Normally, yellow boxing gloves don’t really mean anything. However, there have been some cases in the past when boxers have worn yellow boxing gloves as some kind of message.
A good example of that is when Manny Pacquiao wore yellow boxing gloves for his fight against Sugar Shane Mosley in 2011. In that bout, Manny wore yellow to signify his support for the Filipino charity Gawad Kalinga (meaning “to give” in the Filipino language of Tagalog).
Gawad Kalinga is an organization that fights poverty in the Philippines. They’ve built tens of thousands of homes and helped house hundreds of thousands of poor Filipinos. Inspired by these selfless acts, Pacquiao’s yellow boxing gloves represented “movement and hope”.
Apart from this one case, it’s rare to see professional fighters using yellow boxing gloves. Although amateur boxing matches are required to use red gloves for the home fighter and blue gloves for the challenger, most professional matches don’t have such restrictions.
Even then, it’s relatively rare to see a professional boxer using yellow gloves. Most of them go for either red or blue, in keeping with tradition. Some prefer to use flashier designs, such as flags or contrasting colors.
But this usually doesn’t mean much – it just serves to tell you about that particular fighter’s personal preferences.
Some Awesome Yellow Boxing Gloves
Even though yellow boxing gloves don’t have any special meaning behind them, there are some awesome yellow boxing gloves out there! Here are some of my favorites:
Defy Boxing Gloves
Although they’re not a household name like, say, Everlast, Defy have definitely made a name for themselves when it comes to good gear at a reasonable price. And these dark yellow boxing gloves are no exception.
They’re made of synthetic leather, which makes them highly durable. Unlike a lot of cheap boxing gloves where the velcro closure always comes off, the closure in these ones feels very secure.
The main downside is that the padding is a bit stiff. This makes them quite bad for sparring because you run the risk of harming your training partner.
Still, their durability means that you can use them just fine for work on the heavy bag.
Their only other downside is the relatively low breathability. But for that price, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better pair of boxing gloves.
Pros:
- Very durable
- Great for heavy bag work
- Very affordable
Cons:
- Stiff padding makes them bad for sparring
- Bad breathability
Fairtex BGV1 Muay Thai Boxing Gloves
Going up in budget, we’ve got these awesome-looking yellow boxing gloves – the Fairtex BGV1.
While this model is geared towards heavy bag work, you can also use them for sparring. Even though the padding starts off a bit hard, it breaks in after a week or two of training.
The gloves are made of real leather, so they can take even your most intense boxing sessions. Once you break them in, you’ll find they have very good knuckle protection and enough padding on the back of the wrist to help with blocking.
The padding is also quite flexible which means you can open and close your hands easily. Which is very helpful when parrying.
However, that does come at the expense of wrist support. These gloves are intended for Muay Thai and the lack of support in the wrist area may be a problem if your boxing sessions are very intense.
Some fighters found the gloves having low breathability. And it’s true – the only cooling these gloves have is the slit behind the velcro strap and the natural breathability given by the leather. And – speaking from experience – that can only get you so far. Still, they offer better breathability than a lot of the other non-leather gloves out there (definitely more than Defy’s Boxing Gloves).
Another disadvantage is the price. These are leather gloves, after all, and that always means that the price is going to be higher.
Taking all of that into account, the Fairtex BGV1 Muay Thai Boxing Gloves are a great option for both advanced and intermediate boxers. The amazing padding means that your hands will be protected when working on the heavy bag. Just be aware of the lack of wrist support in these gloves.
Pros:
- Premium leather makes sure they’ll last you a long time
- Good wrist support
- Very good for heavy bag and mitts
- Wide range of colours available
Cons:
- Take longer to break in
- Not the best breathability
Cleto Reyes Training Gloves
Cleto Reyes are one of the staples in boxing. And these bright yellow boxing gloves clearly show why. Their padding is made of latex foam which gives them feel very springy. So whenever you punch, the high recoil of the padding will let you reset very quickly.
Another awesome thing about them is that they’re made of real leather. This makes them very durable, making sure that they’ll serve you for years to come.
Cleto Reyes also have great wrist mobility. Their flexibility gives your hands very wide range of motion. That range of motion, however, comes at the price of a lack of wrist support. So, if your technique isn’t good, you are definitely going to feel it.
If you have sensitive hands, or some weakness in your wrists, then Cleto Reyes are definitely not the gloves for you. When hitting, especially if your hands aren’t wrapped, you can actually feel your knuckles through the material.
However, if you’re the type of boxer who likes throwing multiple punches per round, then these are probably the best for you.
Another big disadvantage is the price, which is definitely on the high end.
Pros:
- Full grain leather
- Extremely thick and durable
- Very good breathability
- Good range of movement for your hands
- Good wrist mobility
- Very good power transfer
Cons:
- Some people have problems with the thumb area
- Little padding around the wrist. Wrong punch technique may cause injuries
More: Cleto Reyes Training Gloves Review
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