noob question about gloves

**walrus** · 05-27-2013 04:24 AM

Hello, excuse this noob question but it is something I have been curious about. Can someone give me an idea about the impact of gloves. At one time I thought they took away the majority of the impact an opponent would take when getting hit. I now know that is far from the truth. Obviously a part of it is to protect a boxers hands but how much of the impact does it take away from a punch against the opponent. Is there a rough percentage idea someone could give me. Perhaps it is hard to answer but I am just trying to get a rough idea. Me and a fiend used to box with nothing but winter gloves. He broke his hand one time. I don't want to tell you what happened to me as I don't want you thinking I am a wuss but it will suffice to say I still sport a scar on my upper lip. THANKS and any answer will be greatly appreciated.

**Andre** · 05-27-2013 10:32 AM

There you go straight from Wiki;

Boxing gloves come in different styles and weights, and are often worn over hand wraps, which help stabilize the fist area against injuries such as the eponymous boxer's fracture of the fifth metacarpal. Speed gloves are relatively light vinyl or leather mittens primarily designed to protect the athlete's hands against scrapes and contusions when doing very light "bag work" such as on a stand-mounted speed bag. Bag gloves are cushioned to protect the athlete against the progressively heavier focuses of striking other punching bags; these are the gloves most recommended by trainers for all boxing training, especially for non-sparrers. Sparring gloves are designed to protect both athletes during practice bouts. Professional fight gloves are also designed to protect both athletes, but are generally less padded. Sparring gloves may range from 6 oz to 20 oz, now even the manufacturing of children's 4 oz gloves have been introduced into the market, while bag gloves, amateur and professional fight gloves range from 8 to 10 ounces. In competition gloves are laced up and then sealed with tape before the match. The tape is then signed by an official to ensure that it is not tampered with. However training gloves usually use velcro rather than laces so that athletes can more easily get their gloves on and off.
Modern Boxing Equipment

Modern boxing gloves started showing up towards end of the 90's. Over ten years of engineering and testing by some of the biggest boxing manufacturers and sport names have helped create safe, durable and long lasting equipment. Modern boxing gloves include breathable mesh palm technology with Velcro and 100% complete leather backed stitching, with some also including suspension cushioning and re-enforced padding for the boxer. The UK use AIBA to approve the new design of gloves including the 12oz and 14oz and 16oz weight categories to coincide with the amount of leather and support boxers can use in fights.

Boxing gloves in use in a professional kickboxing match.

Gloves used in amateur boxing are frequently red or blue, with a white "scoring area" to help judges more easily see and record points. Common weights for gloves in the United States are sixteen, twelve and eight ounces. Many athletes train with heavier gloves than they will use in competition as a way to increase endurance.
Impact of gloves on safety and injuries

The impact of gloves on the injuries caused during a fight is a controversial issue. Hitting to the head was less common in the bare-knuckle era because of the risk of hurting the boxer's hand. Gloves reduce the amount of cuts caused, but British Medical Association research has stated that gloves do not reduce brain injuries and may even increase them, because the main cause of injury is acceleration and deceleration of the head, and fighters wearing gloves are able to punch harder to the head. Gloves may reduce the amount of eye injuries, especially if they are thumbless, but retinal tears and detached retinas still occur to boxers wearing modern gloves.[1][2] One non-peer-reviewed study has estimated the risk of death from bare-knuckle boxing at 14,000 deaths per million participants. This is 184 times more deaths per million participants than for modern professional boxing, which has 76 deaths per million participants (according to the same study).[3]
It should be noted that data for the number of fights and deaths from the bare-knuckle era is incomplete, and also that there were many differences in rules and medical care. Bare-knuckle boxing matches were usually fought until one fighter could not continue, with bouts sometimes lasting hours, and a few fighters dying after they were carried to their mark to restart the fight when they would otherwise have been unable to continue. (The London Prize Ring Rules later specifically stated that a fighter must "walk to his own side of the scratch unaided" (emphasis added) or lose the fight.) Bare-knuckle rules also allowed grappling and throws, and some of the deaths were caused by a fighter hitting his head on a stone or rail.[4]