I personally like Casanova’s and Boxeo for pocket size. Boxeo’s have maybe a little more initial comfort but you give up padding. My all around favorite glove to spar with is Casanova’s. My favorite bag glove is Boxeo’s. I have read where some caution against sparring in these gloves. I have never had any complaints about my gloves being stiff but I tend to use heavier gloves.
The sparring at our gym is meticulously monitored by the trainers and you better have your laces in a lace n loop or they’re going to tape your gloves with electric tape. Add a little head and sweat to that tape and the dye will be torn off your good sparring gloves when you untape. We had a professional MMA fighter end his career in a sparring match when an untaped glove injured his eye permanently. Ever since then you either bring athletic tape to wrap your laces or they won’t allow you to spar unless they put that damned electrical tape on them.
Weights are even monitored. If you are under 130 you can use 12oz, under 152 you can spar with 14oz. After that, you have to have 16oz to light heavyweight then it’s 18oz. Our heavyweights (super-heavyweight if an amateur) are required to spar in 20oz- which is what I use at 183/83 kilos. We have gym gloves if your training gloves are not suitable for sparring. Gym gear is all Amber gloves and protectors. They smell like gym gloves too because they’re used then put on the gear table to soak up the sweat and blood.
My son is currently sparring in Rival RS 100 gloves. Great glove and great padding. Two weeks before your fight, our routine is to lighten up the sparring and increase your cardio. That’s when I spar with some of the fighters using my Mexican gloves. They police the gloves real closely if you are new or have tried to use gloves lighter than gym rules require.
It took me this long to answer your question: A really great glove with great padding and slim profile is the Russian Boxer gloves. I don’t own a pair but I am known to ask to look at your gloves if they appear unique. A fighter from Michigan who is in residence for the summer at our gym has them. He is a small guy and has a pair of 12oz. For the profile I was shocked at how well padded they are. I am unfamiliar with the glove but they are made in Mexico. I was impressed with the gloves. Classic Mexican glove look and feel. They look like 8oz fight gloves. This little dude can really throw his hands with them on. He’s very well trained and has phenomenal physical skills. He is currently the best amateur we have in our stable. We have a fight on July 3 at the gym and he is scheduled to fight. So is my son. We do have a 118 professional but that guy is a monster. He hires out his sparring partners when he’s in camp. He forgets that some people don’t speak Spanish and if he’s talking to you and is excited or is sparring he yells at you with his mouthpiece in and in Spanish. His gloves are beautiful in that way that good Mexican gloves are.
When I looked at his Russian Boxer gloves I thought to myself “…oh great, another pair of gloves I’m obsessed with getting…” Another pair that I became obsessed with is the Lopez Andrades gloves. Fortunately our own Edgar Martinez has helped me with that. When I get them I have Edgar’s permission to post a review and details about getting them. You need to begin a conversation with
@Edgar Martinez about these gloves. He is our resident expert on Mexican gloves. He can suggest and locate a pair for you. Phenomenal service and communication too.
As far as your being green. If you are a bona fide glove nerd the way all of us in this forum are, welcome home my friend. You have found kindred spirits here. I simply love reading other’s impressions of boxing gloves. Another relatively new member is
@Mark6pro He is the real thing and has a dedicated site with his impressions. He is a great evaluator of gloves too.
