Boxing shoes or sneakers?

Any beginner boxer is faced with the question of what shoes to train in? Do I need to buy specialized shoes or can I get by with sneakers for fitness? And what to pay attention to in this or that case?

Boxing footwear as a functional item

It's in your best interest to ensure that the shoes you use during boxing training are suitable for this. And in this sense, it doesn’t matter at all whether it will be boxing boots or sneakers.

Imagine a boxing shuttle. You hop forward and backward, with your feet turned at an angle of 45 degrees or more to the direction of movement. Moving from side to side, pushing off sharply or, conversely, stopping to change direction, you will constantly load your shoes in the transverse direction.

The first criterion is that suitable shoes should keep your foot tight at sides, not allowing the foot to move from side to side inside the shoe. This characteristic is called lateral support. And for boxing use, preference should be given to the shoe that has it higher.

The second critical criterion is sole thickness. The closer to the floor your foot, the less the risk of foot injury due to accidental ankle twist.

Third criterion to consider in context of the sole thickness is its cushioning properties. In specialized boxing shoes, cushioning is purposefully lowered in the interests of preventing ankle twists. The flooring of the ring itself has a shock-absorbing coating. And if boxing shoes also have their own advanced cushioning, then the combined effect can lead to uncontrollable consequences. On the other hand, if you're training on hard surfaces, then a pair of shoes with more cushioning will be better than dedicated boxing boots.

And finally, the final criterion is surface grip. Avoid shoes that slip on the surfaces you will be using them on.

Boxing footwear as part of image and culture

You have already realized that, in terms of practice, it is much more important how your shoes cope with its task, not what it's called.

Another thing is what your equipment says about you and your attitude to boxing.

The fight between Alexander Povetkin and Joan Duopa comes to mind in 2016. There was nothing remarkable in this fight, except that Alexander's opponent entered the ring in sneakers. "Have you seen?" - those who were not indifferent then were indignant, perceiving this fact as a gesture of disrespect.

In Duopa's defense, we recall that he accepted that fight literally the day before the fight due to force majeure with the originally intended opponent. He arrived in Yekaterinburg wearing what he had on. And they could not find boxing shoes of size 47 on the spot. Although they tried, we know for sure.