Let’s dive into the unparalleled performance of the best Fairtex gloves, specifically designed for the rigorous demands of Muay Thai training and competition.
Overall, my top choice gloves for Muay Thai are the Fairtex BGV1 because it offers most of their best features in a single glove like durability, and dense padding while being budget-friendly.
But I’ve also covered several more options from the Fairtex lineup to pick out the top options for specific uses like sparring, heavy bags, mitts, and more.
Table of Contents
My selection of the best Fairtex gloves for Muay Thai
Each Fairtex glove offers something unique, while all being useful for Muay Thai. Here’s a summary of all the options:
- Best for mitts/overall: Fairtex BGV1 — Jump to review
- Best for heavy bag: Fairtex BGV9 — Jump to review
- Best for sparring: Fairtex BGV5 — Jump to review
- Most stylish/good for sparring: Fairtex BGV6 — Jump to review
- Good for beginners: Fairtex BGV14 — Jump to review
- Classic style: Fairtex BGV16 — Jump to review
Let’s get into the gritty details about each glove, keep reading to learn more about them.
Fairtex BGV1
The ideal Muay Thai glove, equipped with these luxurious leather that offers protection, tons of durability and a contour-fit design for cushioning.
- High-quality construction, built to last
- Delivers solid hand and wrist protection
- Comfortable and snug fit
- Velcro closure system
- Great for beginners and professionals alike
- Perfect sparring glove, great for bag and pads too
- Praised for the solid, firm striking feel
- Sizes 4 oz > 16 oz
- Requires break-in time for comfort
- Size runs larger for average-sized hands
- Colors can vary from product image sometimes
I’ve chosen the BGV1 as my top overall choice and the pick for mitts or pad work because it is a great combination of features in an affordable package.
Not only is it the cheapest glove on this list (usually), but it is also very well-padded and an excellent choice for Muay Thai training.
Plenty of padding over the backhand and knuckles makes punching efforts feel cushioned and safe alongside a decent strap.
You could also use this glove for sparring because of its padding, as it’s good for many kickboxing needs.
Considering there are size options for every size and person, it makes it good for kids and adults alike.
Fairtex BGV9
Densely padded glove that works for boxing and Muay Thai, perfect for heavy hitters with extra knuckle protection and a longer cuff for firm wrist stability.
- Handcrafted premium leather
- Multi-layer foam padding
- Long cuff area for added wrist support
- Extra thick knuckle padding
- Balanced knuckle-to-wrist weight ratio
- Great for heavy bag or heavy hitters
- Sizes 10 oz > 16 oz
- Might be too long strapping for shorter people
- Single velcro hook & loop
For those particularly heavy hitters that need incredibly reliable shock absorption, the BGV9 is what I’ve found to be the best.
It’s my choice for heavy bag users because it’ll absorb plenty of those heavy whips and give your knuckles and wrists the support they need.
The cuff is quite long, so it spreads further up your wrist/forearm and gives the benefit of stability and greater spread of impact.
The weight of the glove also feels really well balanced, even with dense padding around the knuckles, which helps them feel more lightweight, like they won’t impact your speed.
They’re called the “Mexican style” glove because they’re intended to match that fighting style, which is patient and looking for that knockout blow that is both fast and powerful.
Something that you can train intently on the bag all day long with these gloves.
Fairtex BGV5
Keep your hands protected in these meticulously crafted gloves that offer incredible feeling and striking precision, great to spar with.
- Feels broken in immediately, no adjustment period
- High quality leather and stitching
- Doesn't stink easily after regular use
- Comfortable and lightweight
- Highly durable, lasting up to two years with regular use
- Superior in several ways to older models
- Loved by professional fighters
- Size range 10 oz > 16 oz
- Sizes tend to run small
- Not designed for traditional boxing
- Potential discomfort around knuckles and fit issues
The BGV5 is my top choice for sparring needs because they’re immediately useable for face-punching as they feel broken in from the start.
Having comfortable gloves for sparring will help you perform better, and that’s what’s very helpful about these.
Since sparring pushes your body (and mind) to its limits, you’re likely to get incredibly sweaty, and thankfully these gloves are great at airing out after use and leaving NO smells behind.
It’s also a glove with real high-quality leather that will give that ultimate durability and satisfying crack when you land that accurate punch on your opponent’s chin.
They look great and have that classic boxing look while being a reliable open-palm design for Muay Thai.
Fairtex BGV6
Angular gloves that help to feel form-fitted with high durability premium leather and an ideal fist closure system.
- Highly durable for daily training
- Comfortable fit, feel great even after a year
- Good aesthetics with a unique angular design
- Premium leather ensures quality and longevity
- Great to spar with, good for bags & pads
- Supports optimal hand positioning, reducing injury risks
- Sizes 12 oz > 16 oz
- Initial stiffness requiring break-in period
- Can fit a bit too snug for some
If you’re looking for the ultimate level of style, then I think the BGV6 fits that bill.
But it’s not just about its style, as it’s a close runner-up for sparring as it’s ergonomically designed to be great during the fight.
The angular design adds additional support that secures the thumb to the wrist and stabilizes the whole hand experience — this could help a ton when you’re punching in weird situations, which happens most in sparring.
It’s also one of the gloves that feel so snug that it might even be too tight for some people, but that actually makes it a decent option for fighters with small hands that need it.
I’d choose these gloves if you love the design and think you’d benefit from the angular support for sparring. Grab the 16 oz and get in the gym!
Fairtex BGV14
Fairtex BGV14 is a durable all-around glove that’s worth its price. With its well-padded knuckle and decent wrist closure, a viable option for multiple martial arts needs and styles.
- Decent all-around boxing or Muay Thai glove
- Good knuckle padding and resistance
- Extremely durable microfibre
- Medium flexible wrist crease for Muay Thai/Kickboxing
- Sizes 8oz to 16oz
- Thumb positioning could be better/more comfortable
- Doesn't provide the highest level of wrist support
The BGV14 has to be included as it’s one of my first-ever boxing gloves which I used extensively for kickboxing and boxing training styles.
Because of that, I can say it’s a fairly decent option for beginners — but with the caveat that it didn’t give me the best thumb or wrist support I needed.
The main reason for that is the glove being very flexible at the wrist, which is something you often need in Muay Thai styles for the clinch and catching.
But if you have issues with your wrists, then you might need more stability.
Still, these gloves are very long-lasting. I had two years of regular use of them without experiencing any wearing down in the padding or skin.
The microfiber materials used are highly durable and keep the costs down for this glove to be a good option.
Check out my full review of the Fairtex BGV14 to learn more about them.
Fairtex BGV16
Compact and lightweight, crafted from premium leather that will mold to your hand shape with use. A great classic style boxing glove for pure-bred fighters.
- High-quality cowhide leather
- Compact design enhances striking precision
- Multilayer foam padding safeguards
- Short cuff benefits fighters with shorter arms
- Breathable lining keeps hands cool
- Adjustable wrist wrap for secure, comfortable fit
- Good for training and competition
- Wide size range 8oz > 16 oz
- Break-in time might be uncomfortable
- Initial stiffness with first use
- Short cuff may not suit everyone
Finishing up this selection with the BGV16, which features vibrant cowhide leather for the skin.
For some fighters, quality leather is a must-have for the training experience than something like microfiber, like faux leather.
It feels a bit different to train with real quality leather. The pop you experience from the perfect punch is undeniably more enjoyable.
This glove has a bit of a shorter cuff than some of the other options, so some shorter-armed fighters prefer a glove that won’t push the cuff halfway up their arm.
They’re a little stiff to use at first, but once you break them in, they’ll be a reliable choice, whether for general training or even competition.
Considerations for Fairtex gloves
You likely have a few doubts or questions about selecting the right Fairtex glove for you, which I’ll cover below.
Fairtex vs. Twins gloves
If you’ve been looking around at different Muay Thai glove options, you might have seen Twins gloves come up to compare with Fairtex.
Fairtex is generally the better brand to choose because of how reliable their manufacturing processes make their gloves very durable and long-lasting.
But Twins can also be a great glove for those new to Muay Thai or kickboxing styles.
If you want something useful for intermediate or more advanced fighters, Fairtex is the way to go with their history in fight gear.
Using Fairtex gloves for boxing
I’ve used Fairtex gloves for both Muay Thai and boxing fighting styles. That includes mitts/pads, the heavy bag, and sparring.
In my experience, I would only use Fairtex gloves for general boxing needs if it’s during lighter work sessions, like lighter mitts work, drills, or technical sparring.
The reason is that I’ve made the mistakes of using one glove for all kinds of training, and as Fairtex gloves are specifically Muay Thai specialist gloves, none of them really offer the best support for hitting heaviest.
At least, not for beginners or those with weaker wrists.
I’ve had niggling injuries from training boxing hard with a Fairtex Muay Thai glove. The natural bend in the wrist of a Muay Thai glove doesn’t help as much to protect your wrist joint.
Muay Thai gloves need bending for catching kicks, parrying, and clinching.
My belief is that it’s better to pick out gloves for a specific purpose and get the best option possible for it.
So if I wanted to focus on boxing, I’d pick out a glove with a high level of wrist support that allows me to train hard and give my knuckles, thumb, and wrist better protection.
Final word on Fairtex Muay Thai gloves
So there you go, Fairtex has a bunch of options — I’ve only listed the best six — and I really like the BGV1 for mitts, the BGV9 for the heavy bag, and the BGV5 for sparring needs.
If you’re picking out a glove for sparring, choose a 16 oz size because that’s most often the requirement for sparring and sometimes even competition.
If you’re only working on the mitts or the bag, then you can consider smaller sizes suited to your body weight and overall size.
What to read next
If you’re still unsure about your ideal glove option, then these next articles might cover what you want to know:
- Anthem Athletics Boxing Gloves Review (Another Muay Thai glove option to consider)
- How Boxing Gloves Are Supposed To Fit