I looked.)
• Quality, fit, comfort, protection, durability, style. All perfect.
• Is there anything I would change? I might ask for an option to make one even more pillowy like Winning, but most of you won’t need/like it…it feels like you’re punching couch cushions. The current padding is really incredible…it’s in its own class.

Who needs premium boxing gloves?

These gloves are not for the rich or spoiled, they are simply for those who appreciate quality boxing gloves. It is the same for those who appreciate exclusive Air Jordan sneakers, designer fashion, expensive cellphones, watches, jewelry, etc. When you appreciate something and see the value in it, $1,000 is really not that much money. Take into the fact that they protect one of the more important parts of your body—your hands, and the price is almost foregone conclusion. I honestly feel Filippo’s prices are a little low for their worth. ($1500 is more like it.)

MAY 21, 2020 EDIT:

• Di Nardo glove prices have indeed gone up to $1500. Which I think is great for the brand quality and help keep him from exhaustion.
• Also…I would say Di Nardo is the #3 most copied glove brand right now…behind Winning and Grant. I think the day will come when he’ll be officially the #1. The thing is Winning and Grant are so much easier to copy.

Glove description from Mr. Di Nardo himself:

That said, I take nothing away from my competitors, and without presumptuous sin, I consider myself the best manufacturer of gloves in the world at this precise moment in history, but my goal is not only this, but is to be the best gloves maker of all times.

Di Nardo was created with one goal, to give customers something eternal, lasting over time.

Di Nardo is definitely the most expensive glove in the world right now, its cost is motivated by all these aspects but not only, it is also a glove certified by the most important athletic commissions in the world:

• New York State Athletics Commission
• Nevada Athletics Commission
• WBC
• BBBOFC (English Athletics Commission)

I hope I’ve been exhaustive.

Filippo Leccese Di Nardo

Where to find Di Nardo Boxing Gloves

• Website – https://filippodinardo.com
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/dinardoboxing/
• Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/dinardoworldwide/ (amazing pictures)
• Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq7q4vZv6kQXpOxj-hPazZw (workroom videos)

Are Sabas boxing gloves still the best deal around? (And are they even close to Winning?)

A year ago, I reviewed Sabas boxing gloves highly without having tried them personally. Street rumors and internet reviews compared them favorably alongside other top brands in boxing…even considered by some,

“the closest Winning clones!”

They were supposedly high-quality gloves “made in Mexico” with beautiful colors and customization available, all sold at a great price. It seemed fair to pass this hearsay along in my boxing gloves review as I ranked them [semi-]blindly at 5th place. While I wasn’t totally familiar with Sabas, I was very familiar with the gloves they were being compared to.

But in the past 6 months, new comments surfaced suggesting their quality had fallen. The guys who once adored them no longer raved about them. Being that I sign my name on every product review I’ve ever written, it was my responsibility to seek the truth.

After ordering my own pair 2 months ago, I’d have to say the rumors are true. Sabas gloves will no longer be in my top 5 picks.

Let’s go over some obvious flaws…

UPDATES:

• DEC 2018 – I’m aware Sabas adjusted their manufacturing since my review. Many people shared my post and I heard some online debates/photos were deleted from Sabas social media. They’ve since updated their piping to “rolled piping” but many quality issues still remain.
• I’ve heard through the grapevine that Sabas accused me of writing a bad review because they didn’t give me free gear. You can read our exact email exchange to be the judge of that.
• I’m not hating on a company but will be extremely critical and brutally honest if I see gear falling below standards. Sorry but not everyone is a winner.
• 2019 – Sabas commented on my site and Youtube asking me to try a newer model. They’ve admitted that their previous models were not the best and now claim they’ve improved. I’m jaded so I’m not gonna buy it again when I didn’t like it the first time. If there’s people out there who have the newer AND older models….do comment below what you feel has changed.

Sabas Boxing Gear – COMPANY HISTORY

Who are they and where are they from?

Pedro Heredia, former USA Veteran and I’m guessing a former boxer himself started the business with his wife and maybe contacts within Mexico somewhere.

They saw a need in the market for quality gloves at reasonable prices and tackled it successfully, going from unknown to being used all over the world within a few years. I can’t say they’re mainstream but many boxers have heard of them. That’s no easy feat for a small company competing against decades-old industry brands like Everlast, Ringside, Title, and Reyes.

Their website and branding are also like their gloves—no nonsense, no fluff or gimmicks…just a solid product at a reasonable price. The bonus is the fun colors and customization options. They hit the market at the perfect time—right when everyone was sick of cheap Pakistan-made gloves, expensive Grant/Winning gloves, or hard-to-find Mexican gloves.

Previously with Mexican-made gloves, you had to wait weeks for them to make and weeks for them to ship. And Mexican glove makers didn’t have fancy websites or product images for you to look at. The most presale info you ever got was a word-of-mouth contact email, maybe a Facebook account, delayed email exchanges in broken English, and some blurry pictures taken from an old mobile phone.

Well now with Sabas, Mexican-made gloves no longer seemed so difficult to buy. Fighters from anywhere in the world could visit a nice site (in English) with tons of color options, fast shipping and great customer service from this boutique glove shop. It’s no surprise at all that they grew so quick.

Previous raving reviews

Sabas started off by imitating the three most prestigious brands on the market: Winning, Grant, and Reyes.

• They built a “SuperSoft” model to imitate the pillowy-cushioned Winning gloves.
• “ProSeries” to imitate stiff-compact Reyes ‘puncher’s gloves’ but with more hand protection.
• And the “ProSeries Prime” to imitate the balanced power-AND-protection of Grant gloves.

And the fans loved it. Many raving reviews came out claiming the Sabas SuperSoft as the absolute closest Winning clones ever made. An impressive feat considering that every company had been trying to clone the Winning gloves. Look carefully at boxing glove design evolution and you can see many gloves copying Winning starting from 15 years ago (probably even before that but I wasn’t boxing yet).

I would guess the reviews were mostly favorable for a good 2 years until about 6-8 months ago when I started hearing quality control complaints. Users who bought the gloves based on my review would send me pictures of their barely-used Sabas gloves tearing apart.

Aside from the gloves falling apart, there was also the controversy over where they were made. Sabas used to be marketed as “Mexican-made” but then became “made in USA/Texas with Mexican materials”. Of course, you always have users asking a ton of questions and trying to figure things out for themselves. In light of all this controversy, I had no choice but to see the gloves for myself.

Great custom service & fast shipping!

Pedro was courteous and friendly in my email exchanges with him. Picking a glove model, size and color was painless. The payment process was quick and easy and my gloves arrived so much faster than I expected. It felt like I just ordered the gloves, did my laundry and the gloves were there already. (Ok ok, it took 2 days and shipped from only 100 miles away from San Diego to Los Angeles.)

On to the review!

CONSTRUCTION QUALITY

First impression – NOT “Made in Mexico”

I hate to say it as Pedro was especially nice to me during the order process but I have to be truthful. My first impression of these gloves were bad. They looked and felt cheap. The first thought in my head right away was,

“Hell no…these are not made in Mexico,
they are made in Pakistan.”

Appearances are everything and if what I saw could tell a story, I’d probably be assassinated for saying it. Here’s the first obvious giveaway that they’re definitely NOT “Made in Mexico”…there’s no “Hecho en Mexico” label anywhere.

All Mexican-made gloves have an “Hecho en Mexico” label. It’s their national symbol of pride. And in fact, it’s the bare minimum you should expect as even the cheapest crappiest Italian leather jackets say “Vero Cuoio” (Made in Italy). But Sabas don’t put that on their gloves because it’s not made in Mexico—why else?

But here’s the other thing: I also don’t think they’re made in the US either. Because if it was, they would have proudly showcased that just as they did with their “US Veterans” label at the bottom of the site and on the order form. “Made in USA” is a common symbol of pride many companies used to promote their brand.

I also doubt they’re made with Mexican materials as I don’t think Mexicans have such an organized system for sending materials elsewhere (they often run out of supplies themselves). Anyway, I wouldn’t have even conjured up these conspiracies if I hadn’t noticed so many peculiarities.

• Emphasis on “Mexican” – they’re trying to brand themselves as “Mexican” any way they can but it seems contrived. They say Mexican parts and American labor…why even bother saying “Mexican materials?” What Mexican material out there offers any advantage? The leather? The foam? The stitching? Probably “Mexican leather” is the only acclaimed material I know about Mexican gloves.
• Lots of stock – all the Mexican brands I know (outside of Reyes) cannot produce so many gloves so quickly and they’re almost always backlogged on orders, whereas Sabas seems to have tons of stock on hand (mass-produced??). Business wise, I feel Western companies tend to gamble on high-volume and idle staff, whereas Central/South America prefers to have low staff, low stock, and be late at times.)
• No images of production facility – glove manufacturers like to show off their factories and how they make gloves. Sabas has none of this. All their pictures are warehouse/showroom pictures (like a typical retailer). They obviously don’t have their own factory, and whoever they’re using is probably not in Mexico. I doubt small Mexican glove manufacturers can produce as many as Sabas sells. I also don’t believe it’s possible to contract multiple shops and keep a consistent look.
• Sabas also sells golf gloves and t-shirts – this is such an obvious tip-off if you know the Pakistan export industry. Many Pakistan leather manufacturers that make boxing gloves also make golf gloves. Also, Pakistan is one of the world’s biggest cotton producers and t-shirt makers.
• Bottom line – way too many inconsistencies compared with other Mexican glove brands. Sabas just doesn’t seem like Mexican gloves. Period.

Moving on…

Cheap leather – looks and feels like Pakistan-made

I was born and raised on Pakistan gloves and can recognize them easily! They have that uniform manufactured look (think “mass-produced”), and toyish/plastic-ey leather appearance. The leather is probably chemically-tanned the Pakistan way which is why it looks smooth and shiny, like a plastic toy. This characteristic is unmistakable with all Pakistan gloves you see from Title, Ringside, and many other brands.

Mexican gloves on the other hand, have a more rugged hand-crafted look.

• Typically very boxy, stiff, rough imperfect appearance, and with a distinct “ugliness” about them.
• Their leather always has a strong smell as well.
• You can see the Mexican leather shows it’s texture/character through the paint whereas Sabas leather is hidden behind the paint like most Pakistan-made gloves.

What does leather texture (smooth or rough) have to do with a glove’s quality? The leather texture has to do with what part of the animal was used and how it was tanned. Soft smooth leather can be a result of either high quality leather and a really expensive tanning process or low-quality leather and cheap tanning process. Judging by the appearance, smell and durability, as well as the rest of the glove, this is definitely cheap Pakistan leather and cheap tanning process.

As you can see, Sabas leather is really weak and tears easily at the seams. When I inspected my brand new pair up close, I can see the way they make the thumb attachment makes it easy for it to stress the leather and eventually tear from there. I think it’s a combination of bad design, poor materials, and low quality control.

Soft padding – like PAKISTAN gloves

Sabas padding is also different from Mexican padding, it’s very soft instead of the typical stiff padding used in Mexican gloves. Of course, they sell it to you like it’s an improvement on Mexican gloves but my suspicion is that they don’t even have access to that kind of padding. If you know Mexican gloves, they always do stiff padding. (If you like Sabas padding…don’t let my review stop you.) For me, it’s too soft and not enough knuckle protection. Feels maybe ok when new but will wear out quickly.

One glovemaker explained to me Mexican gloves are always stiff because of the kind of latex padding they have in their country. And on the other hand, Pakistan gloves are always big/puffy and soft because of the type of injection-mold padding they have in their country. But that’s a whole other can of worms, anyway. NOTE: injection-mold foam is commonly referred to as IMF.

If I could add my own opinion, I would say it’s because of their difference in production volume. Pakistan deals with high volume where one factory makes gloves for many different companies. Therefore, they use machines and have the kind of padding that is done by machines.

Mexico on the other hand usually deals with low volume. Instead of big factories, they have small manufacturing shops (called “maquiladoras”) which do low volume and everything by hand. Therefore, they use the kind of padding that’s easier to cut by hand (which lends to their ugly box-shape). If you’ve ever tried to hand-cut a soft piece of padding (like a memory foam pillow), you’ll know how hard it is to not make it tear in an ugly way. —BUT HEY, this is just my theory. I’m no expert glove-maker.

Nice Stitching – perfect machine work

Sabas stitching looks perfect, which should normally be seen as a positive…but unfortunately in this case, it only further highlights the proof that they’re made in Pakistan for me. There’s a machine-like uniformity in the stitching.

The real Mexican brands have a slight imperfectness about their stitching.

• Some loose threads.
• The double-stitching is also wider in some parts than others
• Sometimes they do only single stitching to save time
• Threads knotted in the middle (as they ran out of thread unexpectedly).
• And other imperfections if you look carefully. (I wish I took better pictures!)

Maybe both are made by hand or both are made by machine, I wouldn’t know. But for sure, I feel like Pakistan gloves have cleaner and more uniform stitching whereas Mexican gloves are typically known for stitching imperfections.

Piping – pretty, but soft and cheap

Here’s another dead givewaway: Sabas has the typical soft piping that you usually see in Pakistan manufacturers. It’s a very soft material, that I think is chosen because it’s easier to work with (easier to cut and color) and looks better but will tear apart quickly with use. Notice how the Sabas piping is really neat-looking. If you see it in person, the material is really thin and folded inward for a much cleaner appearance.

The real Mexican gloves on the other hand use a thicker material for the piping that is more durable but harder to work with and harder to cut cleanly. They simply roll in the edges (further reducing the number of seam edges that can cut sparring opponents). Notice the ugly uneven edges on the inside whereas Sabas tucked away neatly on the inside as well. (You can scroll to the other images above for different angles of the piping.) I feel like I shouldn’t even be teaching them how to copy these details.

Here we see 2 Pakistan-made gloves, one by Title Boxing and the other by “Fighting Sports” (which is still a Title brand). Notice how the thick rolled-piping on the right has some scuff marks but holds up beautifully whereas the cheap soft one on the left is completely torn apart. You may not know this but the glove on the left was only used lightly for a couple years before being saved as my official “Youtube” demonstration gloves, whereas the ones on the right were my heavy training gloves for many years.

Bubbling under the surface – COMMON COMPLAINT

I have yet to see this issue with any other glove brand and upon inspecting my pair, I understood right away why it was happening. The bubbling is due to a thin layer of plastic around the padding inside the glove. I’m guessing their original intention was to seal the inside cushion in plastic to prevent sweat from breaking it down prematurely. The problem is this plastic is so thin (like a grocery store produce bag) that it moves around, getting wrinkled easily and bunching up under the leather…causing unsightly lumps on the outside. It even makes noise inside the glove (literally sounds like a plastic bag in there).

I seriously wonder who the genius was behind this flawed idea. Maybe the inside-lining wasn’t waterproof enough that they felt the need to seal off the foam? Maybe it’s to keep the foam in place or to hold its form? Or maybe it was a well-intended extra effort to make the gloves more durable? We’ll never know.

UPDATE: I’ve since been taught that the bubbling comes from a piece of plastic placed on the foam to make it easier to slide inside the glove.

Style – very stylish and custom colors

Sabas gloves are very stylish with many different color options and also customization. They’re a lot of fun to wear and match with the rest of your outfit if you like. They also do custom headgear and groin protectors as well.

PERFORMANCE (rated from 1 to 10)

Knuckle Protection – 4

Observations from this angle:

• TM has the thickest and densest padding – notice the padding thickness and squarish edges of the padding.
• TM has the thickest/stiffest leather – notice how Sabas leather has more wrinkles because it’s softer/thinner.
• Casanova makes a tighter fist – you may prefer that if you like your hand in a fist position more than open position.
• TM has old-school welted seams – pretty cool! That piece of leather in between the seams helps with its durability.

Overall, Sabas padding is too soft for me. I think any serious competing fighter will punch right through it within a matter of 2 months if not immediately. Get it if you like soft gloves and/or using it for sparring. For bagwork or mitts, I wouldn’t recommend them. By the 5th day that I’ve used these, I could feel my knuckles punching right through them. It’s not only the soft padding but the knuckle angle that makes it impact your fist in a painful way (at the middle knuckles instead of top knuckles). I started hating my Sabas gloves almost the very moment I started throwing hard punches.

Sabas does have other models that don’t have such soft padding. Many people have expressed those are better for longterm use.

Comfort – 7

Sabas gloves have good thumb design, very comfortable! Other interesting observations from this angle:

• Sabas has a normal (slightly-curved) thumb – other thumbs may be straighter or even more curved.
• Sabas has the softest padding – you can see this by how round the edges are. TM has the denser padding and thus, the more squared-edge.
• Casanova’s knuckle padding covers the thumb – whereas the thumb appears more exposed with Sabas and TM. TM’s stiff foam will prevent the thumb from being reached but with Sabas’ soft padding, you’ll eventually hit the thumb for sure if you’re not careful.
• Casanova has a really wide pocket – but thin profile. It’s built like a pancake, good for both blocking as well as slipping shots through opponent guards.
• TM has the stiffest thumb by far – it doesn’t look as curved as Casanova or Sabas. This doesn’t mean it’s uncomfortable!…I much prefer the TM thumb over Sabas in terms of protection.

Sure, Sabas gloves are somewhat comfortable as expected with soft-padded gloves but is it just as comfortable as the higher-end brands and can it fool me into thinking it might be Winning? Hell no.

In terms of comfort in softness, Sabas could be seen as 8 or 9 if you like softness. But in terms of comfort in structure, Sabas is more like a 5 or 6. I don’t feel like it would support my knuckles and wrist under heavy pressure. Maybe it DOES support well, but it doesn’t feel that secure and that’s why I dock it for comfort. I much prefer a stiffer glove that requires some break-in time but feels like my hand is protected in a cast. A glove that doesn’t feel as supportive can definitely affect your punching power and make you hold back.

Wrist Support – 4

Observations from the thumb angle:

• Sabas knuckle padding doesn’t cover the top knuckles well – it covers more like your middle knuckle. TM and Casanova both focus the padding over your top knuckles better.
• TM & Casanova have beefier wrist padding – it’s expected as Sabas is copying Winning with this model whereas TM/Casanova are using the traditional Mexican design with thick cotton-padding in wrist area.
• Sabas back of the hand is more curved (lengthwise & widthwise) – it’s an annoying feeling for me compared to the straighter back of TM/Casanova. Look at your hand and it makes more sense for the glove to be straight in the back and curved in the palm area. Interestingly, Winning is curved in the back as well but feels better than Sabas.
• TM has straight-thumb position – Sabas thumb is more curved, Casanova even more curved (shows better from other angles).

The biggest issue with Sabas is that it feels too soft and floppy at the wrist area, whereas other gloves have stiffer/stronger wrist support. For me, boxing gloves should give comfort not only through its pliability but also through it’s structural support. Sabas does the first one well but not so much the second one. Sabas gloves are indeed comfy but I’m not looking for comfort to go to sleep…I want comfort to go to war!!!

Another big issue I have with the knuckle padding (besides its softness) is the roundness of the knuckle surface. I feel like it’s easier to hit something at a slight off-angle and injure your wrist. I like when gloves have more of that flat-surface feeling in front of the knuckles. (The next image will demonstrate better what I mean.)

This is how bad it is with your hand inside! I swear, I am making the exact same fist shape and wrist position in both gloves. The Sabas glove just bends itself out of position. Horrible design.

• AWFUL WRIST BEND – notice how the Sabas glove keeps trying to bend my wrist out of the proper straight position. I suppose Sabas might be nice if you want to throw hooks but it sure as hell isn’t good for straight punches.
• OFF-PLACED KNUCKLE PADDING – see how the TM padding is shaped so that you impact with the top knuckles? The Sabas padding is curved in a weird way where your fist impacts with the middle knuckles—OUCH!

I did spend some time trying to figure out why Sabas curves like that. The back piece has some kind of structural layer in there that makes the glove bend that way. Also, the gloves feel really flat which makes it more likely to bend. You have to buy a pair and stick your hand in to see what I mean.

I absolutely hate the way the gloves bends my wrist and when combined with the roundness of the knuckle surface, you definitely feel like these gloves make it easier for you to land punches with your wrist bent. With that said, they aren’t unuseable by any means—I was ok throwing a few weak punches at the wall without handwraps. But I can guarantee you will not be able to throw your hardest punches in this glove.

Annoying gripbar – TOO SOFT!

Sabas gripbar is way too soft; feels like there’s no gripbar!

I will never understand how this issue can happen. I never noticed it before in any gloves until I tried Sabas. Most other gloves will have a stiff gripbar in there (feels like hard stiff plastic) and some brands will be a little softer but it’s still rigid enough to support your fist!

The Sabas gripbar feels totally soft like they stuffed it with a cleaning sponge, really strange sensation. Sure, it LOOKS like a gripbar from the outside but totally bends when your fingers try to grip it. I’m not sure if it actually affects my punches in a bad way but its definitely missing the roll-of-quarters feeling, and does make the glove feel less supportive overall.

Are Sabas gloves comparable to Winning gloves? (NO)

Are Sabas anything like Winning gloves?

Sabas gloves are absolutely not at all like Winning gloves. Winning is way more comfortable, more protective, feels more secure, feels way more luxurious, higher quality all around and just completely better in every way.

Winning LOOKS & FEELS like a $400 glove.
Sabas LOOKS like a $70 glove, and FEELS like a $50 glove.

• Winning has better craftsmanship – Winning leather fits more exact around the knuckle bend, and Sabas leather a bit loose.
• Winning knuckle padding extends over the thumb – giving more protection, more like Mexican gloves. Sabas has thumb more exposed, like usual Pakistan gloves.
• Winning has better construction at the thumb seam – also hard to show unless I take really close-up pictures. Sabas seam looks stressed at the thumb area, like either the stitching or the leather will tear (it already has micro tears). Winning looks neat and relaxed.

• Winning leather is much higher quality – you can see Winning leather is so much richer, nice grain and more luxurious texture (click for higher-resolution). Sabas leather is just thin, soft, and looks more like plastic. Not much texture because it’s probably the weak part of the leather and processed in the cheapest way. The difference is night and day when you feel it in person.
• Winning thumb is much more comfortable – Winning thumb is far more ergonomically-shaped, requires much more work to construct (leather wrinkles because of the shaping). Sabas thumb is also comfortable but chokes a little around where the thumb connects to the palm. Sabas thumb is a clean straight cut (easy work). Winning thumb is far more comfortable because of its design whereas Sabas thumb is only comfortable because the padding is soft.
• Winning piping is better – high-quality material, neatly constructed and tightly rolled in. Sabas uses cheap soft material and leaves a small flap on the outside. Sabas piping may look fancier at first but will tear apart and look ugly very quickly.

• Winning has better thumb design – see the difference in thumb design from another angle. Winning’s skinny shape is clever; curving the padding closer around the thumb feels more secure AND more free. Sabas thumb is like most brands, a big fat flap. Most Mexican gloves use dense padding here making your thumb feel caught in a stiff sandwich; it feels “secured” but not in the most comfortable way.
• Winning has more wrist padding – Sabas isn’t bad or lesser by any means; they have other models with more wrist padding, too. It’s a matter of preference how much wrist padding you like.
• Winning more comfortable around the wrist area – nicer padding and more luxurious feel.
• Winning has longer back-hand padding – this is a big one, and I only notice it because I’ve worn so many gloves. The padding behind the hand in Winning extends further down to the wrist, whereas Sabas cuts shorter. I think this is common for manufacturers trying to save on padding and you do feel the difference. Extending the padding lower down the wrist area feels more secure, comfortable, and supported.

• Winning has better knuckle padding placement – HUGE DIFFERENCE HERE! Notice how with the Winning padding stays more in front of your top knuckles. This feels so much better to punch with, providing much more support. The sabas gloves have the awkward curve where the padding impacts more at middle knuckles. I have a feeling the Sabas gloves go out of position for two reasons: 1) the shorter backhand padding gets bent over when you make a fist, 2) the Sabas thumb attachment’s placement to the fingers is causing it to angle that way.
• Again, Winning has better leather – Winning leather has grain. Sabas leather is smooth and plastic-looking.
• Winning has more wrist padding – feels nicer and better around that whole area. Sabas wrist area feels naked and with some thin stiff EVA padding.

Winning boxing gloves vs Sabas boxing gloves:

• Winning has much better leather (you can totally see and feel the difference).
• Winning has better stitching and craftsmanship.
• Winning has better padding, soft but you won’t punch through it (like Sabas).
• Winning is more comfortable everywhere; wrist, hand, fingers, thumb.
• Winning gloves don’t bend the back of your hand or have the weird gripbar issues.
• Winning feels better to punch with, has more knuckle and wrist protection.
• Winning feels much more expensive.

I think anybody would have to be foolish to compare Sabas to Winning. Maybe an earlier Sabas model was more comparable but certainly not the ones I have. They are worlds apart in every area. If you want closer Winning clones, the Ring to Cage’s C17 Japanese 2.0 training model might be ok (although I haven’t tried)…they definitely look more like Winning gloves (wrist design, rolled piping).

Should you buy Sabas gloves?

At the price of $109-129…they are NOT WORTH IT for me!

I would have to say these are not a good buy at $110. $90 is probably more of a fair price for them. If you love the design and don’t mind paying extra for an average glove, sure why not? But in terms of serious use and longevity, I don’t recommend these at all.

They aren’t a ripoff by any means. I would judge 99% of the gloves on the market just as harshly if not more so. Sabas gloves are still nicely designed and stylishly-constructed while still being functional. I just can’t recommend them when much better gloves exist around that price point.

Sorry to say this but Sabas gloves have been officially dropped from my top 5 boxing gloves. With that said, I think their business is still small enough to adapt to the market and improve with time. I’ll be happy to make a new review if their quality improves.

• Check out my Best Boxing Gloves Review

Which double-end bag should you buy?

I don’t blame you for being confused about all the million options. There are many different kinds of shapes, sizes, and options available out there for double end bags. I’ll explain how they’re used, what skills they develop, and the right kind of cord to set them up with. (I also include videos of how the pros use them.)

Check out my top 5 types of double end bags:

Beginner All-around (timing/rhythm/defense)

If you can only have one, get this one. You can work both offense and defense on it. Anything you want. It’s versatile and will challenge you. Good for beginners.

Set to: LIGHT CORD at MEDIUM TENSION

Beginner Slim (timing/rhythm/accuracy)

Another good all-around double end bag option is the slim shape. Good for working all punches, offense and defense. It’s the same as the beginner all-around but slimmer.

Set to: LIGHT CORD at LIGHT TENSION

Advanced offense (speed/rhythm/accuracy)

This one is good for putting it with tight elasticity and working your accuracy and speed rhythms. The slim smaller size makes it good for practicing your accuracy with faster combinations. Not good for working your defense since the elastic will be tight.

Set to: MEDIUM/HEAVY CORD with HIGH TENSION

*Can also use it upside-down as shown above.

Head & Body (combinations)

A good all-around bag for you to work on combinations, accuracy, speed, timing on head shots as well as body shots. Typically though, I just go for the single ball double-end bags and I’ll hit the rope to simulate a body shot. Still…for those who want an actual “body”, can use this with good results. It’s still fun to use and works better with a tighter elastic cord. This bag is probably not good for practicing defense.

Set to: HEAVY CORD with MEDIUM/HIGH TENSION

The Sniper Bag (accuracy)

Good for working your accuracy and timing with potshots. It moves around a lot so you’re not going to be working hard combinations. It’s more for flowing around and pinpoint accuracy. You can do a little defensive work on it. I would not use this as an all-around bag since it won’t test your rhythm as much.

Set to: LIGHT CORD with LOW/LOOSE TENSION

CORD WEIGHT & TENSION (for the DE bag)

You must use the right kind of cord (weight and tension)
to get the maximum benefit out of your double end bag.

There is something many people don’t know about the double-end bag and that is the kind of cord you should use with it. Quite often, especially beginners or people who work out at home, will simply install the double-end bag with the cord it came with or use any elastic cord that they can find. And when you don’t use the right kind of cord, the bag moves too little, or too much, or in a weird awkward way and overall doesn’t give you the best training that it can.

The WEIGHT of the cord has to match the weight of your double end bag

If your double end bag is too heavy and the elastic cord is too light, the cord won’t have enough strength to make it rebound fast enough. Even if your cord is high tension, it still won’t have enough strength to return the double-end bag. Also the cord will wear out too quickly (especially the top one).

Likewise, if your double end bag is too light and the elastic cord is too heavy, the bag won’t be heavy enough to stretch the cord and it won’t move at all (NOTE: in some situations, you may want this).

Typically, a heavier bag will need a heavier and more sturdy cord. A lighter bag will need a lighter cord. You may have to try different cords before finding the right balance for your double end bag setup. I recommend going to a boxing gym and seeing how they have theirs set up.

The TENSION of the cord has to match the WEIGHT & PURPOSE of your double end bag

There are two factors to this detail:

1. how elastic the cord is
2. how tight is the cord installed

Typically the elasticity of the cord has to do with the weight of the bag. If the bag is heavy, than the cord elasticity has to be strong enough to return the bag (already covered in previous point).

Now the tightness of the cord installation is another matter. For example: do you install the cord at its un-stretched length? Or do you install the cord already a bit stretch out?

Well it depends on the purpose and what drills you’re doing. If the cord is more or less un-stretched then the bag starts out kind of loose and jumpy (because of a “low starting stretch”). If the cord is already stretched out then the bag starts out with high tension, moves within a tighter space, and swings with more stability. It depends on if you want to work offense or defense and also how heavy your bag is.

Here are the many possibilities:

• low tension (unstretched) – jumpy accuracy
• low tension (stretched) – offense, defense
• high tension (unstretched) – jumpy accuracy
• high tension (stretched) – speed, offense

I do feel kind of silly explaining these details because these are things you’ll likely figure out for yourself. But I wrote it out in case somebody needs a little extra help.

Proper HEIGHT for double end bag

Basically…the double end bag is typically installed somewhere around chest height to chin height. I like to recommend chest height as the best height so that everyone (short and tall) can use it for offense or defensive purposes. Even if I was the only one using it, I would still set it at chest height. I find this is more anatomically correct positioning for punching.

Balancing out the FLOOR-to-CEILING distribution

In an ideal world, the double-end bag would be placed somewhere around the middle of the distance between the floor and the ceiling. This way both the top cord and bottom cord easily balance each other out and you have a bag that swings nicely. But unfortunately, life is never convenient…

Sometimes your ceiling is really high and so the top cord is much longer than the bottom cord. And in this case, one cord is more likely to be stronger than the other (especially if you are using matching cords for both top and bottom). And then you have the awkward case of where the bag swings awkwardly.

There are several ways to balance out this problem. Some people will use different cords for the top and bottom. Some people will use a 3rd cord, a much stronger (or NON-elastic cord) for a portion of the very top part, and then use matching cords to balance out the remaining top and bottom (making it 2 cords on top, one on bottom).

Where to buy elastic cords for the double end bag:

Because of all the variables I listed up above, it’s hard for me to recommend a universal solution for everyone. I would recommend searching in these places to find the right cord for your double end bag.

• Local fight store with (boxing/MMA/martial arts) equipment
• Hardware store
• Make your own (by combining bungee cords or other lesser cords)

Check out my other articles on the double-end bag:

• How to Hit a Double End Bag
• Double End Bag Drills