- Joined
- Oct 20, 2020
- Messages
- 233
- Reaction score
- 358
My custom pair are 20oz. Lots of good padding. I never-ever spar (which is very seldom now) with less than an 18oz glove. I competed at middleweight 165lbs/ 11.78 stone. I now weight 170 in top shape. I have learned through experience that I do not have to pull punches with a heavier glove. At my gym we have a tradition of really warming up before sparring unless we are closer to a fight. I usually jump rope for 5 rounds, shadow box 3 rounds, hit the heavy bag for 5 rounds, then gear up for sparring. Again, I sparred 2 times in December and once on January 4, 2021. The trainers asked me to spar in front of the couples and housewives who joined our gym for New Year’s resolutions and fitness and are non-contact members. They wanted to show the benefits of boxing for older people. I went 3 rounds with a trainer who is in his early 30s and is a former pro with 20oz gloves. I was very aware I was sparring in front of unlearned people new to boxing. I felt slow and awkward. When we finished the spectators watching all cheered and applauded. I was embarrassed about how much that pleased me. I was taught when I was a very young boxer that sparring is not about winning the session. It’s about learning and putting to use techniques and tactics for fighting. One of the greatest things about boxing is at the age of 57, I continue to be a student of boxing and continue to learn. I cannot count the times I have been amazed and awed at something someone showed me in a boxing gym for the first time. One of the lasting lessons I have learned is I’d rather use a heavier glove and punch hard, than pull my punches. There are times I am asked to spar with a fitness dude whose nuts have dropped and wants to see what it’s like to get hit. Of course I never try and take advantage of that situation. He wants to learn and it needs to be a trying yet positive situation. I try and put pressure on new guys. When I do get sparring with younger, stronger fighters, which is again, very seldom now, I try to get my work in and land my punches. I try to throw a lot of punches. Another lasting lesson I have learned is never throw a punch you don’t intend to land unless you’re setting up something else. (Left Hook off the lead right hand or the Mexican set-up as we cal it). I don’t think I get anything out of using lighter gloves in sparring and my sparring partners appreciate my glove choices. Just my experience. I really don’t care if my sparring partners meet my heavy glove choice. The 2 sessions I had in December were with a former kickboxing pro and he used 18 oz Fighting Sports Tri-techs which are very soft. The guy I sparred with in January used 16oz Cleto Reyes and there’s plenty of padding to suit me. The head trainer at our gym has pro fighters and monitors the gear being used in sparring pretty closely. So someone climbing in the ring to spar with bag gloves would definitely be noted and addressed. We never have had unsupervised contact sparring. Even the teenage amateur fighters have coaches monitoring sparring. The pros have closed sparring sessions in another big room with a real competition ring and when I’m in there I want nothing to do with their sparring. That’s a young man’s game and they spar very hard. You’d be amazed at the sound a body shot makes when those guys are going at it before a fight.
