When it comes to deciding what boxing gloves you should get for your drills, it can be a difficult decision. When it comes to pad work, there is a fine combination that you want out of your gloves, such as durability, lightweight, and so on.
What are the top 10 boxing gloves for pad work? Well, these gloves include:
- Everlast Pro Style
- Winning Training Boxing Gloves
- Elite Sports Standard
- Rival RB10-Intelli-Shock Bag gloves
- Venum Challenger 2.0
- Fairtex Boxing Gloves
- Reyes Traditional Gloves
- Top King Gloves
Today, we’ll be taking a more in-depth look at each glove, what they offer, and some pros and cons about them. For this list, we are taking into consideration only the area of pad work, not focusing on other areas such as the heavy bag, sparring, competition, and so on.
Size
When it comes to sizing for pad work, you’ll typically want a bit of a lighter glove. It also depends on your size as well, but I’d recommend somewhere between the 12-14 oz range to start, and either drop to 10 oz or move up to 16oz, just depending on your level of comfort.
There is no exact “ideal” weight for gloves when it comes to pad work, but rather, the size you feel most comfortable with is your best bet. I’d recommend trying on a few different glove sizes, to see just how well you like them.
If you are completely green to the sport of boxing, I recommend 10 ounces as the absolute medium. If you consider yourself a bigger person, then I’d recommend going up to the 12-ounce size, but other than that, the 10 oz gloves are a great place to start. As I mentioned, from there you can decide what would be ideal for you, even if it meant staying at the weight you started with.
Obviously, you’ll need to go in-store to try on glove sizes, so I recommend either a boxing-specific store, or even a larger retail sports store that may let you try on gloves, but it depends on the location if they’ll let you do this or not. Typically, most boxing-specific stores will let you try on gloves, as they know the importance of correct sizing.
#1 – Everlast Pro Style Boxing Gloves
When it comes to pad work, I like to have something that is lightweight but does simulate realistic feel to sparring and/or competition, as it will help in developing your muscle memory. With Everlast’s pro-style, you can many great benefits to them, which make them one of the top choices for using as pad work gloves and more.
These gloves are built to last and offer exceptional value to them, as well as offering fantastic ventilation. When it comes to pad work, you’ll want breathable gloves, and these are some of the best available on the market today, hands down.
Also, these gloves are offered up in three different sizes to choose from as well, so it gives you a solid choice of variety. Padding is also a plus with these gloves, which should be not surprising from Everlast, as they are truly a staple brand in boxing.
Pros:
- Fantastic ventilation
- Solid quality
- Variety of sizes
Cons:
- Wrists are not fully covered
#2 – Winning Training Boxing Gloves
Another iconic staple in the sport of boxing, Winning creates some of the best boxing gloves on the planet, period. Personally, these are my favorite overall gloves, as they are so versatile in what they can be used for, which is why I highly recommend them to people who are just getting into boxing.
For pad work specifically, these gloves are exceptional. They shape around the wrist and hands well, making for a secure fit, and feel so smooth when in use. They are often considered one of the highest quality gloves on the market as well.
As I mentioned, there are several reasons to use these gloves, and they fall perfectly into the category of pad work, which is why they rank so high currently on this list.
Pros:
- Exceptional quality
- Extremely comfortable
- Versatile in all departments
Cons:
- Hefty price tag
- Sizing may be tricky to get right
#3 – Elite Sports Standard Boxing Gloves
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Check the price on EliteSports.com
*There’s a 10% off for your first purcahse on their website
Sometimes, simplicity is key, and I think Elite Sports has created that with their standard boxing gloves. If you are just starting to take on boxing and aren’t looking to spend a fortune on the gloves, these gloves are certainly the ones for you.
Not only are these gloves extremely affordable, but they have some serious benefits to them, such as amazing ventilation and how lightweight they are. They feel great on the hand and flow quite nice.
Again, the biggest takeaway here from these gloves is their price point, which is why I’m putting them on the list. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a pair of gloves at this price that offers the feel and ventilation that these do.
However, the quality of these gloves isn’t top-notch, but that should be expected, as you get what you pay for when it comes to quality. However, not everyone needs the world’s best gloves, so these may be just perfect for you.
Pros:
- Cost
- Surprisingly solid ventilation
- Feel
Cons:
- Quality
- Lining may cause issues
#4 – Rival RB10-Intelli-Shock Bag Gloves
Rival is slowly starting to make their name larger and larger in the world of boxing, and they offer some fantastic training gloves as well. One of the best things about them that they offer is their amazing wrist-design which feels like one of the most natural fits I’ve felt in quite some time.
Due to their name not being quite as large as some such as Everlast, they haven’t received as much praise as I believe they should. However, Rival has done a fantastic job of setting up their brand thus far, and it shows in their products quite well.
They offer a variety of gloves, and I feel that I had to mention just the brand itself, rather than one specific glove. However, some of their top gloves for pad work is the Rival RB10-Intelli-Shock Bag gloves. They come at a fair price and offer superb quality.
Pros:
- Ultra-durable
- Secure fit
- Design
Cons:
- A bit heavy in certain areas
#5 – Venum Challenger 2.0 Boxing Gloves
Venum is well-known for its impression in the world of MMA and other disciplines, but they also offer great boxing products as well, and I believe they are often underrated in what they bring to the table. I was a bit hesitant to but the brand on the list as personally, I’m just not a giant fan of most of their gloves for training purposes.
However, that was until I stumbled upon the challenger 2.0’s. These are truly the ideal glove for when it comes to training and drills, such as pad work. As I mentioned, there isn’t a large selection of training gloves offered by Venum, but this pair certainly makes the list with flying colors, so let’s explore why.
First off, the shape of these gloves are amazing and are really conservative on space and makes for a lightweight and ergonomic design that you can feel instantly. Also, I love the way they look as well, although that isn’t exactly a contributing factor when it comes to performance, but figured it’d be worth mentioning for those who care what their gear looks like.
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Fantastic design
- Solid choice for beginners
Cons:
- Wrist fit
#6 – Fairtex Boxing Gloves
Coming in on the list next is a rather unique glove, stemming from a special brand. Fairtex offers great boxing gloves that are some of the highest quality on the market. Although designed initially for Muay Thai use, these gloves are amazing for doing pad work.
What I have to praise them on is their quality and durability, because it honestly feels second-to-none. As I mentioned a bit, these gloves are special, and you’ll get that feeling as soon as you slip them on for the first time.
These truly are premium gloves and if you are looking for a pair that will hold its shape for quite some time, this is the perfect fit for you. Also, these gloves feel superb around the hands and wrist as well, making them almost seem too good to be true at this point.
Pros:
- Excellent quality
- Durability to last
- Amazing comfortability
Cons:
- Mediocre ventilation
#7 – Cleto Reyes Traditional Boxing Gloves
If you are looking for a classic take on the training glove, then Reyes offers the perfect choice. These gloves are crafted beautifully and offer up some of the best quality leather you’ll find in a boxing glove.
They come in not only at a solid pricing point, but they also provide great cushion and feel amazing when you slip them on time after time. The saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, truly applies to these gloves, as the simplistic, yet high quality of these gloves have made them a boxing favorite for years.
Pros:
- Amazing quality
- Built to last
- Great cushion/padding if a worry
Cons:
- Not great for breathing
# 8 – Top King Boxing Gloves
The final pair of gloves that we’ll be exploring is the top king boxing gloves. I decided to go with this pair as the final on the list due to how secure the fit of them is. I think for pad work, considering how quick your movements can be, a secure fit is a must, and I like the snugness that is provided by the top king here.
Also, the quality of these gloves is quite strong as well, which is something I believe anyone and everyone can enjoy, considering gloves can rack up a fortune if you are having to get a new pair every 6-9 months.
Overall, they are a solid pair of gloves that I feel work great specifically for pad work and earned a spot on this list. Also, they absorb shock beautifully as well, which is a large part as to why they are solid for both the pads and working the heavy bag as well.
Pros:
- Durability
- Secure fit
- Great price
Cons:
- Design rubs off after a bit of use
- Shape may be odd to some
Differences in Gloves for Drills & Practice
If you are new to the sport of boxing, then you may be confused as to why exactly certain gloves work better for particular areas. For example, this list, which gave the best suggestions for gloves that will go tremendously with pad work.
Well, certain gloves have a unique shape, weight, and design that either intentionally or unintentionally caters towards a category in boxing. For example, some gloves offer great padding and protection, which is something you’d look for in sparring gloves, but not for drills, as it would just be added weight.
Once you become better versed in the sport, you’ll learn these things naturally and become familiar with having more than one pair of gloves on you during your training sessions. If you are just beginning, one pair of gloves is fine, and even some on this list work great for doing it all.
However, as you become more experienced, you may see yourself start to want different gloves to mix in with your training, which is where you’d start to search for specific gloves that cater to different areas of training, including pad work, heavy bag, sparring, and so on.
Wrap-Up
Overall, this is a great list that consists of exactly what you could ever need out of a solid pair of gloves for doing pad work. Whatever area you feel is most important, whether it be weight, durability, quality, or what have you, we’ve got you covered in all areas.
Don’t be afraid to try various gloves along the way as well, as you may find that you like certain gloves over others. Of course, as time goes on, companies will continue to add new gloves to their arsenal, and I’m excited to see what the future holds in terms of gloves, as technology within them seems to just keep getting better and better.
Gloves for boxing can come in all types of colors and styles. They come with the names that you want on your hand. They can be made out of leather, vinyl, cloth, or even some that are made out of suede. It’s up to you what type of gloves you are going to buy.