When it comes to boxing gloves there are so many options that, quite understandably, the market can be a bit overwhelming. You can find a style to fit every taste, a wide range of materials and innovations and, most importantly, a price to suit every budget.
But what about when budget isn’t the consideration? You’re serious about training with the best kit, or you’re fortunate enough that you don’t have to worry about the price tag – then where do you look?
Fortunately we’ve put together a list of our five favourite luxury boxing glove brands for you to check out if you’re in the market for the best of the best.
Winning
Winning are widely regarded as the best option for boxers when it comes to protecting your hands and your sparring partners during training sessions – they’re particularly renowned for their gloves and headgear, and you’ll see a lot of pro-fighters on social media training with them. But despite their popularity with pro’s they fly under the radar; they don’t have much of a presence on social media, they don’t have a website (though you’ll find them sold on retail pages like Geezers Boxing) and they aren’t generally seen in the ring (they don’t appear to offer much sponsorship, and due to their reputation for offering protection fighters tend to prefer a harder hitting glove in competitions) – instead they rely on their reputation and customers to seek them out.
A set of gloves will set you back about £240 plus delivery, while their headgear is more in the region of £345 plus delivery.
Cleto Reyes
If you ask anyone to draw you a picture of a pair of boxing gloves, no matter their artistic ability, they’re more likely than not going to be reaching for the red colouring pencils. Red is an iconic colour when it comes to boxing gloves, and when you’re picturing those red gloves in your head, whether you realise it or not, you’re probably picturing a pair of Cleto Reyes.
Made in Mexico for seventy plus years and hailed worldwide as the best ‘punchers glove’ available Reyes has become an icon of boxing. Traditionally stuffed with horsehair, and still using a horsehair and foam mixture, they’re a popular choice for fight gloves as they are seen as transferring more of the impact to the target.
At the high end a set of Reyes gloves will set you back around £155, plus the international shipping costs.
Grant Worldwide
Grant were founded in New York in 1995 and are made in Mexico. They’ve been used by a who’s who of boxing champions ( and are well known for their quality and great design – there’s a reason you see them used all the time by top fighters. They’re another glove that rely on reputation, rather than advertising, to attract their customers, with minimal web presence – if you want to get your hands on a pair of their gloves you have to approach directly, emailing their sales reps and organising your order.
The price matches the quality with pairs setting you back upwards of £350 as standard.
Fly Sports
Fly have a soft spot in our hearts as they’re the UK’s offering to the luxury, high-end glove market. They’re pretty new to the game compared to some of the names on this list, but have made a big impact with their quality, slick designs and sponsorship of some great fighters like Mick Conlan and Dereck Chisora. Fly have quickly built a reputation for being some of the best gloves around and have earned their place on the list of the best high end gloves in the world.
To get your hands on a stock pair of Fly Sports gloves you’re talking somewhere in the region of £300-£350.
Di Nardo
‘The world’s greatest gloves’ – Di Nardo aren’t afraid to call it as they see it when it comes to the quality of their boxing gloves, it literally says what they think at the top of their website. Handmade by Filippo Di Nardo Leccese in a small workshop in Turin, Italy they pour every ounce of craftsmanship you could manage into the making of each pair of gloves. Again, popular among a number of professional fighters the gloves have quickly become known for their style and quality.
Di Nardo are the priciest gloves on this list, with a pair of their training gloves coming in at £850 from their website, representing the time and effort that goes into making each pair of gloves.