Boxing Equipment for Beginners - What You Actually Need

New to boxing and wondering what equipment you need? The internet will try to sell you everything: speed bags, reflex balls, fancy footwork ladders, and fourteen types of gloves. Ignore most of it.

Boxing equipment for beginners is simpler than the marketing suggests. Let's cut through the noise and talk about what actually matters when you're starting out.

What You Need for Your First Few Sessions

Honestly? Almost nothing.

For your first few classes, bring:

• Comfortable workout clothes
• Indoor trainers
• Water bottle
• Small towel

That's the complete list. Most gyms provide gloves and wraps for newcomers to borrow. Take advantage of this while you figure out if boxing is your thing.

Only buy equipment once you've committed to training regularly. Anything before that is premature spending.

Hand Wraps - Your First Real Purchase

After a few sessions, hand wraps should be your first purchase. Borrowing someone else's sweaty wraps gets old quickly.

Hand wraps protect the small bones in your hands and wrists. They also keep your gloves from getting disgusting inside. Every session, every time.

What to buy:

• Traditional cotton wraps, 4-4.5 metres long
• Semi-elastic wraps are easier for beginners to work with
• Mexican-style wraps have a bit of stretch and mould to your hands nicely

Budget: £5-15 per pair. Buy two pairs so one can be in the wash.

What to avoid:

• Cheap wraps shorter than 4 metres
• Gel inner gloves (they don't support your wrists properly)
• Anything that looks gimmicky

Learning to wrap your hands takes practice. Ask your coach to show you a few times until you get comfortable.

Boxing Gloves - The Big Decision

Once you're committed (usually after a month or two), it's time for your own gloves.

Training gloves vs sparring gloves:

For beginners doing bag work and pad work, you want training gloves. Sparring gloves have more padding to protect your partner, but that's not your concern yet.

Weight matters:

Gloves are measured in ounces. Common weights:

• 10oz: Competition weight, not for training
• 12oz: Lighter training glove, good for pad work and lighter bag work
• 14oz: All-round training weight, most popular choice for beginners
• 16oz: Standard sparring weight, lots of padding

Most beginners should start with 14oz gloves. They work for everything and offer good hand protection.

Closure types:

• Velcro: Easy to put on yourself, most common for training
• Lace-up: Better fit and wrist support but you need help putting them on

Go with velcro. Lace-up gloves are for fighters with coaching teams.

Budget:

Here's where quality matters. Cheap gloves fall apart and don't protect your hands properly.

• Budget (£30-50): Brands like RDX, Lonsdale. Fine for starting out.
• Mid-range (£50-90): Twins, Fairtex, Title. Noticeable quality improvement, last longer.
• Premium (£90+): Winning, Grant, Cleto Reyes. Beautiful gloves but overkill for beginners.

I'd recommend spending around £50-70 on your first pair. The sweet spot between quality and value.

Gumshield - Essential for Sparring

If you plan to spar eventually (not everyone does), you'll need a gumshield.

Types:

• Boil and bite: Heat in hot water, bite down to mould. Costs £5-15. Perfectly adequate.
• Custom fitted: Dentist-made from a mould of your teeth. Costs £50-150. Better fit and protection.

Start with a boil and bite. If you get into regular sparring and find it uncomfortable, upgrade to custom later.

Important: Get a proper fit. A loose gumshield is almost worse than none because it can become a choking hazard during intense activity.

Footwear - Keep It Simple

Boxing boots exist and they're great, but you don't need them immediately.

For your first few months, wear:

• Clean indoor trainers with flat soles
• Wrestling shoes if you have them
• Dedicated gym shoes that grip the floor

Avoid running shoes with thick, curved soles. They're designed for forward motion and make lateral movement awkward.

When you're ready for boxing boots (after 6+ months), expect to spend £50-100 for decent ones. Brands like Nike, Adidas, and Title make solid options.

What You Don't Need Yet

The boxing equipment industry loves selling stuff to beginners. Here's what to skip:

• Speed ball and platform. Fun but you need skill to use it properly. Your gym probably has one anyway.
• Reflex ball on a headband. Internet favourite, limited real benefit. Your money goes further elsewhere.
• Heavy bag for home. Great eventually but expensive and needs proper installation. Use the gym's bags.
• Groin guard. Only for sparring. Buy when you need it, not before.
• Headgear. For sparring. The gym often provides it. Don't buy until you're sparring regularly.
• Fancy training gadgets. Most of it is marketing. Basic equipment and consistent training beats gadgets every time.

Taking Care of Your Equipment

Your gear will last much longer with basic maintenance:

Gloves:

• Air them out after every session
• Use glove deodorisers or stuff newspaper inside to absorb moisture
• Never leave them in your gym bag overnight
• Wipe the outside with antibacterial wipes occasionally

Hand wraps:

• Wash them weekly (or more if you sweat heavily)
• Air dry rather than tumble drying
• Replace when they lose elasticity or start smelling permanently

Gumshield:

• Rinse after every use
• Store in a ventilated case
• Replace if it develops cracks or stops fitting well

Buying Sequence for Beginners

If you're wondering what order to buy things in:

• Month 1. Borrow gym equipment, bring workout clothes and water
• Month 2. Buy hand wraps (£10-15)
• Month 3. Buy training gloves (£50-70)
• Month 4+. Consider a gumshield if interested in sparring (£10-15)
• Month 6+. Boxing boots if you want them (£50-100)
• Later. Groin guard, headgear, and other sparring gear if needed

This approach spreads the cost and ensures you only buy what you'll actually use.

Where to Buy Boxing Equipment

In person:

• Sports Direct (budget options, worth a look)
• Dedicated boxing shops (better selection and advice)
• Your gym's pro shop if they have one

Online:

• Amazon (convenient but quality varies wildly)
• BoxFit UK
• Made4Fighters
• Geezers Boxing

Trying gloves on in person before buying is ideal. The fit varies between brands and your hands are unique.

A Note on Brand Snobbery

Boxing gyms can be tribal about brands. Some people swear Winning gloves are the only acceptable choice. Others mock anything that isn't Cleto Reyes.

Ignore the noise.

At beginner level, the differences between mid-range brands are minimal. What matters is that your gloves fit well, protect your hands, and don't fall apart after six months.

Train hard, buy sensible equipment, and upgrade when you've outgrown what you have.

Ready to Start Training?

The best boxing equipment is the equipment that gets used. Everything else is just stuff collecting dust.