You put on a new pair of boxing gloves and can barely get your hands inside? Your fingers feel squeezed together, and once you add hand wraps, the gloves become even tighter?
The problem isn't necessarily the number of ounces. Often, the cut of the boxing glove simply doesn't suit your hand shape.
This is something many people underestimate when buying boxing gloves. Two pairs of 14 oz gloves can feel completely different on the inside. Some models have a very compact and narrow fit, while others offer noticeably more room for wider hands and thicker fingers.
Wide hands don't automatically mean more ounces
One of the most common mistakes is simply choosing a heavier glove when a boxing glove feels too tight.
12 oz too tight? I'll just buy 14 oz.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work quite like that.
OZ (ounces) primarily refers to the weight of a boxing glove, not its actual glove size. With many manufacturers, the internal space may increase somewhat with the number of ounces, but you shouldn't rely on this alone.
A wider-cut 12 oz glove can therefore feel much more comfortable on a wide hand than a narrow-cut 14 oz glove.
What really matters is the cut and internal shape of the individual model.
How do I know if my boxing gloves are too narrow?
A new boxing glove can and should have a snug fit. Many gloves will also give slightly after several training sessions.
But there is a clear difference between a secure, compact fit and a glove that is simply too narrow.
Typical signs include:
- strong pressure on the sides of your hand
- fingers being squeezed together
- uncomfortable pressure around the knuckles
- difficulty making a proper fist
- the glove becomes extremely tight when wearing hand wraps
- tingling or numbness during training
- you have to struggle to get your hand into the glove
If this happens, we wouldn't simply hope that the glove will eventually stretch enough to fit.
Which boxing gloves are suitable for wide hands?
From our experience at Vikingstore, there are several models that we regularly recommend trying if you have wider or stronger hands.
Venum Challenger
The Venum Challenger is a straightforward training glove that offers a good amount of space for stronger hands.
If very compact boxing gloves tend to put too much pressure on the sides of your hands, the Challenger is definitely worth trying.
Ringhorns Charger
The Ringhorns Charger is another interesting option for wider hands.
It is one of the more affordable boxing gloves and is particularly suitable for beginners, fitness boxing and regular training. If you're looking for an uncomplicated training glove with enough internal space, the Charger is worth a try.
Leone Thunder
The Leone Thunder is another model we like to recommend for wider hands.
It offers a comfortable fit and is a solid all-round training glove. Athletes who find other models too tight around the sides of their hands often feel more comfortable in the Thunder.
Leone DNA
If you're looking for something more premium, take a look at the Leone DNA boxing gloves.
The DNA series offers a comfortable fit and can be a good alternative for athletes who don't get along with very tightly cut gloves.
This is also a good example of why statements such as “Leone gloves are wide” or “Venum gloves are narrow” aren't particularly helpful. Different models from the same brand can have noticeably different fits.
Benlee Wakefield
The Benlee Wakefield is another glove we recommend trying if you have wider hands.
Benlee sometimes gets overlooked compared with some of the larger international boxing brands. But when it comes to fit, it makes sense not to shop based on the brand name alone.
Ultimately, the glove has to fit your hand.
Leone Shock X
Another option is the Leone Shock X.
It offers a comfortable fit with balanced padding and is suitable for regular training. For athletes with stronger hands, it can be a good alternative to very compact boxing gloves.
Hand wraps make a bigger difference than many people think
This is often forgotten when trying on boxing gloves.
A glove can feel perfect on a bare hand and suddenly become far too tight once your hand is wrapped.
Depending on how you wrap your hands and which wrap length you use, you can add quite a lot of material around the hand and knuckles. If you use longer wraps or put extra layers over the knuckles, you'll naturally need more room inside the glove.
That's why we recommend trying boxing gloves while wearing hand wraps whenever possible.
Do I need to bring my own hand wraps?
No.
At our Vikingstore shops in Bern and St. Gallen, we have all common hand-wrap lengths available for you to try.
This means you can test different boxing gloves properly with wrapped hands. It's also useful if you're not yet sure which hand-wrap length is best for you.
This allows us to judge the fit as you will actually wear the gloves during training – rather than simply testing them on bare hands.
Should I simply choose more ounces if I have wide hands?
Not automatically.
If you need 16 oz gloves for sparring, for example, you should of course use the appropriate sparring gloves.
But moving from 12 oz to 16 oz purely because you have wide hands doesn't necessarily solve the actual problem.
Instead, look for a boxing glove whose internal space and cut suit your hand shape.
A heavier glove doesn't automatically mean that it will be wider in the areas where you need the extra space.
Do boxing gloves become wider with use?
A little – but don't expect miracles.
The material, lining and padding will adapt slightly to your hand with regular use. A new glove can therefore become more comfortable after several training sessions.
However, a glove that is clearly too narrow won't suddenly turn into a wide-fitting model.
If your fingers go numb, your hand starts hurting or you already feel strong pressure on the sides of your hand when trying the gloves on, we wouldn't rely on them eventually stretching enough.
So, which boxing gloves are best for wide hands?
There isn't one perfect boxing glove for everyone with wide hands.
Even “wide hands” can mean different things. Some people have a broad palm, others have thicker fingers or simply more overall hand volume. The way you wrap your hands also plays a role.
Models we recommend trying for wider hands include:
- Venum Challenger
- Ringhorns Charger
- Leone Thunder
- Leone DNA
- Benlee Wakefield
- Leone Shock X
That doesn't mean every one of these gloves will automatically fit every wide hand. But they're good candidates to try if many other boxing gloves feel too tight.
The best solution: try them on
Especially if you have wide hands, there is a point where even the best size chart can't tell you which glove will actually feel right.
At our Vikingstore shops in Bern and St. Gallen, you can compare different brands, models and ounce weights directly.
And because we have all common hand-wrap lengths available to try in our stores, you can test how the gloves actually fit with your hands properly wrapped.
In the end, that's far more useful than relying only on body weight, hand circumference or an online size chart.
A boxing glove should fit snugly – but it shouldn't squeeze your hand.
Note About the Images
The images used in this article were created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). The people shown are entirely fictional and do not represent real athletes.
Of course, we would prefer to show you real boxers and athletes. In practice, however, professional sports photography often comes with high licensing costs and can quickly cost several hundred Swiss francs per image. To continue providing our content free of charge, we therefore use AI-generated illustrations in some cases.
Comments (0)