Boxing Gloves Are Not a New Invention

by drubuntu

Boxing has been a very popular sport for a very long time and boxing gloves are perhaps the most important thing a boxer needs to possess before stepping into the ring. Boxing was added to the Olympics in 688 B.C. Boxing gloves have gone through significant changes and have been around for over 3,000 years. The earliest boxing gloves were strips of leather wrapped around the contestant’s hands. There was no padding in these early boxing gloves, just leather to protect the boxer’s hands. When the Romans picked up boxing as a sport, they continued to use Greek style leather strips as gloves. Unfortunately, they hardened the leather and attached metal studs and spikes to the strips. As a result, the loser ended up dead or permanently maimed. The modern day boxing gloves were invented by Jack Broughton, an English fighter. They were called Mufflers. It is important to know that the use of modern boxing gloves typically results in fewer superficial facial injuries but greater brain damage to participants.

The cushioned gloves that fighters wear on their hands during boxing matches come in different styles and weights. They are often worn over hand wraps and primarily designed to protect the athlete’s hands against scrapes and contusions. They come in small, medium and larger sizes. The average man will need a large size and the average women will go in for a medium one. Their weights range from 10-20 ounces. The fighters usually wear 10oz gloves in a professional boxing match. Heavy gloves offer more protection than the normal one. It is very important to have the right kind of equipment (right size gloves). Usually leather gloves are recommended for training, although leather may cost a little extra, they will last longer.

Most gloves manufactured these days have a thumb attachment or a thumb-lock feature which prevents a lot of thumb injuries and accidental eye gouges. There are two types of gloves that you can buy and their uses depends on what kind of boxing you are going to perform. First one is the bag gloves used for punching heavy bags and the other one is the sparring/boxing gloves which are geared for more advanced boxers. They are padded well enough to protect your boxing hands. It is necessary to wrap your wrist securely with hand-wraps. Keep in mind that using a glove without hand wraps may possibly cause an injury. Hand wraps not only protect your hands, they also keep your wrist from being sprained or broken as well. Most famous studies have shown that the gloved fights cause more severe and long term brain and eye injuries than bare-knuckle fights, although the incidence of superficial injuries is reduced. Whatever, boxing still continues to dominate and the passion for the game has not changed even a bit.