Best Boxing Headgear for Beginners: Sanabul Essential MMA Boxing Kickboxing Head Gear
Best Boxing Headgear for Advanced Fighters: Winning Headgear Fg5000
Best Boxing Headgear for Fighters on a budget: Ringside Boxing-and-Martial-Arts-Headgear
Good quality headgear is essential to protect you from head injuries when you’re boxing. But with so many options out there, you can feel overwhelmed. I did some digging and came up with this list of the best headgear equipment available to give you a starting point.
Table of Contents
Winning Headgear Fg5000
Cleto Reyes Traditional Headgear
Title Boxing Leather Sparring Headgear
Ringside Boxing-and-Martial-Arts-Headgear
Sanabul Essential MMA Boxing Kickboxing Head Gear
Everlast Everfresh Head Gear
MaxxMMA Headgear
RDX Boxing Headgear Maya Hide Leather
Hayabusa T3 Boxing Headgear Adjustable
Venum Elite Headgear
1. Should You Wear Headgear in Boxing?
2. Advantages of Headgear
2.1. Protects the Nose and Chin
2.2. Reduces Bruising
2.3. Helps Prevent Cuts
3. Disadvantages of Headgear
3.1. Reduces Range of Vision
3.2. Creates a Larger Target
3.3. Creates a False Sense of Security
4. Does Headgear Prevent Concussions?
5. Why You Should Wear Headgear When Sparring
6. Things To Consider When Buying Headgear
6.1. Material
6.2. Padding
6.3. Coverage and Visibility
6.4. Comfort and Fit
6.5. Size and Weight
Winning Headgear Fg5000
Winning have been around since 1937, and they make some of the best combat sports gear out there. So, if you’re looking for absolute protection and great comfort, then you really can’t go wrong with their FG5000 Headgear. It really is right up there with the best boxing headgear on the market today.
It’s got a front nose bar, wide face holes for excellent visibility, and thick cushioning. All these ensure your Winning Fg5000 lasts a long time while giving you the proper protection from boxing punches.
At 0.9 pounds, this headgear is lightweight enough not to offer distractions while sparring.
But like all of Winning’s gear, it comes with one big caveat – price. While it’s a great piece of kit, it’s very expensive. So unless you’re very serious about your gear, then I recommend a more budget friendly option. Such as the Ringside Boxing-and-Martial-Arts-Headgear if you’re an advanced fighter. Or Sanabul’s Essential MMA Boxing Kickboxing Head Gear, if you’re a beginner.
Pros:
- Thick cushioning to protect you against punches
- Adjustable and very comfortable
- Provides excellent vision
- Easy to clean
- Made of artificial leather, hence long-lasting
- Lightweight
Cons:
- Very expensive
Cleto Reyes Traditional Headgear
Cleto Reyes is another established brand that never disappoints. They are pretty famous for their high-quality products, Cleto Reyes Traditional Headgear being one of them.
This boxing headgear features an excellent three-point anatomical fit, a one size fitting that fits most boxers. With its hook and loop rear closure, easily adjustable chin strap, and lacing, you can adjust this headgear to fit accordingly.
The headgear’s lightweight front bar and latex foam padding provide the protection you need in the boxing ring. Cleto Reyes Traditional Headgear offers excellent vision, enabling you to see your opponent’s blows and defend yourself.
Pros:
- Made of real leather. Will last a very long time.
- It comes in one size but fits most
- Lightweight, comfortable, and secure
- The latex foam padding offers excellent protection
- Provides excellent vision
Cons:
- Holds smells
Title Boxing Leather Sparring Headgear
Title’s boxing headgear features all-leather outer construction with unique 3-layered soft padding inside for comfort and protection.
With the Plush suede leather put as the inside liner, you can sweat and bleed, but the headgear will never get wet since this material is moisture-wicking.
Title Boxing Headgear provides an advanced form-fitting with its comfortable anatomical wraparound design, giving extended coverage. But still, you can use adjustable lace-tie back and head adjustments, plus the chin strap with steel buckle closure to adjust it accordingly.
Pros:
- Very durable
- Stains come out easily
- Offers excellent protection
- It comes with cheek protectors
- Adjustable fit
Cons:
- It may block vision
Ringside Boxing-and-Martial-Arts-Headgear
Ringside has always made good quality gear at an affordable price. This boxing headgear is no exception.
It comes in a wide range of sizes, it’s light, and very comfortable. It’s durable, and offers a lot of protection. Its inner soft suede lining absorbs sweat. So it won’t be distracting you during your sparring sessions.
The padding is made of high quality laminated foam. And it does a great job at dispersing the impact of your opponent’s punches. That way your can avoid any serious injuries during sparring.
It’s got a curved design at the cheeks. In theory, this should protect you by making punches slide off. In practice, the padding on the cheeks isn’t all that thick. So, a full-force cross on the cheeks will still hurt.
Still, given the price and the quality you get, this is definitely a great choice for advanced fighters on a tighter budget.
Pros:
- It’s durable
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Protects both face and head from punches
- It comes in various colors and sizes
- Great value for money
Cons:
- The cheek protection isn’t the thickest
Sanabul Essential MMA Boxing Kickboxing Head Gear
This headgear provides essential protection and coverage for the head, cheeks, and chin. You can even use it for other combat sports, like MMA, kickboxing, and Muay Thai.
It uses Impact-dura shock foam that absorbs kicks and punches from your opponent, allowing you to keep sparring. The Hook and Loop Closure system locks everything into place, so you concentrate fully on the game, not the headgear.
The biggest problem with it is the lack of visibility. But if you’re a beginner doing light sparring, then this is a great choice.
Pros:
- Offers full face protection
- It’s lightweight and comfortable
- It comes in different sizes and colors
- Recommended for various sports
- It has a solid construction and padding system
- Doesn’t slip
Cons:
- It doesn’t offer the best visibility
Everlast Everfresh Head Gear
The Everlast headgear features cheek protectors for optimal safety and excellent visibility, an adjustable chin strap for a secure fit, and elastic closures. The Everlast headgear comes in brilliant black and one size that fits most adults.
This headgear is lightweight and comfortable in the head. Overall, it’s an excellent headgear for beginner boxers.
Pros:
- It’s comfortable and lightweight
- It offers optimal safety for the head and cheeks
- Provides excellent visibility
- It can fit most adult head sizes
Cons:
- It isn’t quite durable
- It can get wet from sweating after a heavy use
MaxxMMA Headgear
If you’re a beginner and looking for the perfect headgear to kick off your boxing training, this MaxxMMA Headgear is what you need. This headgear comes in black and two different sizes, large and X-Large.
MaxxMMA Headgear offers excellent visibility, enabling you to see oncoming punches. Its multi-layered and shock-absorbing inner foams provide adequate protection.
Pros:
- Offers extensive coverage protection over the head and face
- It’s lightweight and comfortable
- Provides a firm fit
- It’s relatively affordable
- Offers excellent visibility
Cons:
- It isn’t suitable for boxers wearing glasses
- It moves a lot on the head
RDX Boxing Headgear Maya Hide Leather
Are you a fighter looking for the best boxing headgear that offers protection at all angles? The RDX Maya Hide Leather headgear provides this and much more.
It’s lightweight, comfortable, and versatile, making it ideal for boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and sparring.
The all-around foam cushioning dissipates the punching impacts across its surface area. It also ensures an easy and convenient fit, keeping the head stable enough.
Pros:
- It comes with a great design to allow adequate airflow, keeping you dry as you fight
- You get protected from all angles
- It’s lightweight and comfortable
- It’s durable
- Offers great visibility
Cons:
- It might be too tight around the chin, making it uncomfortable
Hayabusa T3 Boxing Headgear Adjustable
The Hayabusa T3 is a little pricier than the above headgears, but for good reasons. It provides everything you need in a boxing headgear, including performance and aesthetics.
With its compact design for maximum protection, adjustable chin strap, and patented T-Cross closure, this headgear doesn’t move when you’re boxing. The ultra-wide field of vision and lightweight features make you very comfortable that you can easily forget you have a headgear.
This headgear is pretty durable thanks to the indestructible Vylar engineered leather used on the exterior construction. It comes with an ultra-soft interior with vented mesh ear coverings for your comfort.
Pros:
- It’s lightweight and comfortable
- Quite durable
- Provides an ultra-wide field of vision
- It offers the ultimate non-shift fit
- The inner construction keeps you cool while you train
- Offers maximum protection
Cons:
- Quite expensive
Venum Elite Headgear
Venum Elite is a Thai Headgear made from semi leather material for outstanding durability and high performance.
There’s not much padding on this headgear, making it only suitable for experienced boxers. Its ultra-lightweight nature allows fighters to move their head faster as they evade punches from opponents. Above all, the mesh design ensures high breathability.
Pros:
- It offers excellent breathability
- It provides unsurpassed head protection
- It offers excellent durability and high fighting performances
- It’s lightweight
- Easily adjustable
- Perfect for experienced fighters
Cons:
- Only available in one size
1. Should You Wear Headgear in Boxing?
You need to wear headgear in boxing. Wearing headgear is the only way to protect yourself against head and brain injuries. The headgear acts as a barrier that neutralizes your opponent’s punches, keeping your head and face safe.
The strikes passed across boxing rings can easily damage your brain severely, even when you’re only practicing. That is why you should come prepared for any eventuality.
Some may argue that since they have the padded 16-ounce gloves on, there’s no need for headgear in boxing. Although necessary, gloves only lessen the severity of the opponent’s heavy blow. The blow might still be fateful if it lands on an unprotected head, hence the need for headgear.
2. Advantages of Headgear
There are several advantages of wearing headgear in boxing, including:
2.1. Protects the Nose and Chin
Contrary to popular belief, boxing headgears don’t protect heads only. The best boxing headgear should guard your head and face, including your cheek and chin.
Most of the headgears discussed above provide nose and chin protection. But be mindful of your vision when looking for this feature in your headgear.
2.2. Reduces Bruising
Bruises, black eyes, and bleeding noses are common occurrences in boxing rings. But if you have headgear, it becomes hard for punches to get through your face and ears, reducing bruising.
2.3. Helps Prevent Cuts
Cuts in boxing mainly occur at points where skull bones are exposed. And, in most cases, it’s the gloves that cause these cuts when one gets punched on the head or face. Headgear covers the most vulnerable head parts, preventing cuts.
3. Disadvantages of Headgear
Headgears are not faultless. They have some demerits that vary from one brand to the next.
3.1. Reduces Range of Vision
Your competitor may be sending hard blows that can quickly put you down when they land on the face/head. To avoid such punches, you need to change your head’s position quickly.
However, some headgears will make this clear vision impossible since they only offer a small window for vision.
3.2. Creates a Larger Target
Headgears are usually bulky, causing your head to appear larger when wearing one. In this case, the opponent finds your head a larger target for blows, which can wear you out quickly if you don’t evade the punches.
3.3. Creates a False Sense of Security
A fighter shouldn’t use headgear as a security blanket, but they do it anyway since headgears give them some false sense of security.
With the headgear on, a fighter feels they can absorb more blows to the head and face since it’s less painful. Unknown to them, the aftermath can be severe and life-threatening.
4. Does Headgear Prevent Concussions?
Headgear doesn’t prevent concussions but can protect you against head blows causing concussions. Your headgear will not save your brain from the shock when an opponent strikes your head hard. For this reason, you should always wear headgear to minimize such punches on the head.
As long as you and your opponent follow boxing rules and stay within the range, you can avoid unnecessary impacts. Doing so reduces the risk of concussions or other severe injuries.
5. Why You Should Wear Headgear When Sparring
You can decide to wear or not wear headgear when sparring, but this is a necessity for beginners. Below are reasons why you should wear headgear when sparring.
- Prevent accidental head collisions that can otherwise turn out deadly
- Protect you against cuts, swelling, and bruises
- Increase your confidence
6. Things To Consider When Buying Headgear
Ideal headgear protects your head/face and may help you win boxing duels. But how do you pick the best gear? Below are crucial aspects to consider when buying boxing headgear.
6.1. Material
Want to know how long the headgear will last and perform? Look at the material used for its construction, outer fabric, stitching, and padding.
The outer and stitching materials define longevity and fitting, while the padding determines how protected your face and head are when fighting.
The best material for the headgear’s outer construction is leather due to its many benefits. Leather material is smooth, strong, and highly durable.
6.2. Padding
The primary purpose of headgear is to offer protection from cuts and bruises. Padding is the component that provides this protection.
Picking proper padding for your headgear can be tricky.
Thick padding absorbs the opponent’s punches, reducing injuries and allowing you to concentrate fully on the fight. However, it makes headgear appear bulky and heavy.
On the other hand, minimum padding can easily cause injuries to the head since you feel the pain. However, it makes the headgear lightweight, making it possible to evade punches quickly.
6.3. Coverage and Visibility
The best boxing headgear should provide excellent visibility. Defending yourself is only possible if you can see your opponent’s punches.
The headgear should also offer full coverage over the head and face so you don’t sustain more injuries.
Choosing headgears that tick the above boxes is therefore paramount.
6.4. Comfort and Fit
Does the headgear fit perfectly, and do you feel comfortable wearing it? Does it move after heavy use or stay in place even after getting hits on the head?
The idea is to get headgear that won’t stress you, taking your concentration away from the duel.
6.5. Size and Weight
Headgears come in different sizes, ranging from small to extra-large. When picking one, ensure it is the right size for your head or that you can adjust it to fit accordingly.
Picking a small-sized headgear that fits tightly isn’t advisable. Such headgears can cause a headache even when you wear them for a short time.
On the other hand, oversized headgears move a lot. You can lose concentration on the fight as you’ll be adjusting it more often as you fight.
Size goes hand in hand with weight, and a weighty headgear makes it hard for you to move your head quickly to evade punches.
The best thing to do is measure the circumference of your head beforehand. Using the measurement, get a headgear that won’t move around while in use.
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