Muay Thai or ‘Thai boxing’ is the cultural martial art of Thailand. The origin of Muay Thai dates back several hundred years, and was essentially developed as a form of close-combat that used the entire body as a weapon, including elbows and knees, leading to it becoming known as “the art of eight limbs”. In modern day, Muay Thai has become a global sport and is often incorporated into the training routines of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters and kickboxers.
Boxing gloves are the most important item of training equipment for Muay Thai. The gloves are what protect both your hands from getting damaged and your opponent or sparring partner from getting injured, so it’s important to get these right. Muay Thai has its own style of boxing glove with a slightly differently positioned hand as well as several other differences. For pad work and sometimes even sparring/fighting, some fighters may prefer to still use regular boxing gloves. To find out more about other Muay Thai gear, see What Gear Do You Need For Muay Thai?.
Every person will have a different idea of what makes a pair of boxing gloves ‘good’, so it’s near impossible to determine the best pair of boxing gloves. Instead, we spoke to a number of professional fighters from throughout the UK Muay Thai scene about what pair of gloves they like the most.
Myk Estlick
@MykEstlick
“I’ve had pretty much all brands of gloves and my favourite has gotta be my Boon lace ups. So comfortable and great quality too, perfect for hitting pads in.”
Keith Mclachlan
@GriphouseKeith
“I’m probably going to sound biased because I’m sponsored by them but I love my Sandee Cooltec lace ups. They have lasted me for ages and I use them every day. They are a great fit and the thumb isn’t fixed so allows for good clinch control. I’ve tried a few other brands but always come back to my Sandees.”
Joe Craven
@Joe_Craven
“My favourite gloves are definitely the 8oz Lace up Yokkao Gloves, they are very comfortable and mould into my hands which allow me to throw everything into my punches.”
Tommi McCormick
@tommi17
“I’d say at the minute my favourite gear are my 16oz Lonsdale Super Pro L-Core Lace Up Training Gloves… They are supported very well on the wrist, which is very reassuring when power punching. The padding is very good inside allowing you to be able to feel the shot but never putting your hands in danger. The leather is very nice too and has taken a lot of punishment without ever looking like breaking.”
We spoke in depth with Tommi about his favourite gear. See the full interview here.
Iman “Pretty Killer” Barlow
@imanbarlow
“My favourite pair of gloves are the Velcro Fairtex for training and for fighting I love the Fairtex lace up red gloves. Tight fit and to me red signifies blood. They are so comfy and have lasted me ages which is unheard of considering I train twice a day.”
Kevin Ward
@EliteKev
“At the moment I am enjoying wearing Sandee Unbreakable 16oz boxing gloves for training, but I like to fight in fairtex 10oz lace up gloves. They fit good and feel snug.”
Pindi Madahar
@PindiMadahar
“My favourite pairs of gloves I’ve fought it have been the Yokkao gloves, most comfortable fit to box in.”
Gary Laws
@gary_laws
“I like Yokkao gloves I love the way they fit on my hands they are also durable and comfy.”
Dan McGowan
@danmcgowanmt
“Winning Gloves, majorly comfortable and good support on the wrist too! It’s as if your hand moulds to the foam inside!”
Liam Harrison
@LiamBadco
“My favourite brand is Yokkao. Every pair from 8oz to 16oz are comfortable, they provide good protection when sparring and the designs are bad ass…. Also the new fight gloves are the best gloves I’ve ever fought in.”
Damien Trainor
@damien_trainor
“My favourite gloves at the moment are the Twins BGVL-6. I’ve suffered with a lot of hand problems in the past so I’m always looking for a well padded glove that’s not too bulky and fits snugly. These are the best I’ve found by far I’d highly recommend these to any big hitters.”
Andrew Lofthouse
@loftyOO
“Tanko! Have to be my favourite. I use 8oz lace up for fighting and pad work! I was amazed at the quality for a new glove! Brilliant fit, comfy and feel natural”
The results
So in summary what did they think?
Yokkao (4)
Sandee (2)
Boon (1)
Winning (1)
Twins Special (1)
Tanko (1)
Fairtex (1)
Lonsdale (1)
Did you like this post? let us know in the comments what pair of gloves you would have chosen!
*Please be aware that while the article is written to give you an idea of the brands of gloves used by professionals, some of the fighters we spoke to may be sponsored. As always, we advise you to do your own research before making any purchases.
Awesome review.. I got my stuff from https://minotaurfightstore.co.uk/product-category/brand/sandee/ – Was really good quality, i highly recommend them. i think if you use ‘MFS10’ you can get a 10% discount, enjoy!
As a retailer, I have sold endless pairs of all these brands mentioned and picking up on the Yokkao issues, I have sold shinguards in which the logo has peeled in a matter of weeks, but also sold Yokkao shinguards to a pro fighter who uses them extensively and for 6 months so far and they look like new, so I think the poor quality is the exception rather than the rule. A brand I would mention that are up and coming and mostly geared marketing wise towards the boxing market rather than Muay Thai are Carbon Claw, they cater for all and the quality is incredible, and the prices are over half that of your premium boxing brands such as Cleto’s and Winning. The Pro – X Range of Carbon Claws are up there with the Rival RS11V for style and quality and if you have yet to check them out already, I seriously recommend you do.
Obviously professional athletes are going to endorse there sponsored brand.
Sandee are the best for quality that I have used. Yokkao being the worst I have bought two pairs and both have had the logo fall off the glove within 6 weeks and that is with a 12 year old using them.
I know logo falling off does not affect the glove but for a premium brand I expect more.
For comfort I think twins are the best but they don’t last long with hard training
Perhaps to an extent, but we did ask some of the fighters about that, and the ones we asked were using the gear before they were sponsored. And not all of the fighters are sponsored either.
As for Yokkao, we’ve heard about the durability issues, but there are also many people who swear by them. Thanks for adding your thoughts on the Twins though!
If you want a snug fitting glove that offers excellent protection when punching and blocking then these are the gloves for you. An incredibly reasonable price for such a high performing glove. These gloves will become legendary for their longevity and reliability I’m sure! These gloves are simply quite beautiful… they have a traditional, vintage Muay Thai style and are very light. Just because your focus is your opponent doesn’t mean you cannot distract them with great looking gloves!!
Are u having a Laff? These fighters are sponsored by these brands. They couldn’t possibly endorse someone else. Meaningless article.
Perhaps to an extent, but we did ask some of the fighters about that, and the fighters we asked were using the gear before they were sponsored. And not all of the fighters are sponsored either.
My Son Harvey has worn them on two occasions now.. Main Event in November last year and again in Birmingham two weekends back.. He thinks they are great says they are “well comfy” He’s 11yrs old (“,) xx
Great to hear! At the end of the day, comfort is the most important factor in choosing a glove.