Boxing has become more popular with women, both to stay fit as well as for competition. With all the force and stress boxing puts on hands and wrists, it’s crucial to have proper fitting gloves.
It is a fact that women’s hands and wrists are smaller and narrower than men’s, with more slender wrists. So even with supposedly ‘unisex’ glove designs, women boxers may find the gloves ill-fitting.
Simply slapping pink-colored leather on an existing glove design doesn’t make it a women’s glove. Wrists need proper support, and the fingers must be comfortably snug inside.
The best women’s boxing gloves are designed specifically to match the structurally different hands of women. We’ve researched and consulted with our lady boxer friends to find some really good gloves to review.
Table of Contents:
- Top 7 Boxing Gloves for Women
- Best Beginner Gloves – Ringside Apex Flash
- Premium Women’s Gloves – Venum Elite
- Best Wrist Support – Hayabusa S4
- Best Cardio Bag Gloves – RDX Ladies Gel
- Best Cheap Gloves – Everlast Elite Pro Style
- Best Mexican Style – Cleto Reyes Women’s Training Gloves
- Best Budget Gel Gloves – Sanabul Essential GEL
- Custom Designed for Women – Machina Carbonado
- Factors for Choosing Women’s Gloves
7 Best Women’s Boxing Gloves
Most boxing gloves companies are making a women’s “cut” of popular men’s gloves. This is ideal for getting the best fit for your hands.
Like all boxing gloves, get the right weight for your training activities. Heavier female boxing gloves (14-18oz) have more padding and are typically used for sparring. Punching bag gloves will be between (12-16oz), and competition gloves are the lightest. Here are some of the best options for female boxers.
With those guidelines in hand, let’s get into the recommendations.
Best Beginner Gloves – Ringside Apex Flash
- Pros: Awesome padding with a grip bar and ventilated palm.
- Cons: Less wrist support than other gloves. but that’s why we wrap hands.
The Apex Flash gloves are a great choice for sparring and fitness training. The injected molded foam (IMF) over the front of the fist is amazing. The 2-1/4″ thick foam absorbs a lot of impact yet is compact for a snappy punch feel.
Inside, the gloves are super comfortable and cool liner with mesh ventilation, which you’ll praise after your sweaty HIIT punching bag circuits.
You’ll also appreciate how easy it is to make and hold a fist with the internal grip bar. You’ll notice the thumb pocket is sewn onto the fingers, which is a nice safety feature.
The Apex Flash looks very similar to the original Apex, but you can tell them apart by the FGT2 lettering on the inside wrist. The Flash is the newer version with improved wrist closure.
Premium Women’s Gloves – Venum Elite
- Pros: Premium Venum quality and many color options in all sizes (8-16oz).
- Cons: Unisex design may not fit more slender hands as well.
The Elite is a well-known and established series of boxing gear from Venum and is even made directly in Thailand. There are sizes ranging from 8 ounces up to 16 ounces. The hand opening scales up as the gloves get heavier, so it’s best to consult the size guide.
The gloves are made of Venum’s proprietary Skintex PU leather and feature triple-density foam padding. Which is a huge upgrade from even the Challenger 2.0 gloves.
Other improvements over cheaper gloves are the ventilated zones and the padded palms for doing partner mitt work without the mitts.
They also have a nice Velcro strap for locking down your wrists, and you will find them very stable. Pink is only one color option, so women can easily match their style.
Best Wrist Support – Hayabusa S4
Pros: Built in wrist splint for excellent wrist support.
Cons: Not quite as good as the amazing (but pricey) T3 gloves.
Haybusa makes great martial arts gear, but typically out of the budget of everyday people just trying to hit the bag a few times a week. The Hayabusa T3 gloves are an awesome choice, but if you’re looking for a more modestly priced option, then check out their S4 model.
Our female boxer friends strongly believe these offer the best wrist support of any gloves they’ve ever owned. The added wrist support from the integrated splint is surprisingly helpful for hitting with maximum impact without worrying about injuries.
The S4 has nice padding around the knuckle area and a grip bar on the inside. With wrapped wrists, these gloves can provide a sense of security and give you the confidence to hit as hard as you want.
Best Cardio Bag Gloves – RDX Ladies Gel
- Pros: Awesome RDX gel padding, with custom size and shape for women.
- Cons: One size, little thumb padding for fitness and light training only.
The RDX Ladies Gel gloves are a good option for women who box mostly for fitness. They are minimalist in design and weigh about 4 ounces. There is only one size, but it is at least cut for the female hand.
There isn’t much for thumb padding, just a finger hole, but that isn’t the focus of these gloves. Instead, the padding is focused at the front of the glove and has an internal grip bar. For the price, these can be considered an excellent choice for women’s boxing gloves.
Best Cheap Gloves – Everlast Elite Pro Style
- Pros: Affordable, generous padding, excellent wrist support.
- Cons: They may not hold up to heavy use or strong punchers.
On the other end of the price range are the Everlast Elite Pro Style gloves. Everlast has developed a hit-or-miss reputation, with many of its products being made overseas. But these training gloves have proven to be pretty good!
The Elite Pro Style gloves are excellent for women in HIIT boxing or kickboxing fitness classes. The balance of weight, padding, and price are a great value for this use.
They are made of synthetic leather and two layers of foam padding. The palm has antimicrobial fabric and mesh built to aid in ventilation. Pick from three sizes based on your body size, and use them for heavy bags, sparring, and kickboxing classes.
Beginners should like this glove for the great wrist support. The gloves have a substantial wrist closure that helps lock down the wrists, which is important in preventing injury when just starting with boxing.
Best Mexican Style – Cleto Reyes Women’s Training Gloves
- Pros: High-end compact feel, designed for multiple uses, end bag, focus mitt work, light sparring.
- Cons: Short thumbs, genuine leather takes time to break in.
Cleto Reyes gear is generally on the more expensive side of things, and these training gloves are no exception. I recommend these for more experience boxers or those who don’t mind paying more for better craftsmanship.
They are Mexican-style gloves with a flatter face on the knuckles, so be careful if you try them on a heavy bag. Being made from goatskin leather, there is a break-in period. You’ll also have your pick from over a dozen colorways.
Most men consider the fit tight (on purpose), and women should also expect a snug fit, especially in the thumb. The result is a compact puncher’s feel that experienced boxers will appreciate.
Best Budget Gel Gloves – Sanabul Essential GEL
- Pros: Inexpensive, gel foam padding, padded thumb.
- Cons: Durability is not the greatest.
If you’re looking for a cheaper gel glove for the RDX Gel, look no further than the Sanabul Essential GEL gloves. They are very much like the Everlast, with a few small differences.
First, they are also made from synthetic leather, but you’ll find gel padding on the inside, which is great for absorbing shock and an upgrade over regular foam.
The most common sizes for women will be 10, 12, and 14 ounces, depending on your hand type. Most average women can try the 12 to start.
Being inexpensive gloves, don’t expect the best in protection or durability. This pair of gloves will wear out more quickly than the higher tier options.
Custom Designed for Women – Machina Carbonado
- Pros: Training gloves designed exclusively for women.
- Cons: Some break-in and stretch are required when wearing wraps.
Machina (pronounced “Ma-she-nuh”) is a startup company focused solely on women’s specific boxing gear. They produce three sizes of their flagship Carbonado boxing gloves.
If the idea of a boxing glove designed specifically for women is appealing, you will love the Carbonado. The hand pockets are designed for the average female hand sizes. When worn with hand wraps, you will feel compact and secure, giving you the confidence to let ‘er rip while training.
The 12-ounce size is best for ladies with smaller wrists and hands. Women with slightly larger hands can go up to the 14 or 16-ounce versions.
The Carbonado is a training glove, but they also offer the Matadora 16 sparring gloves in a 16-ounce size.
Factors in Choosing Your Gloves
How do you find great women’s boxing gloves in a traditionally male-dominated sport? There are a few important things you should learn before buying.
- Female Friendly Sizing
- Ounces & Glove Weight
- Glove Materials
- Wrist Closure
Brands With Female-Friendly Sizing Options
Among the biggest challenges of female boxers everywhere is finding a pair of murder mittens that don’t feel like oversized marshmallows. While many boxing glove brands catered exclusively to men in the past, things have come a long way.
Title, Ringside, RDX, Reyes, and Everlast, which have long been among the top names in boxing, now offer whole collections of boxing gloves specifically designed for women. Brands like Venum and Sanabul also offer solid mid-range choices that are great for beginners.
If you want to venture outside the established brand, some new companies offer gloves specifically designed for female fighters, such as Ruckus, KOStudio, and Unorthodoxx.
Looking for added wrist support? Look no further than a brand called Hayabusa. Many of their gloves come with a built-in fusion wrist splint to help avoid wrist injuries.
The Hayabusa T3 gloves are an awesome choice, but if you’re looking for a more modestly priced option, then check out their S4 model.
The added wrist support is also surprisingly helpful when it comes to hitting with maximum impact without worrying about injuries.
Understanding Ounces and Glove Weight
Boxing gloves are typically available in sizes as small as 8 oz to those as large as 20 oz. As you may have guessed by the fact that they are measured by weight, these “sizes” refer to the level of padding you can expect from a particular pair of gloves.
For regular gym use, you’ll probably want to stick to gloves weighing 10 oz- 16 oz. Anything lower than that will have minimal padding and is usually intended for professional or competition use.
18 oz boxing gloves are at the opposite end of the spectrum and are so heavily padded that they’ll be much heavier and bulkier.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the sizes in between and where they shine:
- 10 oz – This is probably the lowest weight you’ll want to go with, but it could be just the ticket if you have very small hands. 10 oz gloves are ideal for light bag and pad work but beware of going all out, as they don’t come with a huge amount of padding.
- 12 oz – This is a nice size for bag work, padding, and light sparring.
- 14 oz – Great for sparring and all-around training. Many gyms require at least 14- 16 oz gloves for sparring, as they have enough padding to protect you and your partner.
- 16 oz – These are the sparring glove standard for men and heavier boxers. Just be sure to try them on before you purchase a pair, as most are designed for male boxers and may look huge on you.
When in doubt, it’s hard to go wrong with a good pair of 12 – 14 oz gloves. They generally have enough padding to provide proper support without being too bulky.
Common Boxing Glove Materials
Boxing gloves are usually made from either synthetic leather or actual leather. If you’re just starting, then a high-quality pair of synthetic leather gloves should do just fine.
Not only will they be much cheaper than actual leather gloves, but a quality pair will be designed with durability in mind.
While genuine leather gloves are designed to last for decades, they will also be much pricier and require additional care. That said, if you do design to go pro, then there may come a point where you decide a leather upgrade is worth the investment.
It’s also worth paying attention to the type of interior materials that different gloves use. Mesh palm ventilation and cooling interior lining can go a long way towards regulating hand temperature and reducing the risk of a “smelly glove.”
Finding Closure: Lace-Up vs Hook and Loop
Finally, you’ll also want to consider whether you want a pair of lace-up gloves. The other option is hook and loop closure (aka Velcro).
Velcro tends to be most people’s choice when choosing boxing gloves for the gym or at-home training, simply because they’re far easier to put on without assistance.
Pros tend to prefer lace-up gloves because they offer more wrist support, which can come in handy during an actual throw-down. The downside, of course, is that you’ll need help getting them on properly.
Not to mention that once they’re on, you’re pretty much trapped in a pair of lace-up gloves until you find someone to help you get them off.
If you’re a beginner or intermediate boxer, the Velcro option is usually recommended. After all, you can always get a little extra wrist support from good wrist wraps.
More Fight Gear & Resources
Gloves
- Boxing Gloves for Women (Beginners, Cardio, Gel)
- MMA Gloves (Training, Sparring, Fighting)
- Muay Thai Gloves (Bag Work, Sparring, Competition)
Punching Bags
- Free Standing Punching Bags (Century, Ringside & More)
- Muay Thai Heavy Bags (Kickboxing, Banana, Teadrop)
- Heavy Bag Stands for Home (Combos & Corner Stands)
- Speed Bags (TITLE, Cleto & More)
- Speed Bag Platforms & Swivels (Wall & Corner Mount)
- Reflex Bags (Ringside, Everlast & More)
- Reflex Bars (Sparbar & Boxing Bar)
- Double End Bags (Pea, Double Ball, Mexican Style)
Training Gear
Protection
- Headgear for Boxing, MMA, Muay Thai
- Cups & Groin Protection (MMA, BJJ, Muay Thai)
- Mouthguards (Custom Fit, Boil & Bite)
- Shin Guards for Muay Thai & Kickboxing
Shoes & Apparel
- Boxing Shoes (Boots, Mids, Hi-Tops, & Wrestling)
- MMA Shorts (Board, Vale Tudo, Hybrid Styles)
- Muay Thai Shorts (Traditional, Modern, & Hybrid)
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