Ultimate Boxing Equipment List (For At Home and Gym Training)

We tried to break this post down by order of boxing equipment importance*. So be sure to check the below section on “Key Tips” to avoid wasting time and money and buy only the best boxing gear for you.

Boxing Equipment Names – Recommended Items and Tips

• We recommend focusing on the essential boxing equipment if you are a beginner
  • for boxing gym training:
    • boxing gloves
    • hand wraps
    • water bottle
    • comfortable clothes
  • for at home boxing training:
    • boxing gloves
    • hand wraps
    • jump rope
    • mirror
      
• Avoid big brand stores (like Dick’s, Sports Authority, and Walmart), you can find much higher quality equipment online – (see links shown below)
  
• Some boxing gyms offer shared gym equipment, but they may not be the best fitting or cleanest so you will likely want your own gear
  
• On boxing gloves: (with links to Amazon*)
  • good options for beginner are: Byakko, Ring to Cage C17 2.0, Ringside Apex, Hayabusa
    • a good pair of boxing gloves are ~$80+
    • we recommend going with a pair of hook and loop gloves
    • when starting out a single pair of gloves will work, but you may want to buy a second higher quality pair for sparring down the line
      
• On hand wraps – make sure to by the actual hand wraps rather than the gel filled wraps

Boxing Items List

1. Essential Items
   • Boxing Gloves
   • Hand Wraps
   • Water Bottle
   • Workout Clothes
   • Towel
2. Boxing Equipment for Home
   • Heavy Bag
   • Jump Rope or Skipping Rope
   • Bell or Timer
   • Boxing Gloves and Hand Wraps
   • Pads or Boxing Mitts
3. Additional Training Equipment
   • Gym Bag
   • Glove Dogs
   • Mouth Guard
   • Headgear
   • Groin Protector
   • Cup
   • Slip Bag
   • Speed Bag
   • Double End Bag
   • Uppercut Bag
   • Target Paddles
   • Punch Shield
   • Training Dummy
   • Chest Protector (for women)
   • Parachutes
   • Speed Ladders
4. Apparel
   • Boxing Robe
   • Boxing Shoes
   • Boxing Shorts
5. Professional Boxing Equipment
   • Grease or Petroleum Jelly
   • Fight Gloves
   • Hand Cream

1. Essential Boxing Equipment for Beginners (For Gym Training)

Boxing Gloves

Boxing gloves are hands down the most important piece of equipment for boxing training.

Again, for boxing gym training you may be able to borrow and use shared boxing gloves. However, if you are planning on sticking with boxing for a bit you’ll want to invest in some quality gloves.

While you can go high end and buy an expensive pair of gloves, we recommend sticking with a more affordable or mid range pair until you are certain you are passionate about boxing.

Here are some of our recommendations: (with links to Amazon*)

Best Overall Boxing Glove for Beginners: Byakko
Best Runner Up Boxing Glove: Ring to Cage C17 2.0
Best Designs: Xmartial
Most Affordable Boxing Glove: Ringside Apex
Best for Heavy Bag Work: Title
Best Premium Gloves: Winning
Best for Women: RingToCage C17 2.0
Best Muay Thai Style Gloves: Fairtex BGV1
Best Wrist Support: Hayabusa

What Size Boxing Gloves Should You Get?

Different size gloves are usually used depending on the boxing activity – generally speaking:

• training gloves can be 16/14/12 oz (depending on your preference) – however at my gym most people prefer training in 12 oz gloves
• sparring gloves are usually 16 oz
• finally gloves for an ameteur or pro fight are usually 10 oz or 12 oz
• be sure to take proper hand measurements before buying new boxing gloves

Link: Here is our full guide on boxing gloves sizes and how to take correct hand measurements

For beginners, who only want to purchase one pair of gloves, I’d recommend going with 16 oz boxing gloves (but again try different sizes out – if you prefer to train in smaller gloves that’s fine too)

Hand wraps

Some beginners in boxing may skip using hand wraps, but this is a mistake. When starting out your punching technique may not be best.

Some recommendations for quality hand wraps are:

Affordable Boxing Hand Wraps: Sanabul
Premium Boxing Hand Wraps: Hayabusa / Venum

Water Bottle

Now we get into the more obvious things you need for boxing in a gym. While these may seem obvious to some if you don’t have a water bottle or comfortable workout clothes your boxing training truly won’t be optimal.

Truly any water bottle will do as long as it holds a good amount of water. If you haven’t boxed before, you’ll be surprised at how much you will sweat just from throwing your fists around.

Comfortable Workout Clothes

Simply put, a loose shirt and shorts are completely fine for your first boxing class.

You just want to avoid wearing stiff or restrictive clothing. Plus you should expect to sweat quite a bit so we wouldn’t recommend wearing any clothing that you won’t mind sweating through.

Towel

A towel or old t shirt is great for wiping sweating, but isn’t necessary.

It’s my opinion that an old T-shirt makes the best sweat towel, but again, this isn’t necessary for training – just something that can make you more comfortable.

2. Best Equipment for Boxing at Home

• Heavy Bag
• Jump Rope
• Mirror
• Gloves
• Hand Wraps
• Bell or Timer
• Pads (not necessary for solo training but can be good for home gym training with a partner)

Heavy Bag

A heavy bag is something that is very critical to boxing training. It will help you practice nearly every aspect of boxing (aside from defense).

So if you have the space and can afford it, we strongly recommend buying a heavy bag for home boxing training.

A heavy bag will help you improve punching technique, work on combinations, and improve endurance. If there is one must have piece of equipment for boxing at home it would have to be a heavy bag.

Some Quick Tips for Heavy Bag Setup and Use:

• Try to learn good punching technique before usage
  • you can join a boxing gym for a little, take a couple private classes, or buy some quality boxing instructionals online
• Be aware of how loud it will be when you hit the heavy bag (especially if you live in shared buildings etc)
• If you have proper support – a hanging heavy bag is always best
• Also we’d recommend avoiding water filled bags
• If you are a beginner a 100 lb bag should be fine
• Be sure to use quality hand wraps and boxing gloves
• To hang you heavy bag an exposed cross beam is best, but if not available there are some secure ceiling mounting options available on Amazon.

Jump Rope or Skipping Rope

A jump rope should be another must have item for home training. They are affordable, easy to use, don’t require too much space, and help improve cardio and foot work.

I use a jump rope to start every boxing session I do at home. It gets my body ready for my intense movement with a nice and easy warm up.

While jump ropes or skipping ropes are pretty affordable here are some of our recommendations:

• Redify Weighted Jump Rope
• Loocio Jump Rope

Bell or Timer

An often over looked item for home boxing training is a bell or round timer.

Yes, you can always use your phone to time rounds but if you can spare ~$40 bucks you can get a round timer that will make your home workouts more convenient and structured.

Some brands of round timers we recommend are:

• BTBSIGN LED Interval Timer
• Title Deluxe Gym Timer

Boxing Gloves and Hand Wraps

While we went over these in the prior section, boxing gloves and hand wraps are a necessity for safe home boxing training.

Especially for beginners you want to make sure that your knuckles, hands, and wrists are protected, so we don’t recommend skipping out on these items for boxing at home.

See our section above for recommendations and tips for buying boxing gloves and hand wraps.

Pads or Boxing Mitts

Boxing mitts (while not necessary for home training) are great if you are training with a partner or spouse. They can help you work your timing and combinations as well as accuracy.

I would definitely categorize these as “nice to have” as opposed to required, but if you plan to train with a partner they can be a great workout tool

3. Training Equipment

This section is for training related equipment – some of which is strongly recommended and some are optional and nice to have:

Jump Rope

Again, a jump rope or skipping rope is extremely beneficial for boxing training – plus they are very affordable and don’t require much space.

They are a great way to warm up and get some extra cardio in while working on your footwork and timing.

Boxing Shoes

While nice to have boxing shoes definitely aren’t recommended or required for beginners or those who are just starting their training at a local gym. During that time any comfortable shoes or bare feet will be fine for boxing.

As you continue your training you can consider buying boxing shoes as they do offer some key benefits:

1. Traction and Grip:
   • Boxing shoes are designed with soles that provide optimum grip on the canvas, reducing the risk of slipping and helping boxers maintain stability during movements.
2. Ankle Support:
   • Boxing shoes often have a higher cut that offers support to the ankles. This can prevent injuries and provide stability during lateral movements, pivots, and quick footwork.
3. Lightweight:
   • These shoes are specifically crafted to be lightweight, ensuring that they don’t weigh the boxer down. This allows for swift and agile movements.
4. Breathability:
   • Boxing shoes are typically made from materials that allow good air circulation, keeping the feet cooler and reducing sweat, which can be essential for comfort during prolonged training sessions or fights.
5. Enhanced Mobility:
   • The design of boxing shoes facilitates ease of movement, allowing for quick direction changes, better footwork, and overall improved agility in the ring.
6. Energy Transfer:
   • The construction of boxing shoes ensures that the energy from the foot is efficiently transferred during punches. Good footwork is essential for generating power in punches, and boxing shoes are designed to optimize this.
7. Tactile Feedback:
   • Boxing shoes provide better tactile feedback from the floor, helping the boxer gauge their movements and positioning better.
8. Protection:
   • The shoes offer protection to the soles of the feet, which can be important when training on harder surfaces.

Gym Bag

Another nice to have item is a gym bag to carry your boxing equipment to and from the gym or keep it organized for at home training.

Some gym bags offer breathable sections or pockets for your dirty or sweaty gear as well as smaller pockets for items like your cell phone and wallet.

While not necessary, this is a recommended item that will make heading to boxing classes easier.

Glove Dogs

Glove dogs are used to keep your boxing gloves clean and smelling fresh. They aren’t necessary but are excellent for preventing your gloves from becoming eternally smelly.

After training, you can wipe down the inside and outside of your gloves and leave them open and then place a pair of glove dogs inside of them for extra protection.

Mouth Guard

In general, we recommend single guard for bag work and pad work, double guard for sparring. While using a mouth guard for bagwork isn’t entirely necessary it does offer protection for your teeth, gums, and lips.

Plus wearing a mouth guard during solo training can help you get used to wearing one when sparring.

Boxing Headgear

For heavy boxing sparring, you’re definitely going to want to be wearing head gear.

While generally light sparring is recommended if you are preparing for an amateur fight or want to turn up the intensity wearing headgear will protect both you and your partner from unnecessary injuries.

Some gyms offer shared head gear so it’s always best to check with your gym before purchasing your own.

Basic Groin Protector

A groin protector is used to protect from low blows during sparring.

A solid groin protector not only offers complete protection but also doesn’t hamper your mobility in the ring.

Consider the construction and fit as they are pivotal for comfort. A basic groin protector should have a robust, shock-absorbing shell with ample padding and sufficient size to cover the area without restricting movement.

Cup

Another recommended item for sparring protection is a cup for men.

Trust me, you’ll want some added protection if you ever take a low blow.

Remember, while direct hits to the groin are illegal in official bouts, accidental low blows can occur during training or matches. These accidental hits can be extremely painful and disrupting.

Various brands offer high-quality cups to meet the safety needs of boxers. While choosing a cup, one must consider fit, comfort, durability, and of course, effective protection – these factors make all the difference during a fight or a training session. Side note: Some cups are designed to be worn with a jockstrap or compression shorts to keep them in place, whereas others come with built-in straps for easy wear. Take your pick based on your comfort level and training requirements.

4. Boxing Apparel

Comfortable Clothes to Train In

For beginners comfortable clothes like a loose t shirt and shorts are completely fine. The other items in this section are more geared toward amateur boxers or those who are looking to upgrade their boxing gear.

Again not required, but these are items we should mention.

Boxing Shorts

If you are a beginner or just training at home, truly any pair of flexible and breathable shorts will do.

However, if you are preparing for an amateur fight or want to invest in a pair of official looking boxing shorts they are something to consider.

Boxing Shoes

As we went over above, boxing shoes are another nice to have piece of apparel for boxing training.

Boxing shoes help protect your feet while still giving you the freedom as if you are not wearing any shoes at all.

Depending on your gym they also may or may not require boxing shoes. For example, at my boxing gym we mostly train bare foot on padded mats. While we also have a boxing ring generally we will train bare foot in it as well.

5. Professional Boxing Equipment

This section includes some other boxing items that you should be aware of – it is more focused on amateur or professional boxers:

Fight Gloves

Fight gloves are boxing boxing gloves that are generally only worn during amateur or professional bouts. They are usually of higher quality and come at a higher price point.

They are definitely on the lighter end and will probably be the lightest gloves you will use. Also it’s pretty common for sparring gloves and fight gloves to be the same pair of gloves.

Grease or Petroleum Jelly

You may have seen corner men in boxing applying a type of ointment to boxers faces prior to a bout or in between rounds.

This is done for a couple reasons:

1. Reduce Friction: Applying petroleum jelly on the face, especially around the eyes and cheekbones, helps reduce friction between the glove and the skin. This can make punches slide off more easily, potentially avoiding some damage.
2. Minimize Cuts and Bruises: The slippery nature of petroleum jelly can lessen the chance of the skin tearing or bruising upon impact. By allowing gloves to glide rather than drag across the skin, the risk of cuts, especially around the sensitive eye area, is reduced.
3. Soothe and Protect Skin: Petroleum jelly can create a protective barrier on the skin that locks in moisture and helps prevent the skin from drying out or chaffing during a fight.
4. Improve Visibility: When applied around the eyes, petroleum jelly can prevent sweat from dripping into a boxer’s eyes, which could blur their vision and impede their performance in the ring.
5. Enhance Comfort: It can also provide a level of comfort to the boxer, as the lubricating effect can ease the sensation of punches to some extent.

Hand Cream

Hand Cream is sometimes used by boxer’s before or after training especially if your hands are feeling particularly beat up.

1. Moisturizing and Healing: The constant impact during boxing can be harsh on the skin, causing it to become dry and sometimes leading to small cuts or bruises. Hand creams help moisturize the skin and can contain healing agents.
2. Protection: Some creams form a protective barrier on the skin that can help prevent chafing and irritation from gloves and hand wraps.
3. Pain Relief: Some boxers’ hand creams may contain ingredients like menthol or arnica that have analgesic (pain-relieving) properties, providing relief to sore or aching hands.
4. Anti-Inflammatory: Ingredients such as aloe vera, chamomile, or certain oils may help reduce inflammation and promote healing.
5. Conditioning: Regular use can help keep a boxer’s hands in good condition
6. Improving Flexibility: Keeping the skin and joints well-nourished and moisturized can also aid in maintaining flexibility in the hands.

6. Other Boxing Equipment to Be Aware Of

Slip Bag

A slip bag is small, lightweight bag hung from the ceiling that swings back and forth. Its movement simulates an opponent’s punches, making it a good tool to practice ducking, weaving, and slipping – evasive techniques fundamental to boxing.

While a heavy bag and speed bag focuses only on offensive boxing tactics and punching a slip bag can help you practice your defense.

Speed Bag

A speed bag is a small air filled bag anchored in the center of a round rebound platform that is positioned parallel to the ground. Its boxing benefits include timing, precision, and hand-eye coordination.

Link: Check out our full guide on speed bags here

A speed bag can be a diverse tool in your training routine. For instance, moving around the bag instead of standing in one spot engages the lower body, enhancing footwork and ice movement. Furthermore, alternating hands while hitting the bag promotes ambidexterity. Switching between different rhythms and patterns challenges your timing and tempo. The price of a speed bag varies, generally falling within the $20-$80 range depending on quality and brand.

The biggest con with using a speed bag is that the punches thrown really aren’t applicable for realistic striking since it forces you to keep your arms in an unnatural position and throw punches completely different from how you would normally

Double End Bag

A double end bag is attached to both the floor and ceiling. It will move rapidly in all directions once hit. This erratic movement poses a challenge of timing, precision, and reaction speed to the boxer, making it an integral part of training routines.

Many boxing gyms and coaches recommend a double end bag over a speed bag since it promotes punching from a more natural position and mimics how you would punch during sparring (as opposed to a speed bag)

The main benefit of double-end bags is that they mimic an actual opponent’s movement much more realistically than heavy bags too.

Uppercut Bag

An uppercut bag is specially designed to improve the value and precision of your uppercut punches. While not completely necessary for training, it’s nice to have for focusing specifically on uppercuts.

The design of this bag is made to emulates a human torso, providing a realistic feel and letting you spot your strikes accurately. Specifically, these bags are firm yet forgiving, allowing you to conveniently practice your well-honed hooks and uppercuts without risking injury.

Target Paddles

Boxing target paddles are similar to boxing pads or boxing mitts but have a strongly focus on precision and target practice.

They can be used similarly to boxing mitts to work combinations as well as boxing defense.

In general boxing target paddles offer the below benefits:

1. Accuracy: Paddles provide a small and mobile target, helping to enhance a boxer’s precision and accuracy in landing punches.
2. Speed and Timing: Trainers can move paddles quickly to simulate an opponent’s movements, which allows boxers to work on their speed, timing, and reaction.
3. Footwork: The trainer can use paddles to encourage boxers to move around the ring, thereby improving their footwork and positioning.
4. Combinations: Paddles can be used to practice different punch combinations, helping boxers to flow seamlessly from one punch to another.
5. Defense: While primarily an offensive tool, paddles can also be used to simulate counter-attacks, prompting boxers to work on their defensive maneuvers.
6. Conditioning: Extended sessions with paddles can be physically demanding, contributing to a boxer’s overall conditioning and endurance.
7. Reduced Impact: Paddles often provide less resistance than traditional mitts* or heavy bags, which can be beneficial in reducing strain on a trainer’s joints and also allowing boxers to train without overly stressing their hands.
8. Versatility: They are highly portable and can be used in a variety of settings, making them a versatile tool in a trainer’s kit.

Punch Shield

You’ve probably seen boxing trainers or coaches wearing these before when working with boxers.

The Punch Shield serves to absorb the impact of punches during a boxing training session. Acting as the surrogate target, it enables the trainee to master the correct punching technique while softening blows to their training partner.

Training Dummy

You may have seen these around before (my friend even had one in his basement), but a training dummy is a life-like figure designed to mimic throwing punches with a live partner.

This is anther piece of equipment that’s not really necessary for training but can be nice to have for your home boxing training.

The main advantage of a training dummy is that it provides realistic training. It simulates the size and shape of a real human, which makes practicing on it pretty close to a real bout. A punch thrown at a training dummy will have different rebound and resistance dynamics compared to a heavy bag.

Chest Protector for Women

Another often overlooked but vitally important, the chest protector for women is a mandatory piece of safety gear in boxing. Worn under the boxing gear, this protector safeguards women boxers’ chest from powerful blows that potentially can cause harm or discomfort.

They usually come in two different models – one wore underneath outer garments and one wore on top of clothing.

Designed to ensure optimal safety without restricting movement, a chest protector subtly works behind the scenes to keep women fighters guarded against inadvertent hits.

Parachutes

Boxing parachutes, also known as resistance parachutes, are an unorthodox yet somewhat effective training tool that boxers use for physical conditioning, particularly for improving strength and endurance.

While not used that often, they are a piece of equipment that you should be aware of.

Here’s how it works: the parachute is attached to a boxer’s waist via a harness, and as they run, the parachute inflates due to air resistance. This creates a drag effect, which the boxer overcomes by exerting additional force. Over time, this leads to enhanced muscle strength, agility, and cardiovascular endurance.

Speed Ladders

Speed ladders are used in the conditioning drills of boxers, speed ladders serve their purpose in increasing agility, accuracy, and – of course – speed.

Speed ladders are all about precision and pattern.

The ladder-like tool is placed on the ground, and the boxer navigates through the rungs in various patterns as quickly and accurately as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Equipment Do I Need to Learn Boxing?

To learn boxing, you need boxing gloves, hand wraps, and a heavy bag.

Specifically, for your first boxing class, the essential boxing equipment you should bring are boxing gloves, hand wraps, comfortable clothes, and water bottle.

Alternatively, for boxing training at home, the boxing equipment you should buy are boxing gloves, hand wraps, jump rope, mirror, and heavy bag.

What Should I Wear to a Boxing Class?

For men, you can wear comfortable clothing like a t shirt or sleeveless shirt and shorts.

For women, you can wear the same items and a sports bra underneath your t shirt.

What’s the Average Cost of Boxing Equipment?

On average on the more affordable end, you can expect to pay $100-300 dollars for boxing equipment. We’ve included a breakdown of the essential items to consider below:

1. Boxing Gloves:
   • Entry-Level: Basic gloves suitable for beginners can cost around $20 to $50.
   • Mid-Range: Intermediate gloves that offer better quality and durability usually range from $50 to $100.
   • High-End: Professional-grade gloves can cost $100 and upwards.
2. Hand Wraps:
   • Entry-Level: Basic cotton hand wraps can be found for as low as $5 to $10 per pair.
   • Mid-Range to High-End: Higher quality or branded wraps, or those with additional features such as gel padding, may cost between $10 to $25 per pair.
3. Jump Rope:
   • Entry-Level: Basic jump ropes can be as low as $5 to $15.
   • Mid-Range: Quality jump ropes designed for fitness or boxing training can range from $15 to $50.
   • High-End: Professional-grade or specialized jump ropes can cost $50 and upwards.
4. Heavy Bag:
   • Entry-Level: Basic heavy bags suitable for home use can cost around $50 to $100.
   • Mid-Range: Better quality bags, including those from recognized brands, can range from $100 to $300.
   • High-End: Professional-grade bags, possibly including stands and high-quality filling, can cost from $300 to $1,000 or more.

How Much Do Boxing Gyms Cost?

On average, a boxing gym membership can range anywhere from $50 to $200 per month. My boxing gym charges $150 a month out of San Diego, USA.

The price will likely vary widely depending on:

• location
• the facilities offered
• the reputation of the gym
• level of personalized attention provided to members

Do Boxing Gyms Let You Borrow Equipment?

When it comes to boxing equipment, different gyms have different policies.

While some boxing gyms provide equipment that members can borrow for their workout sessions, others require members to bring their own gear. So it’s always best to speak with your boxing gym first before showing up to your first class.

Can You Practice Boxing Without Equipment?

Yes, you can practice boxing without equipment. Some options to do so are with shadow boxing, calisthenics, running, and sprints.

However, we recommend starting with at least a pair of boxing gloves, hand wraps, and heavy bag.

This will get you started and enable you to practice throwing punches, combination, as well as work on your strength and endurance.

Zack Nicholas

Zack is an avid jiu jitsu practitioner and martial arts nerd. He currently holds a brown belt in BJJ. When not on the mats or in the gym, he can be found going for walks with his wife, attempting (and often failing) to train his dog, and frequently obsessing over a specific hobby only to forget about it a week later.