So you’re looking to get your hands on a fresh pair of boxing gloves just for use on the heavy bag?
You might have experienced some hand or wrist injuries because you’re a heavy hitter, or you just really want to keep your hands protected for regular practice on the bag.
My top pick in 2024 is the Fairtex BGV9 because of its glove style and reliability for heavy-hitting bag sessions.
Table of Contents
Top 7 gloves for the heavy bag
Let’s crack on with the complete list of boxing glove options that are good for heavy bags.
Here’s a quick list of every option I’m recommending here:
- Ideal heavy-hitters glove: Fairtex BGV9
- Hard-wearing: Fairtex BGV14
- Great padding for heavy work: Cleto Reyes Traditional Bag Gloves
- Ultimate hand & wrist support: Hayabusa T3
- Resistance-developing: Ring to Cage Super Bag
- Shock absorber: Title Gel World Bag Gloves
- Pillow-like padding: Venum Elite Boxing Gloves
For more insights as to why I’ve picked out each of these gloves for use on the bag, then keep scrolling.
Fairtex BGV9
Fairtex BGV9 Heavy Hitter Mexican Style is a Muay Thai glove with a fair amount of padding on the knuckles and wrist area. Fairtex specializes in Muay Thai/Kickboxing glove options, so that might seal the deal for you.
This training glove is a hybrid of sparring and heavy bag gloves. In short, it’s designed for heavy hitters (like the Mexican boxing style is best known for) with considerable foam padding over the knuckles.
What makes this glove unique for bag sessions is its balanced knuckle-to-wrist weight. This gives its wearer an even distribution of impact absorption when landing a shot on the bag.
It also adds an element of safety because some unbalanced glove tends to give fighters more wrist injuries.
Hitting the heavy bag puts a lot of pressure on the wrist. BGV9 has a more extended cuff than usual, providing more wrist support that absorbs the impact from heavy punches.
Despite the ability to withstand a heavy bag session, the BGV9 is still a decent hybrid glove. Meaning to say, it’s in the middle of sparring and a bag glove. So you could consider using this for both purposes if you get the appropriate size.
Another excellent reason to consider these gloves is that they are available in sizes ranging from 6 oz all the way up to 18 oz. So choosing a 16 oz or 18 oz glove will make them very suitable for sparring if you want them for that, or at least plenty of padding for the heavy bag.
Fairtex BGV14
BGV14 is another mixture of a sparring and bag glove. These gloves are suitable for heavy bag usage because they’re made with padding that’s thick enough to absorb plenty of impact across the knuckles.
I’ve used this glove for over a year and had good performance and protection while using in a variety of training like on the mitts, on the heavy bag, and even in sparring. The microfibre material makes it incredibly long-lasting, too.
It’s a comfortable boxing glove. The only issues are that these are Muay Thai style and rely on a single hook & loop closure, which means that there’s a fair bit of flexibility in the wrist.
More flexibility in the wrist can be an issue for heavy hitters or using on the heavy bag where you are likely to land your biggest shots. If you don’t have good form, your wrists will suffer.
There’s some airflow with air vents along the thumb and palm of the glove, but it can still get pretty sweaty! You will want to clean these boxing gloves well after using them.
This glove performs well on the heavy bag. This could be good for you if you’re looking for a budget glove that gives decent reliability for multiple purposes!
Cleto Reyes Traditional Bag Gloves
If you’re certain that the only thing you need in your life is a glove to smash up the heavy bag and not much else, then these Cleto Reyes traditional bag gloves could be ideal.
They follow a classic design used by boxers for several generations during intense heavy bag sessions. It’s a relatively simple rectangular padding over the back of the hand and the knuckles, with not much else.
Most boxing gloves have padding in all kinds of places, but not these, as you can see.
BUT that doesn’t necessarily make them a bad option. If you just need a glove for heavy bag training, at home or wherever, they still provide great comfort and protection over your knuckles.
It could depend a bit on your level. If you’re a beginner, you should probably avoid using gloves like these because an awkward strike that catches your thumb the wrong way could stop you from training for weeks.
Intermediates and advanced boxers/martial artists will enjoy them, though. There’s enough padding in these gloves to keep your knuckles protected, but it’s not so much that you can’t work on precision hitting.
They can feel a bit like wearing an MMA glove with less padding. That can be good or bad for you, depending on your punching form, how hard you hit, etc. So pick wisely!
Hayabusa T3
Hayabusa T3 gloves are for heavy-bag hitters who want to look good while putting on the work. It provides a premium, stylish look that is unique from many other kinds of boxing gloves.
Its beauty comes with a good performance on the bag. Thanks to its 5-layered foam that absorbs the impact when your fist lands. It also shines on wrist support with its Dual-X strap velcro lock system and Fusion Splinter core.
It’s primarily a bag glove, but you can also use the T3 glove on the mitts or during your sparring sessions.
This glove shines well in sparring, protecting your hands and wrists from awkward angle effects, and is well-padded enough to be safer for your partner.
When I reviewed the Hayabusa Marvel boxing glove in the Deadpool edition, I was kind of blown away by the attention to detail that covers what a fighter is looking for in a boxing glove. Exemplary structure and padding to protect your hands, and great style.
The sizing you choose depends on your preferences, the style of training/fighting you’ll do with them, and your weight.
If you want to focus mainly on precision striking development, then a smaller ounce glove like the 10 oz or 12 oz will be what you want. But if you want or need a ton of extra padding for hefty hits on the bag or sparring, you need to consider 16 oz or 18 oz.
Ring to Cage Super Bag Gloves
What makes the Ring to Cage Super Bag exceptional is the extra glove weights. These extra weights are inserted into the wrist area; their job is to add weight to your hands while throwing your punches.
These weights are a game-changer for anyone’s heavy bag workout as it aims to improve your punching speed and power simultaneously. After several rounds of wearing the weights, try to remove them all at once and be shocked at how light your hands feel.
The gloves are easy to wear and take off despite the weight present on the wrists. Simple hook and loop to open and drop down when you’re done.
They’re also affordable gloves, which makes it a sweeter deal. A really decent option considering the price, the protection for heavy bag use, and the additional added weights feature to improve your workouts.
Title Gel World Bag Gloves
The Title Gel bag gloves are a unique option on this list as they are designed specifically for heavy bag use, so all good there.
But they also have a unique “Gel Enforced Lining”. This means that there are pockets of gel inside the glove where your hands sit, especially over the knuckles and the back of the hand.
The gel acts as a molding that helps you get a bit better form around your particular hand shape and size with use. More than that, the gel is a natural shock absorber.
So when you’re hitting that heavy bag as hard as possible, the gel inside these gloves eats up a lot of the returning energy and can save the delicate bones in your fingers, hands, and wrists.
These probably aren’t suitable as an all-around glove, like for sparring, because it has a metal piece in the D-ring hook and loop closure strap, which I’m really not a fan of. It’s too risky to catch your sparring partner with metal, and it really shouldn’t be anywhere near gloves in my opinion.
Other than that, these are such an excellent option for any boxing practitioner that loves to go hard on the heavy bag on a regular basis because you’ll have a decent safety net with these gloves.
Venum Elite
Another fantastic option is the Venum Elites because they offer an excellent all-round glove, but have a significant level of padding, making them a common choice for bag work.
While having tons of padding for heavy bag use isn’t necessary (it depends on what you need or want to focus on), a lot of people choose this glove because of its affordability and extra level of padding all over the knuckles, lead finger, and back of the hand.
Fighters across the spectrum are using it. Both beginners and advanced fighters are enjoying this glove because it has “pillow-like” padding, and the synthetic leather lasts for months for even the hardest hitters.
As it comes in almost every size, women and men can both consider this glove an excellent secondary pair for focusing on just the bag.
FAQ
You likely have had some questions about picking the right gloves for the heavy bag, so let me answer some of the most common ones to help you.
What gloves should I use on a heavy bag?
If you are trying to improve your speed and technique on the heavy bag, then you can wear 10-12oz bag gloves. But if you have massive hands or hit hard, you might consider using the larger glove size to protect your knuckles.
What oz gloves do pro boxers use for heavy bag?
Pro boxers will use a variety of glove sizes, depending on their training style. For maximizing speed and agility, a 10-12oz glove bag glove can be used but for training heavy hooks, a 14oz, 16oz, or even 18oz for the heavyweights might be necessary.
What size boxing glove is best for punching bag?
For most people, a smaller size, between 10-12oz glove is the best for training on a punching bag. Bigger-sized gloves have more padding, so they are usually reserved for sparring. But heavy hitters who want to protect their hands should also consider a bigger size.
Are 14 oz gloves good for heavy bag?
Gloves that weigh 14oz can be suitable for use on a heavy bag for a mid-weight person. Generally, lighter bag gloves are used, but if you need extra padding over the knuckles, then 14oz can be a good option for mixed uses.
Final say on heavy bag gloves
So there you have it. This is the end of our selection of the best boxing gloves for heavy bag use.
There are many great options here if you want an extra pair of gloves dedicated to hitting those power shots on the bag.
It’s critical to have sufficient hand protection when training like this, so you can keep injury-free and enjoy training all year.