Boxing gloves are used in order to softly pad the boxer’s hands and thus protect them from the impact of a punch. Initially, boxing gloves were used to improve the safety of bare knuckle boxing. Later, they became staple requirements for any boxing match. In 1867, the Marques of Queensberry published this requirement as a formal rule. Before that, boxing gloves were informally used during training but formal matches were strictly bare knuckled. Jack Broughton is widely credited with creating the first formal boxing gloves, which were at that time known as mufflers.
These days, boxing gloves are normally worn over handwraps, which help protect the fifth metacarpal from fractures. Boxing gloves come in various shapes, sizes, materials and colours, and are made for specific uses. For example, speed boxing gloves are used when a boxer requires light practice or for punching a speed bag. These speed gloves are usually made from leather or from light vinyl and are designed to protect the user’s hands from minor scratches and abrasions. Also known as bag gloves, the mittens are padded and cushioned so that the boxer is protected at all times. Sparring gloves are slightly different because they protect both boxers from injury during a practice session. Professional heavy duty gloves also perform the same function but they are less padded and are less heavy in comparison to practice bag gloves.
During a formal boxing match or during a competition, it is compulsory that gloves are laced up and then a tape is stuck on them. This is essential to allow officials to make the requisite checks to see that the gloves are not modified later. Training gloves do not undergo such strict measures and have simple Velcro straps instead of laces and seals that allow a user to put them on and to take them off easily.
There are different colours of boxing gloves used in professional and amateur matches. In the latter, the gloves are shaded blue or red and they have a white or neutral coloured scoring area. This helps judges see the points and record them easily. Boxing gloves normally weigh between eight and sixteen ounces in the US and this is usually standard for other countries too. As a rule, professionals will use heavier gloves during training and lighter boxing gloves during a match or a tournament. This system allows them to build stamina and it also helps reduce the severity of any injury they might cause an opponent.
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