If you are a boxer, you know how important it is to keep care of your skull. You can be an experienced boxer, but you will not get specialized training on the ways to take some punch on the scalp. Instead, you get told on how to effectively keep your guard up, weave, dodge, as well as bob to take every hit so that the least force gets put on you. Your opponents are taught to punch mainly on the head. Therefore some hits can break your guard. Here is where you need the best boxing headgear to help you protect your head.
The main aim of boxing headgear is to save you from cuts and bruises. Nevertheless, heavily padded head guards give a little protection coming from the cumulative impact. You need to know which the best boxing headgear is so you can adequately protect yourself.
[table id=3 /]It may be tough finding the best boxing headgear for yourself. Head size is something that is not universal. So, finding the perfect headgear which will not be uncomfortable and will not impact your vision when sparring and in competitions, can be quite severe.
We have provided you with a guide on the ways to purchase the best boxing headgear in this article, but we suggest that you try some out so you can get the perfect one. Many boxing gyms provide a communal head guard. If this is not possible, you may borrow or loan one from some person.
No doubt, communal and also borrowed head guards do have some dirty features, i.e., sweat, spit, blood, grime, along with germs, which you will have to handle, but they provide you with an idea of the things to consider when it comes to size, style, plus brand.
THE 8 BEST BOXING HEADGEAR PRESENT IN 2023
WINNING HEADGEAR FG2900
The first headgear in this review is presently the costliest in this list. However, it is the best one that money can get today. It is obvious that a formula which all other brands are aiming to replicate must be a masterpiece. Winning, which is a Japanese company, seems like it has it.
Notable construction and design features
Winning is popular due to the premium quality fighting gear they have. This ranges from gloves going to amazing head guards. The FG2900 is regarded as being one of the experienced Manny Pacquiao’s top boxing training headgears; this shows us that it is totally wonderful.
This head guard has:
- It features synthetic leather present on the outside. We did not expect this due to the price of this head guard, but looking at it closer, it can be seen that it is not the pure low-quality synthetic leather. It is one of Winning’s top durable leather-like materials. It will definitely stay for many years.
- This headgear has been able to surpass its competition due to its unique Mexican-style design along with its one of a kind lacing enclosure system located at the back. With these two feature, you can get a good fit, and it will not have to be adjusted after you have taken a few blows.
- The padding on this headgear is excellent, making it one of the best boxing headgear. This is what makes it best for sparring. It comes with the most amazingly heavily-padded forehead as well as cheeks which extend to provide the nose with much protection also. This is unique for a headgear which is not regarded as a face-saver.
- Padding on the sides and back nevertheless have minimal to no padding. Therefore, you will not wish to smack down backward upon the mat.
Comfort level
- This headgear’s padding has 2 layers of foam which help in providing the helmet with its overall pleasant feel. The outer layer tends to be dense and stiff allowing excellent shock absorption to be present while the inner layer tends to be less thick so that it conforms to the wearers head shape enabling a perfect fit to be achieved.
- This headgear is in the list of the best boxing headgear due to its incredible vision. Despite the heavily padded cheeks along with forehead, it still can provide you with a bright peripheral vision allowing you to view all low and also middle kicks plus punches coming your way.
Final verdict
If you are not concerned about its premium price tag, then this is the best boxing headgear that you can consider. It has all features you may be wanting, such as a sparring Mexican-style type of headgear and others. The points that make it excellent are its amazing fit, padding, along with comfort. It also comes in several sizes and 11 eye-catching colors.
Helpful hint: If you feel like this model is really costly than the Ringside FightGear Master’s may be the best boxing headgear for you, which is reviewed later. It is much cheaper and has the exact design and nearly the same amount of protection.
HAYABUSA T3 KANPEKI Boxing Headgear 2023
This headgear was not able to come first in our list of the best boxing headgear because it comes in one size only. But, if durability were the main point we were looking at, then no other model in this review would be better than this model.
Notable construction and design features
The Hayabusa T3 Kanpeki has been made for durability. It has one of the top striking construction designs letting it be the best boxing headgear in this sense. What can be seen on the image is what you will get (nevertheless it will not be as heavy as it seems). This headgear has:
- There is an outer shell which has been made using pure full-grain leather moreover features quality stitching which gives it its ultra-durability quality.
- Leather is better than synthetic because it tends to be resistant to tear, abrasion, as well as to crack. Most pro boxers like it because its feel gets better with time.
Comfort level
- Leather combat gears need time to break in thoroughly. This is so with the Hayabusa T3, but it has actually been molded from pre-curved plus flexible material to give you a fantastic fit immediately when you take it out of the box.
- This helmet is available in one size, but it fits snugly, so will not move around because of every punch. It is also not tight.
- The headgears inner lining tends to be fabric. It is impressive due to the supple leather shell, useful mesh ear guard along with open top design helping to develop a more relaxed environment that is useful for heated training sessions. This lets it be one of the best boxing headgear.
An issue with this headgear is that its chinstrap is fixed. So, if your head is significant, you may find it tough to lower the jaw and get oxygen freely.
Final verdict
The Hayabusa is the best boxing headgear for people who are not sure concerning the correct size for the boxing headgear. The helmet can be employed for boxing and MMA. It has much padding, as well. It is useful when it comes to comfort because of its breathable interior along with an open-top design. If durability is the primary concern, then the 100% fine-grain leather utilized for this guard will let you think it is the best boxing headgear for you.
VENUM ELITE Boxing Headgear 2023
Combat accessories manufactured in Thailand always have something suitable. This is especially if they come from big brands like Venum. Venum is said to be one of the most beautiful and best boxing headgear brand present today. It is also a famous brand for boxing as well as MMA enthusiasts that want something affordable without having to compromise on protection.
Notable construction and design features
This headgear is made for elite fighters. It is thought to be a big brother specifically to the Challenger 2.0, which is another recommended model which has been reviewed later. The headgear is:
- Like its name says, it is made keeping elite boxers in mind. This is the significant difference between these 2 models.
- This head guard even possesses a much lower profile along with streamlined design moreover is also notably lighter in comparison to the Hayabusa T3 Kanpeki reviewed above. This combination allows it to be easy to dodge plus counterattack in time.
- It is handmade. Venum products always come up in nearly every list of best items because many of these are handmade. This does matter and guarantees that the headgear gets made by a professional and experienced craftsperson instead of a robot. Therefore, every stitch gets made with much precision and also keeping quality assurance in mind.
- The Venum Elite headgears possess an outer shell that is made using skintex leather. You should know that this is not regarded as pure leather. However, it is a good imitation of real leather. This makes Venum be really popular.
- It tends to be relatively durable, considering its price. It does not need much time to break-in as well, making it be one of the best boxing headgear.
Comfort level
- This helmet is terrific when looking at its padding. It gives full head protection to the chin, cheek, and also forehead.
- The manufacturer even offers a fantastic level of protection around your ears when a punch misses the face narrowly.
Final verdict
The Venum Elite is said to be a mid-range headgear which seems to impress a lot of individuals from the forum comments. Particular highlights which make it one of the best boxing headgear include the lightweight design it has which allows punch evasion to be possible moreover a pleasant feel off the bat. The headgear has minimal padding so is suited to elite fighters who have fast head movements and reflexes. Starters can consider the Venum Challenger 2.0 as the best boxing headgear. This has been reviewed later on below.
RDX HEAD GUARD MAYA HIDE LEATHER Boxing Headgear 2023
Those people who wish to get full protection for their head when sparring and training, opt for the RDX Facesaver as the best boxing headgear. It is available in all sizes (i.e., small, medium, large, as well as x-large), therefore is one of the top boxing headgears for children. This is seen with the parents’ views present in the reviews.
Notable construction and design features
The headgear is made to provide advanced protection. RDX is famous for upgrading its strategies along with approach when it comes to crafting their combat gear so as to adhere to the latest fighting styles. They have done this with this face-saver. Features include:
- It has much protection technology.
- The face-saver employs what RDX has claimed is tri-slab max shock foam type of padding present all around the areas that are commonly targeted.
- This tends to be a 3-layer system which has EVA-lution foam, spongeX, as well as Calibrated Impact Diffusion Sheet foams which work in collaboration to be able to absorb shock and also distribute it around, therefore reducing impact.
- The ear area has been appropriately guarded with the help of a compressed EVA-lution sheet along with a large opening to boost aeration.
- This face-saver does not come with a horizontal bar which is present with the Venum Elite. However, this is no point to worry about.
- It is one of the best boxing headgear due to the removable plastic grill present. To enhance its ingenious protective design, this face-saver goes ahead in adding a high-quality and enjoyable plastic grill. Parents like this feature as it makes them be satisfied that no punch will go through. Nevertheless, this is a trade-off among safety and vision. But the good news is that this is removable.
Final verdict
This is the best boxing headgear for those people who regard safety as their primary concern. It is a really affordable and well-built boxing headgear which is available in every size and many colors. You can, therefore, match it with other fighting gear. We are pleased that its outer shell gets crafted using Maya leather (i.e., the closest synthetic leather is to replicate genuine leather). It is also heavily padded, allowing you to train hard.
CLETO REYES Traditional Boxing Headgear 2023
Cleto Reyes is a family boxing firm that was founded in the 1940s within Mexico. It is regarded as one of the best-renowned brands in the industry. Many of its products encompassing gloves as well, cost much mostly because these are made of genuine leather only.
This headgear is the best boxing headgear available for nose protection. It has many other things to offer besides this.
Notable construction and design features
The Cleto Reyes Traditional Headgear has some features that make it one of the best boxing headgear available. This includes:
- Build Quality– This headgear’s build quality is amazing. If we rate it on a 1-10 scale (with 10 being the best), it would be rated at 9.8. This is because it employs genuine leather on the exterior and for its inner lining also, making it be in the list of the best boxing headgear.
- Many headgears employ synthetic inner linings maybe to reduce costs. A considerable drawback of this is that they generate much heat. This can be tough for those people who sweat much. A leather lining is highly breathable therefore you will not need to remove it whilst training to wipe the sweat off. This lining also does not slide much. This is a feature which gets a beautiful boost from the headgear’s 3-point adjustment design.
- The leather panels of this headgear have solid stitching which is expected to hold up in a right way for some time.
- Padding features- This headgear scores well in this area as well. It has thick latex padding upon the forehead plus cheeks, which let you face your trainer as well as a sparring partner with much confidence.
- Different from other models in this review, the guard possesses a handy pointed nylon face bar making it one of the best boxing headgear. The front bar sits well on the nose. It is heavily padded to reduce the risk of getting a bleeding nose.
- Weight- Looking at its total leather construction, heavy padding, along with nylon face bar, you may think that this headgear is heavy. This is not true. The helmet weighs only 20 ounces, letting you slip punches without having to get weighed down.
- Vision- This headgear actually performs better than RDX Maya Face-saver listed above. This is when looking at the peripheral vision point. But the face bar may impact your sight a bit mainly if the opponent is close by.
Final verdict
This headgear is one of the tops and best boxing headgear which can be excellent for boxing, MMA, plus kickboxing manufactured by Cleto Reyes. It is slightly pricey but has terrific protection, weight, along with visibility. The headgear is even made to last for much time because of its all-leather construction plus solid stitches. It has also gotten a high rating when it comes to fit and comfort features.
VENUM CHALLENGER 2.0 Boxing Headgear 2023
This headgear is an affordable alternative that you can get instead of the Elite mentioned above. It even has more padding, therefore, being perfect for our recommendations regarding the best boxing headgear that beginners can get. The headgear is predominantly black having bold along with vibrant highlights which create its 3 color choices. For those boxers who want to keep a low-profile, getting the all-black model can be the best boxing headgear for you.
Notable construction and design features
Is the Venum Challenger 2.0 worth its current popularity? This has been examined below.
- It is a full-face headgear that has quite a lot of padding around areas that are the most sensitive, i.e., cheek, chin, plus temples. The padding is somewhat thick and becomes 1.5 inches around the delicate cheek as well as temple protectors allowing for advanced safety to be achieved. Therefore, it be one of the best boxing headgear.
- The chin protector has a single layer consisting of compressed hard foam, but the cheeks and temples tend to be double-layered. These areas have a hard foam specifically on the outside, moreover soft padding upon the inside. This aims to disperse as much compact whilst keeping an excellent and comfortable fit within.
Like the Venum Elite, you will get top-notch protection, particularly around your ear. This is with the help of the thick padding present around it.
Comfort level
The headguard is a good one-size-fits-all having much flexibility, which lets you achieve a personalized fit according to your head’s size.
- A lot of reviews on the internet claim that it fits well, but they are also some complaints from buyers who have overly large and also small heads.
- This headguard is lined with skintex leather specifically on the outside. Nevertheless, this is not comparable to the genuine leather found on the Cleto Reyes. However, the price difference states this clearly. This skintex has a good comfortable and also soft feel. This is the case with the fabric lining present on the inside as well.
- The Venum 2.0 Challenger seems like it does not build up much heat inside like similar models do.
Final verdict
Considering its cost, the Venum 2.0 Challenger can be said to be the best boxing headgear recommended for beginners as well as intermediate level strikers. You should not expect it to stay for much time, but it offers a lot in terms of protection, fit, plus comfort. It is rather good when looking at visibility potential also, so it can be used for things like boxing, MMA, along with Muay Thai.
Ringside Fightgear Master’s Competition Boxing Headgear 2023
This is a wonderful Master’s- approved competition headgear which has been professionally engineered in such a way to absorb punishment. This is the best boxing headgear in 2019 for starters as well as intermediate fighters that often eat lots of shots. This one may even be attractive to you if you want a communal head guard to put in your gym.
Notable construction and design features
The shape of this helmet is designed to copy the Winning FG2900. But, it has some differences which give it a boost over the top pick in this list. It also has a few setbacks.
- The Ringside Master is made totally of leather. Therefore, with proper care, it may be possible that it lasts for many years.
- Apart from durability, the leather material feels lovely on the outside as well as inside. It is even able to keep the head fresh in a proper way.
- Ringside feels that one size is not able to fit all, so it provides many of its helmets in various sizes so as to meet everyone’s requirements. You can get it in small, medium, large, along with extra large sizes. It has a handy hook and loop type of rear enclosure moreover a buckle chinstrap that helps with a personalized fitting.
- You should know that these sizes may actually feel slightly smaller because of the elastic which holds the back padding within the place. Those whose size is lower than the recommended one, this may not be a problem for them. Otherwise, you may need to get a size larger.
- Protection is an area where the Ringside Master’s excels the Winning FG2900. This helmet has an overall thicker as well as softer padding which has been relatively distributed mainly around the face. Looking at the cheek protectors, these are about 1.25” thick. Those people who have a narrow and square face, the cheek protectors can wrap around to provide you with much nose protection.
- Those with a tapered face which protrudes the nose, cheek protectors may actually be pushed out, therefore, leaving the edge of the nose uncovered. So, it may get touched by gloves.
- Looking at its heavily padded cheeks, this helmet is not the best boxing headgear when looking at visibility. If you use a Mexican-style headgear, then you may think this is decent. Otherwise, it may need some training sessions to adjust to.
Final verdict
Those people who do wish to get the best boxing headgear but are not able to get the Winning FG2900 because of its price, then this is a wonderful option. This headgear is wonderful when looking at shock absorption and protecting the face as well as nose from cuts plus bruises. The headgear is even durable due to its all-leather construction along with solid stitching. It even is lightweight being about 20 ounces.
Everlast Everfresh Boxing Headgear 2023
The last recommendation in this list of the best boxing headgear reviews tends to be a very affordable headgear. Affordable refers to low-level construction. We recommend this guard for those people who do not have much cash and still want to get some type of protection whilst light sparring. Those people who are just entering boxing and want to try out a headgear before buying a high-end model, this one can be tried out.
Notable construction and design features
The Everlast Everfresh is regarded as an open-face style type of head guard. It is made using synthetic leather that is nicknamed Everhide by the manufacturer. The material is not one of the most durable, but it may stay for some time if you do not spar daily.
- Looking at the inside area, Everlast has employed Everfresh. This is the same fabric which they use for many of their gloves. We are not very sure of the positive points of its antimicrobial treatment but are sure it has a wonderful feel. It even provides a good fit after some sessions.
- It is a head guard that is a basket style one having a single-piece and synthetic leather strap located at the top, 2 straps present at the back, and a useful adjustable chinstrap. The straps use a tough and strong Velcro closure system which allows this gear to be a one-size-fits-all one.
- Padding- The Everlast Everfresh has been made for light sparring, so it has a single layer of good padding which aims to keep the skin safe from bruises and cuts, nevertheless is not effective when it comes to shock absorption.
- Despite its light padding, it is good that it provides an incredible amount of nose protection. The padding has some issues as well. It could be better if the padding present around the cheeks got curved to wrap carefully around the cheeks rather than pointing outwards.
- Visibility- Most users say that this headgear has decent clarity, but we feel like the cheek protectors are bulkier and may obstruct the vision mainly when dealing with uppercuts.
Final verdict
This helmet may be the best boxing headgear if you are looking for one that is the most affordable. It is a budget-friendly choice that has a basic construction design which targets beginners taking part in irregular as well as light sparring sessions. If you are looking for a helmet for hard sparring and those people who practice boxing like a career, you may want to think about another model in the above list.
Is headgear helpful when boxing?
The point about whether a headgear can really help one in a fight tends to be a main point of contention today. In fact, from 2013, AIBA or the Amateur International Boxing Association banned using head guards particularly for the male-senior open-class type of elite fighters. They did this claiming that fighters are at more risk of getting brain damage when the padded helmets are on rather than without these.
- One of the theories present in their study states that the protective boxing headgears actually impede vision, therefore, making it tough for boxers to dodge blows on time properly. This they say, was the reason for the high amount of concussions within boxing competitions.
- Therefore we wonder whether the best boxing headgear is able to prevent concussions or not? This issue is still being discussed. But, looking at the fact that a good-trained boxer can give a punch weighing till 1000 pounds, it is rather unlikely that even a wonderfully padded boxing headgear can stop the risk of brain-jarring because of the impact.
- A head guard even provides a false feeling of protection to fighters, therefore, encouraging them to take more risks which may be harmful to their well being.
- Nevertheless, headgears, have even been known to stop lacerations and harmful facial cuts along with head injuries, which may bring sparring and competition to a stop.
- Many gyms nowadays have left the choice on whether to wear the best boxing headguard at the time of sparring totally on the boxer. It is not uncommon to see some fighters training using these protective helmets and some others without one.
Conclusion
The major role of the best boxing headgear is aimed to keep you safe from cuts as well as facial injuries. Nevertheless, the padding may even aid in minimizing the impact coming from punches. Therefore you should not neglect your guard as well as defense techniques. It is imperative that you find a helmet which fits well without slipping around and blocking the vision.
The below section gives some tips on how to select the best boxing headgear needed for sparring and competition.
The Points We Considered When Selecting The Best Boxing Headgears 2023
Below are the things we looked at when selecting the best boxing headgear.
STYLE AND DISCIPLINE
Combat headgears tend to look similar in every aspect. But, if you have looked around, then you may have seen that some are marketed stating that it is the best boxing headgear whilst others get recommended for various branches of martial arts like MMA and kickboxing.
Therefore, what difference is present among boxing headgear and kickboxing and MMA head guard?
A boxing headgear
The head is the main target in boxing. The best boxing headgear has a more streamlined design which lets better visibility occur of the opponent’s movement and punches. You can then react in time.
Before selecting any model which is said to be the best boxing headgear, you should know that these differ depending upon the things you will be employing them for, like competition or sparring.
A boxing competition headgear– Looking at boxing competition headgears, these are more streamlined and even have lesser blind spots. There is lesser padding than the sparring alternatives so that fast head movements can occur. When finding a head guard only for competing, be certain that the target model agrees to the requirements set by AIBA or US Boxing. If you do not do this, then it may not be permissible to use this in the ring.
A sparring headgear– These headgears are more heavily padded in comparison to real-fight helmets. Nevertheless, these models may differ depending upon the extra protective features on them. Some provide full-face protection, therefore are nicknamed Face Savers. You should know that these styles provide the most protection from cuts along with bruises on the face. However, they greatly affect visibility.
Another category of sparring headgears tends to be those who specialize in cheek protection. These are even referred to as Mexican style guards. They are slightly tough to find. If you do find them, they are likely to be more costly than full-face alternatives. They are a hybrid among open-face sparring headgears as well as full-face gears mainly because they protect a huge area of the face without limiting visibility much.
Open-face sparring headgear have much of the face open. You can find these models easily online and in many local stores — people like them as they do not give an enclosed feeling. The main advantage is its fantastic visibility. It is also a considerable downside because most of the face gets left open to strikes, which may lead to bruises and even bleeding.
A Muay Thai headgear
This headgear is preferably the same as boxing head guards. You can use either if you are involved in boxing or Muay Thai. Helmets made for thai from scratch have a slightly harder type of padding because of the extra fighting techniques.
Mixed Martial Arts (or MMA headgear)
These are totally different from other head guards due to construction and the level of padding. Mixed martial arts involves different technique, so MMA headgears have firmer padding unlike boxing and Thai headgears which are softer and less dense.
THE CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL AND QUALITY
Good headgear can stay for much time, but low-quality one can result in you having to change it much and getting hurt. Construction material that is used inside and also outside is essential. The stitching needs to be considered, as well.
Leather is good material for combat accessories because of its durability, breathability, along with pleasant feel. It is also expensive.
Synthetics give one an economical alternative. Many of these do not stay for long.
FIT PLUS COMFORT
These two things go hand in hand. The best boxing headgear will fit perfectly. You need to get something which will not cause much movement.
Two primary sources of distractions are present when looking for the best boxing headgear.
The chinstrap should not be very tight to give a choking feeling. It should not be very loose so that the full gear moves whenever you get a punch.
The helmet’s inside lining is another point of annoyance. This depends on the person — some people like smooth interiors whilst others like furry linings.
PADDING FEATURES
Good padding is vital. Padding may depend on some factors like what the helmet will be used for like competition or sparring, as well as the kind of brands like Muay Thai or boxing.
A competition headgear tends to have thinner padding to get a lightweight helmet so that movement can be easy. Sparring ones are thickly padded so as to keep you safe from scratches.
Professional boxers can get both headgears so as to have the best boxing headgear — one to use for hard training and one for real fights.
COVERAGE AND VISIBILITY
Headgears differ in how much coverage they give. Full-face protectors are able to cover the full head. Open-face models leave some amount of the face uncovered. The more the coverage is, the more it impacts visibility.
Common Questions Answered
How to get the correct size headgear?
The best boxing headgear will be the best size for the head. Helmet sizes come from small going to XL. The exact size changes much according to the brand.
What is the best kind of padding?
This depends on you. Foam is mainly used for padding in headgears due to its affordability. Gel padding has gotten some positive points because it can keep its shape, unlike foam. Therefore the best boxing headgear will have padding according to your liking.
What is the best enclosure system?
Different headgears have different kinds of closing systems like buckles, Velcro strap, etc. If you want something that can be undone easily, then Velcro is the best. It has good adjustability. A huge drawback is that it stretches moreover loses its grip quickly when in an intense workout and fight. Buckles will not budge, but most of these may take some time to undo.
Is it possible to train in competition headgear?
You can, but this is not advisable. Competition headgears are made keeping speed along with mobility in mind. They, therefore, have less padding so give less protection.