10 oz boxing gloves are competition gloves and they are used in amateur and professional bouts. It’s not recommended using them in sparring because they are too small and don’t have much padding which can hurt your sparring partner easily.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t also use them when doing bag, or pad work. Actually 10 oz is my favorite size for bag work because these gloves provide just enough padding to protect your fists, while at the same time being light and comfortable enough to not interfere with your punching technique.
In this article, I will talk about the very best 10 oz boxing gloves in the market right now, divided into categories. The following gloves will give you the best combination of padding, ergonomics, styling, and pricing, making these the best choice no matter if you’re going to use them in competition or when working on the bag or pads.
I hope you find this article useful!
Things You Should Look For In 10 Oz Gloves
The following things are what you should be looking for in the next gloves you choose. There’s a lot of crappy gloves for sale these days, so remembering these points will help you make a better, more informed choice:
- Adequate Padding: Since 10 oz gloves are meant to be used for professional or amateur fights, many manufacturers take advantage of this fact by reducing the padding found on the front part of the gloves, which only increases the chance of the boxer breaking his hand. It’s important to focus on products that will have enough padding to keep you well protected while still feeling stiff enough to make sure you are punching as hard as possible.
- Ergonomics: Another big factor to consider is how does the glove feels in your hand. It doesn’t matter if you have high-end, expensive gloves, if they feel off every time that you wear them, then you have no business using them. In fact, it’s better to use a pair of cheap $50 gloves that you feel comfortable with than a $400 set of gloves that hurt your hand when you punch. As a rule of thumb, if you have more than a few weeks using a set of gloves, they are broken in and they still feel uncomfortable, it’s time to swap them for something else!
- Build Quality: Of course, if you are going to be spending your hard-earned cash on a pair of boxing gloves, you really need to check out the build quality of the gloves you are thinking of buying. And one of the main ways to distinguish a decent pair of gloves from a crappy one is to look at the stitching. Any decent glove will have intricate, well-done stitching, especially if they are made by hand. Also, real leather is always a good sign that indicates that the manufacturers didn’t try to cut costs on the glove. But of course, in this article, you will learn that there are some cheap gloves with which you’ll be just fine if you are on a budget.
The Best 10 Oz Gloves
1. Venum Elite Boxing Gloves – The Overall Best Choice
If you are looking for the overall best mainstream 10 oz gloves, then you can’t go wrong with the Venum Elite Boxing Gloves You can check the availability on Amazon.com. The combination of high-quality construction, edgy styling, and affordable pricing for what you get make this a winner, and overall the best choice for the money!
I personally own these boxing gloves, generally using them for hard sparring sessions. One of the things that I most enjoy about them is the fact that they feel so comfortable when punching. They aren’t pillowy soft like a Winning glove but they aren’t too hard either, making this an ideal buy for people that want to have some knuckle protection but not so much that you don’t feel anything when you connect.
Aside from this, I really admire the styling of these gloves. I have always been a fan of this kind of look because it goes very well with the boxing shoes & headgear that I use. I have the gold & black pairs, but there are several different color choices aside from that one.
| PROS | CONS |
| ✔ Very Comfortable, ergonomic glove ✔ Not too soft, not too stiff ✔ Beautiful, edgy styling will appeal most fighters | X Not much padding |
2. Everlast Elite Pro Style Training Gloves – The Affordable Do-it-all
This is one of my favorite 10oz boxing gloves on the market today. These Everlast gloves distinguish themselves from other products on the market because they are a great bang for your buck. You can check their price on Amazon. In fact, I would consider these to be the very best choice for any cash-strapped young boxer that is still looking for quality gear but doesn’t wanna go buy used stuff.
They are very well cushioned which means that they will protect your hands very well when hitting the bag or your opponent. I personally have very sensitive hands so I tend to use more padded gloves and these definitely fit the bill. Not only that, but the wrist support that these provide is excellent, especially when you consider how cheap these can go for.
These Everlast gloves ain’t perfect though, and one of the things that I don’t like about this is that they feel a little bit loose when wearing them. My hands aren’t too big or too small but still sometimes when I punched the bag these gloves felt like they were made for somebody with much bigger hands.
Also, another con of these gloves has to do with the velcro. They tend to come loose very often when sparring. This seems to be a recurring problem with the gloves, but thankfully you can easily deal with this by taping the gloves like they do in pro bouts.
| PROS | CONS |
| ✔ Great value glove ✔ Excellent wrist support makes this an ideal glove for boxers with prev. wrist injuries | X Velcro of this glove could be made to a higher standard X Gloves feel a little bit loose in my hands |
3. Cleto Reyes Professional Fight Gloves (Safetec) – The Premium Choice
Ah, the classic Reyes gloves. Everybody with even a smidge of interest in boxing will recognize this brand and no wonder why. Cleto Reyes gloves are used by a ridiculous amount of pro fighters, and their cred as a “puncher’s” glove is well deserved. If you are looking for a premium pair of boxing gloves for serious training or competition that features reduced cushioning, then you can’t do better than buying these. Those gloves cost usually between $150 and $200 you can check their current price on Amazon.com.
Here’s the first reason why people buy these: punching power. Cleto Reyes is the prototypical Mexican glove: old school, simple styling, and most importantly, limited padding for a more compact fit. The reduced padding is said to improve a boxer’s punching power, so if you aren’t the guy to suffer from sore hands, then getting these gloves can improve your power in the ring!
Combine this with the fact that they are so well made. As soon as you get these you will understand what I’m talking about: the leather feels soft and supple, the stitching is carefully done by hand to ensure the glove lasts a long time, and the presentation overall makes this glove look like something that a 50s boxer would use. If you prefer the old school aesthetic when it comes to boxing gear, then you should really take a look at these.
Cleto Reyes gloves have a lot of things going for them which makes them one of the premier boxing brands today, but we all know their gear has some flaws. And the first one is the fact that their gear is really expensive. In fact, this is perhaps the most expensive glove on this list, and many people might not even consider them because of that.
Expect to shell out at least 100 bucks for these beauties and sometimes even more. They are completely worth it though, and you get what you pay for, so if you are really serious about boxing, taking the plunge on these will be worth it in the end.
| PROS | CONS |
| ✔ Very high-quality glove, among the best of the best ✔ Reduced padding makes this a great puncher’s glove | X Expensive |
4. Hayabusa T3 Boxing Gloves
An MMA gear startup, Hayabusa has really tried hard to move onto the boxing world, making some really flashy equipment that immediately caught my attention when I first checked them out. And one of their main products these days is the T3 boxing gloves – check them on Amazon.com.
A standout pair of gloves that I loved because of their excellent wrist support, padding, and premium feel. If you have hand or wrist problems and are looking for something that will protect your hands as much as possible when sparring, then you should really take a look at these!
The main reason you should be buying these gloves is if you have had wrist or hand issues with other gloves before. In fact, this has been one of the boxing gloves that has most protected my hands. These will do a better job of protecting your knuckles than the Everlast gear above, and while they are a little bit more expensive than them, they are also a tier above from them. If you have suffered a hand fracture before, then you really should really try out these when doing bag work/competing. They will feel pillowy soft!
Now, these gloves have one main disadvantage that I need to talk about, and one of them is the fact that these gloves aren’t breathable at all. In fact, every time I used them, these gloves made my hands very hot, and I think it has to do with the synthetic leather they use. Expect your hands to be hot and sweaty when wearing this, and depending on where you tend to train, this might be unbearable, and it’s definitely one of the reasons why these gloves aren’t higher up top.
| PROS | CONS |
| ✔ Excellent padding, makes you feel like you are punching a pillow ✔ Great choice for boxers with wrist problems | X Not breathable at all, expect your hands to be super sweaty when fighting |
5. Everlast ProTex3 Pro Fight Gloves – The Cleto Reyes Alternative
With years of presence in the boxing world, everybody knows how good some Everlast products can be. While I don’t recommend their dirt-cheap stuff or their heavy bags, I personally adore their fight gloves, including these ProTex3 gloves.
They are very well made, with sparse, but adequate padding ideal for big punchers, and they are really affordable for what you get if you ask me. Check their current price on Amazon.com. While there are better gloves out there, the combination of high-quality construction, compact fit, and affordable pricing make this a serious Cleto Reyes alternative.
Most people buy these gloves because they can’t afford Reyes and need something compact with not much padding. If this is your case, these are right up your alley. The glove is shaped more like a traditional Mexican glove, with a more conventional shape that has less padding than most gloves out there, and the result is a cleaner power delivery reminiscent of the Reyes gloves above.
And while these are a little bit more padded than those, these are still considered puncher’s gloves so those with brittle hands will have them sore after sparring and heavy bag work. Just something to consider.
Also, for what you are getting, I’d say that these are among the best value gloves in the 10 oz department. I think the Venum gloves above offer more bang for your buck, but these ain’t bad either, plus you get the Everlast branding that so many aspiring boxers tend to prefer these days. Anyways, expect pristine stitching and very soft leather that will last you a long time. If you are looking for quality without breaking the bank, you should really take a look at those.
The only thing that I didn’t really like about these gloves is a slightly unergonomic fit. Some boxers I spoke with who used to fight/train in Cleto gloves which fit their hands perfectly, and when compared to those, these gloves feel a little bit unnatural and some people have a hard time first wearing them. It gets better as you break them in, but still, just something to consider.
| PROS | CONS |
| ✔ A great alternative to Cleto Reyes gloves ✔ These gloves are a great bang for your buck | X Slightly unergonomic fit, gets better as you use them |
6. Adidas Hybrid 65 Boxing Gloves – Underrated and Affordable
A very popular glove in Germany and Britain, the Adidas Hybrid 65 Boxing Glove is ideal for boxers looking for a more subdued, toned down velcro glove. It is an excellent choice for people that don’t want to spend a fortune for gloves (you can check the Adidas Hybrid 65 Gloves price on Amazon) and while they are not as good as the Everlast Elite Pro Style gloves above, they are still a worthy model perfect for any beginner looking to get into this.
Unlike some of the models that I recommended above, this one strikes a nice balance between protection and stiffness. 99% of people who wear this will feel comfortable enough for all kinds of activities, and I would use these for mitt & heavy bag work without any problem. The ergonomics of this model ain’t perfect, so It might be wise to do a few rounds on the bag before buying them, especially if you have very big or small hands.
Also, some people are going to dig the toned-down styling of these gloves, including myself. While I do like my flashy stuff once in a while, the truth is that more conservative designs like this one tend to be easier to match with my boots and headgear. Flashy gear also tends to be robbed often, so if that’s something you are concerned with, it might be wise to go for a more subdued glove like this one that doesn’t look like it costs a lot of money.
| PROS | CONS |
| ✔ Subdued, toned down styling will appeal to a lot of boxers ✔ Great choice for beginners on a budget ✔ Great balance between too much and too little padding | X Ergonomics aren’t as good as other choices above. |
7. Sanabul Essential Gel Boxing
One of the best dirt cheap gloves in the market, I would recommend these if you are on a very tight budget but need something that will hold up for at least a few months until you can get something better. Those gloves cost $20-$30 as I first saw them. You can check their current price on Amazon.com.
Because this model uses gel padding, you can use this model on pretty much all situations, including heavy bag, pad work or touch sparring (very light sparring). The only problem with them is that they are going to feel super soft, but that may also be a pro if you are looking for that.
The main pro about this model is the fact that these gloves are dirt cheap without being a complete piece of crap. In fact, this is the only glove under 35$ that I would recommend, and you can expect these to last you 3-4 months of daily, heavy use, which is excellent when you consider the price.
However, don’t expect very high build quality from these. After all, you get what you pay for. The stitching is suspect, even ugly, and the gel padding cushions well, but it’s inferior to other materials used in higher-quality gloves.
| PROS | CONS |
| ✔ Best dirt cheap gloves on the market ✔ Pillowy soft cushioning makes this a great choice for fighters with frail hands | X Build quality leaves a lot to be desired |
