What is the difference between kickboxing gloves and boxing gloves?
Kickboxing gloves are more flexible with rounder padding for catching kicks; boxing gloves are more compact with a longer cuff for wrist support.
Kickboxing gloves and boxing gloves look alike, but they differ in shape. A kickboxing glove (often Thai style, like Twins or Fairtex) has a more flexible hand, rounder padding and a shorter cuff, so you can catch kicks and work the clinch. A boxing glove has a more compact fist, denser padding and a longer cuff for maximum wrist support when punching.
Two sports, two kinds of hands
In boxing you only use your hands to punch and block. In kickboxing and muay thai your hands do a lot more: you catch kicks, push a leg away, grab the neck in the clinch and block knees. That's why a glove that's great for boxing isn't automatically ideal for kickboxing.
The differences originated in Thailand, where brands like Twins Special and Fairtex made gloves for muay thai. That Thai style is what we now call kickboxing gloves. The Mexican and American boxing style produced the compact boxing glove with the long cuff. In most kickboxing gyms both types are used side by side, and that works perfectly well.
Padding and shape of the fist
A kickboxing glove has round, evenly distributed padding. The front is domed and the padding continues around the sides and the back of the hand. That comes in handy when you catch a kick with your forearm and glove: the impact lands on padded material.
A boxing glove has its padding concentrated more on the knuckles. The fist is more compact and narrower, so your punches land more precisely and you can get through the gaps in a guard. The back of the hand is thinner. For pure punching that's nicer; for blocking a kick it gives your forearm less protection.
Flexibility of the palm and the thumb
On kickboxing gloves the palm is deliberately made more flexible, so you can half-open your hand to grab a leg or hold your opponent's neck. Thai models like the Twins BGVL let your hand move quite freely. The thumb also sits a bit looser from the fist.
A boxing glove wants your hand in a closed fist at all times. The palm is stiffer, the thumb sits tight against the fist and there's often a fixed thumb piece that stops the thumb from catching. That gives the thumb and wrist maximum protection on a punch, but makes catching and clinching awkward.
Cuff and wrist support
The cuff is the part that closes around your wrist. On boxing gloves it's long and stiff, sometimes reaching halfway up the forearm, with a wide velcro strap or laces. As a result the wrist can barely bend. Boxers punch harder and more often than kickboxers and need that support.
Kickboxing gloves have a shorter, more flexible cuff. That gives your wrist more freedom of movement for catching and grabbing. The flip side is slightly less support on a badly landed punch. Good hand wraps make up most of that difference. Brands like Booster and King Pro Boxing make gloves that sit right between the two styles: a fairly long velcro cuff with a Thai fist shape.
Which one to choose if you kickbox?
If you train kickboxing, you can get along with either type. If you also do clinch work and Thai techniques, choose a Thai style: Twins Special, Fairtex x Booster or the Booster BGL series. If you mainly train the Dutch kickboxing style with lots of hands and low kicks, a glove with a bit more wrist support works excellently too.
If you only box, a true boxing glove is the better choice. Many Dutch-style kickboxers deliberately go for a boxing glove because they mainly train their punches and block kicks with the shin and forearm. In our shop, every glove states whether it's Thai style or boxing style.
What the oz size has to do with it
The difference in style is separate from the oz size. A 14 oz kickboxing glove has just as much padding as a 14 oz boxing glove, it's just distributed differently. So choose your size the same way: by body weight for bag and pads, and 14 or 16 oz for sparring.
That said, a Thai glove often looks a bit bigger because of its rounder shape. For sparring that's a plus, as you have more glove to block with. For pad work you'll hardly notice it. If you want to compare both styles, you can hit the pads with Billy using both types and feel which suits your way of fighting best.
| Feature | Kickboxing glove (Thai) | Boxing glove |
|---|---|---|
| Padding | Round, also on sides and back | Compact on the knuckles |
| Palm | Flexible, can half-open | Stiff, closed fist |
| Thumb | Slightly freer | Tightly attached |
| Cuff | Shorter, flexible | Long, stiff |
| Suited for | Catching, clinch, blocking | Punching, precision |
| Examples | Twins BGVL, Fairtex x Booster | Boxing-style Booster, King Pro Boxing |
Ordering from anywhere in the EU
PadsByBilly ships from the Netherlands to every EU country: Belgium €7.95, Germany €9.95, other EU countries €14.95, free from €75. No customs or import fees inside the EU; prices include VAT. Delivery usually takes 2–5 working days and you have a 14-day right of withdrawal.
Running a gym or fight school and need boxing gloves for the whole team? From €500 order value we make a custom quote with a bigger discount.
Frequently asked questions
Can I kickbox with boxing gloves?
Yes. At most kickboxing gyms that's perfectly fine, as long as the oz size is right. Only clinching and catching kicks is easier with a Thai glove.
Are Twins gloves kickboxing or boxing gloves?
Twins Special makes Thai-style gloves, so kickboxing gloves. They're also used by boxers for training.
Which style is better for beginners?
It makes little difference. Choose by oz size and fit. If you train kickboxing, a Thai or hybrid glove is the most versatile.
Does a boxing glove give more wrist protection?
Usually yes, thanks to the longer and stiffer cuff. With good hand wraps the difference in training is small.
What is a hybrid glove?
A glove with a Thai fist shape and a longer velcro cuff. Booster and King Pro Boxing make many models of this kind.
