Boxing gloves have multiple purposes in the sport. They help to protect your own hands but also help keep your opponents face from being cut open.
But are boxing gloves considered weapons?
Boxing gloves are not considered weapons in any law. Boxing gloves help the wearer to protect their hands whilst also making the sport of boxing more visually enjoyable. It’s easier to hit your target with a bigger surface area.
The bigger your hands are, the easier it is for you to hit your target and “let your hands go”.
Is boxing more dangerous with gloves?
As most students, or even fans, of the sport of boxing, will know: boxing gloves’ main function is to protect the wearer’s hands.
But boxing gloves can be more dangerous to your opponent than being hit with a bare fist.
If you hit someone with your bare fists, you’re less likely to be able to transfer as much power.
Without the protection of the glove, you’ll be very aware that your hands are much more likely to receive damage themselves. This is likely going to cause you to pull your shots more.
Imagine punching a brick wall with your bare first right now. Then imagine doing the same whilst wearing a boxing glove.
You’d probably only want to do the second, right? (Unless you kinda cray-cray)
Using your bare fists as weapons can cause them significant damage. Resulting in soft tissue injury and even broken bones.
If you use your fists against a hard object, it’s going to cause problems (YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A BAD TIME!).
So a boxing glove will protect your hands pretty nicely. As well as your wrists, too, in some gloves.
It will add a new degree of confidence in a strike because there is a clear reduced impact against the bones and muscles in your hand.
But for your opponent, boxing gloves could actually be worse for them.
When you are wearing boxing gloves and have added protection and confidence with it, you’ll let your hands go more often.
That’s going to mean more heavy strikes to the head for your sparring partner.
When the head is struck suddenly with a strong force like a heavy punch, it rattles the brain and can cause it to come into contact with the inner skull.
Sometimes if the brain jolts into the inner skull suddenly, it can cause blackouts.
Do this enough times and it can result in permanent brain damage. So just try not to take too many big blows to the head, friends!
Do boxing gloves do more damage?
Wearing padding on your hands isn’t only for your own or your opponent’s protection.
Having gloves on can actually help you to transfer more power. Deal more damage. And be more successful in your strikes.
A great example of this is the sport of MMA. Did you know that the UFC began without any gloves?
(As well as no weight classes, which is crazy! But a story for another time)
It’s only after years of the sport being alive that more protection and rules were introduced. Like weight classes and the MMA protective glove.
Back in the early days, wearing a glove in MMA was a choice among other MMA equipment.
And those fighters that chose it, worked out they were far more successful in their fights when wearing gloves.
By wearing protection on their hands they were able to open up more freedom in their strikes.
They could transfer more force and injure themselves less, making them more likely to come out on top and win.
The same is true about regular boxing gloves. The freer you are to throw punches with confidence, the more force you can deliver. And more often.
Would boxing gloves be considered valid weapons for self defense?
Boxing gloves are designed for protecting the wearer’s hands and not the opponents.
Does it make sense to use boxing gloves as a valid weapon for self-defense?
Carrying around a pair of boxing gloves in your bag all day in case a fight breaks out might be a bit impractical.
Not only for the extra space in your bag but for the time it takes to get your gloves on.
It’s unlikely that your attacker will wait 30 seconds for you to lace up your gloves.
(WAIT, BRO, LET ME GET MY GLOVES ON!)
It isn’t practical to use boxing gloves as a self-defense weapon. They’re for bag/pad work and sparring.
But using the skills you learn in a sport like MMA could help be a good tool for self-defense if you need it.
Final Thoughts
Boxing gloves are not weapons in any law.
But boxing gloves can make the art of striking people in the head more dangerous in some cases.
Repeated blows to the head are made much easier when wearing boxing gloves.
So whilst it might seem like you’re in less danger, you could be in more.
