Best Boxing Shoes

Why do you need the best boxing shoes?

Although a standard pair of runners may feel ok to train in, there are added benefits to boxing shoes that must be considered by all those participating in some form of boxing training. When I made the switch I noticed a huge difference. I had a more comfortable shoe that had way more grip, but I was still able to pivot without a problem.

Like any other sport, having the properly designed equipment generally leads to better comfort. Boxing shoes are typically very light-weight, can be made from leather are highly-breathable mesh, provide the grip you need in the ring and for footwork during training, and can also provide additional ankle support if needed.

Check out our reviews of some of the best and most popular boxing shoes:

What to Look for in a Pair of Boxing Shoes:

Boxing Shoe Fit:

I’m normally pretty careful about buying any type of shoe online. One of the nice things about boxing shoes is that they generally size the same as a normal runner. Boxing shoes fit a little narrow usually, so if you have wider feet account for this when sizing, or plan to wear them around first to break them in.

Some boxing shoes do not size exactly like a normal shoe, but in those cases the recommended sizing strategy is usually available (e.g. “buy ½ a size smaller/larger than you normally would”). For example, if using a site like Amazon.com, boxing shoes that fit a little differently will have this information in the product description.

If you’ve read through this site, you will now by now we’re heavy on personal preference and getting what is best for you, so in this case, the best boxing shoes for you and your budget. Unfortunately, this doesn’t usually lead to the concrete answers you’re looking for.

One main piece of advice I can offer is to read the product description thoroughly and see if it matches your needs. For example, boxing shoes have thinner soles than most other shoes. I personally love this thin, lightweight feel. However, some boxing shoes will have cushioned midsoles, more ankle support, extra strapping for support, etc, which may be more beneficial to you.

As long as you get a boxing shoe that fits tight enough that it won’t move on your foot, has the features you want, and is well-reviewed, there’s a high chance that you will be pleased with your purchase.

Boxing Shoe Material:

If you find a shoe that you like the size of, you’re basically half way there. Next up: The material. Boxing shoe material can vary throughout the shoe itself, and different shoes have different primary materials. One thing you DON’T want to be focusing on when training is how hot and uncomfortable your feet are. This doesn’t happen to me often, but when it does I absolutely cannot stand it.

Most boxing shoes are designed to keep your feet cool and comfortable, but there are slight differences. Breathable mesh panels are usually best for keeping your feet cool, but suede also does a decent job. Leather isn’t the greatest, but it’s not as bad as you may think. All options are good, but mesh is what usually keeps you the coolest.

Boxing Shoe Cut:

There are basically two different types of boxing shoes: low-top boxing shoes and high-top boxing shoes (of course, you can find some in between). Often times low-top boxing shoes are lighter, simply because the shoe is smaller and therefore uses less material. I personally prefer low-top boxing shoes, as I feel lighter on my feet and I don’t really require much ankle support.

High-top boxing shoes provide more protection and support. They are often a little heavier than low-top boxing shoes, however, good high-top boxing shoes will be light and highly breathable, therefore are ideal for lots of boxers. As a bonus, they look pretty sick.

Individual Reviews:

Adidas Rival II Boxing Shoes

These Adidas boxing shoes are currently one of the top rated boxing shoes out there. Moreover, they are very well respected in the boxing community. They boast some great features, including super lightweight mesh, suede trims, a non-marking adiWear gum rubber sole, and the classic Adidas style many of us have come to love.

“Gum-rubber sole”, “light weight”, etc, are terms you will often hear in descriptions of boxing shoes. However, many boxers say these shoes are on an entirely different level than other boxing shoes that report similar features. It’s not rare to see a customer review the shoes as “the best they have worn”, and from Tomato Can Champ, they definitely get two thumbs up!

We also recognize that buying something you can’t try on first can be a little concerning. If you can easily fit these shoes in your budget, it might not be a huge risk, but they are more expensive than most other boxing shoes. If you are a beginner and buying your first pair of boxing shoes, it could be a safe idea to try a cheaper pair first while you identify what you think is important in a pair, and then once comfortable with those preferences move up to buying the Adidas Rival II. They’re pretty awesome.

Title Hi-Top Boxing Boots

These 12 inch boxing boots provide a classic high top fit. Furthermore, with a leather upper, light weave nylon fill, and sculpted polyurethane soles, they really are a classic.

Recommended, but definitely not limited to those who would like additional ankle support. I prefer the feel of low cut for no apparent reason, but I tried a similar pair of high top boots and they were actually way more comfortable than I thought. They are a little heavier than low-cut boots, but not as heavy as I expected.

These boxing boots also look great especially with the embroidered logos. In my opinion, looks shouldn’t be the primary focus, but could be a factor in the final decision. Otherwise, there’s nothing too special about these boots, just decent quality at a good price, which seems to be more difficult to come across these days.

Nike Machomai Boxing Shoes

Nike has made a pretty good boxing shoe here. As you would hope for $100, they come with a nimble and flexible gum rubber outsole, which will help with control, traction, and pivoting in the ring or around a bag. They are also very nice breathability/moisture elimination.

An underrated aspect of the shoe is its on-off interlocking lacing system. As with anything, some people don’t like it, but most find it convenient and a nice little “bonus” with the shoe. Overall, these are solid Nike boxing shoes that are great for performance and are durable enough.

One thing that seems to consistently pop up when looking at a large sample of customer reviews is the fit. Some folks say these boxing shoes fit a little too narrow, but it’s difficult to determine if this is only an issue for those with wider feet, or if it’s actually the shoe being manufactured this way. In any case, we always recommend sticking to the fitting guidelines provided in the description of the shoes.

Adidas Boxfit 3 Adult Boxing Shoes

These are great low cut boxing shoes. For those who lean away from the high top feel and don’t require the ankle support, you can’t really beat these guys. Although they look similar to a normal running shoe, they are designed specifically for boxing.

With a rounded medial outsole contour, you won’t have to worry about losing grip on wide side steps. Like most other boxing shoes, they have the gum rubber outsole and use highly breathable mesh similar to other top-of-the-line products. There is also internal heel support for added comfort.

This show aims for good durability by incorporating a suede heel and toe bumper. As odd as this might sound, it’s also a “convenient” shoe, as Adidas has implemented a lace-it once and zip technology. Overall, excellent shoe, but she’s pricey. If you think you will use them a lot and like the low-cut feel, go for it, as Adidas boxing shoes are some of the best boxing shoes out there. Otherwise, try something a little cheaper first to get a better idea of what you like.

Title Boxing Reaxxtion Boxing Shoes

The online descriptions of these boxing shoes make them seem like something you want to marry. Please keep in mind that you’re probably not looking for a normal shoe, and want something that will perform and LAST well in strenuous conditions. At a very low price point, they could be worth purchasing, but it’s difficult to imagine these holding up better than a lot of other boxing shoes.

Most people who have worn these shoes in a boxing setting say they are fine, especially for the price. But as we just mentioned, another common theme is the lack of durability and the fact that they seem kind of cheaply made. They have a good compilation of materials including a mesh upper. They also have a thicker tongue and heel for extra ankle support, so for a shoe that isn’t high-top, this could be a nice compromise for some.

Title Reaxxtion Boxing Shoes could be the best boxing shoes for beginners, simply due to the cost. Even if they don’t work out too well, they could help beginners gain a sense of what they want, without spending a ton of money.

Overall, they won’t put a huge dent in your wallet, they are designed for boxing, but may not last long. Also, keep in mind that it’s recommended to order a half to full size larger due to the narrow fit. All sizes are in Men’s size, so for women, they recommend ordering 1 to 1.5 sizes smaller than what you would normally wear.

Boxing Footwork Tips:

As nice as it would be, boxing shoes don’t do all the work for you. Footwork is a key component in boxing and is necessary for sound offensive, and especially defensive, technique. Here are some basic guidelines and tips for those who are interested in the fundamentals of boxing footwork.

Stance:

Your feet should be shoulder width apart with your knees bent, so that you are in a stable positions should some try and move you, but you can also be ready to attack. Make sure your body is on an angle towards your opponent. It doesn’t matter where your feet are if you’re square to your opponent, as you are now wide open and one shot could put you down. I’ve always been told to stand on the balls of my feet, as it is basically the most athletic position that allows for a good balance and quick movement around the ring.

Movement:

Just standing there may start getting a little boring. In order to properly move around the ring, bag, or whatever, keep in mind that you never want your feet to come together. Let’s say you are a conventional boxer (left foot in front). If you want to move forward, first take a step forward with your left foot, which will slightly lengthen your stance. Then, follow with your right foot returning to the original stance. The length of your step depends on your body type, but don’t make it too long as it will be difficult to move and change directions quickly. This isn’t anything too difficult, so if it is a comfortable step then you’re probably pretty close.

If you are moving laterally the same principal applies. Moving left start with your left foot. Moving right, start with your right foot. Practice this in the mirror and before you know it everything will feel natural.

Footwork Drill:

One problem I always had was starting out with proper footwork, then gradually squaring up and lengthening my steps. This happened so slowly that I wouldn’t notice, but my sparring partners would jump all over it. It’s tough, especially at first, to keep your body on an angle with knees slightly bent for an entire round.

One good way to eliminate this is to place something between your feet while you practice moving forward and back. Something like tape on the floor is good, but it’s best to have something you can feel. What I have found to work well is a strip of old hardwood flooring. This provides the approximate width that you want.

The goal of this exercise is to start in a proper stance. Feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, on the balls of your feet, and your body at an angle to the opponent. During a match you don’t look at your feet, so if you have a mirror to practice looking ahead that’s even better. In any case, just try and avoid looking at your feet after the initial setup.

Now take your proper steps forward until you reach the end of the line (hardwood, tape, whatever you’re using). Then do the same thing except moving backwards. With something like the hardwood strip, you will feel when you are out of the proper stance because you will step on them or kick them. If this happens don’t worry, just reset and continue.

It’s worth doing this for a minimum of three rounds of three minutes each. Once you feel like you have it, do one more round. The goal is two-fold: 1) Learn the proper stance and movement, and 2) Make it feel natural. Like they say, practice makes perfect.

Eventually you can start incorporating shadow boxing into this drill. If you get to the point where even that feels natural, don’t throw this drill out the window, as it makes for an excellent warm-up drill once you are more advanced.

Here is an excellent video demonstrating the key aspects of boxing footwork with a drill that you can do at home:

How Do Boxing Shoes Help Your Footwork?

Boxing shoes aren’t absolutely necessary for boxing workouts. It’s not like ice hockey skates, where if you don’t have them, then you won’t be able to play ice hockey. It actually took me a couple years of serious boxing training to summon the will to go out and buy a pair of good boxing shoes.

The main reason I held off for so long was because I didn’t feel it was necessary to spend the money on a good pair of boxing shoes if I didn’t need them. However, once I did, I realized I was never going back. Although not absolutely necessary, they feel way better than a normal pair of runners, and then I was able to make my runners last even longer by not using them at boxing, so it worked out better than I expected form a financial perspective. In case you’re wondering, the ones I bought were an old model of the Title Low Top boxing shoes. They’re pretty good for the price.

Personally, I noticed that the boxing shoes were simply more comfortable, plus I felt faster and lighter (not sure if I actually was though). The interface between the ground and the sole of the shoe was the most apparent benefit. The boxing shoes provided really good grip on the floor, but at the same time was just as easy to turn my foot while maintaining contact. For example, turning my left foot in when throwing a left hook was just as easy in boxing shoes, but with added grip when moving around the ring.

Another aspect of the boxing shoes that I didn’t realize I cared about was how they kept my feet a little bit cooler. Of course, I cannot rule out that this simply wasn’t my old runners being bad for that, but regardless, it was a nice little bonus!

I always try to keep an open mind when reviewing boxing shoes, especially as everyone has completely different preferences and budgets, but nevertheless, I would like to offer my opinion on what the best brand of boxing shoes are.

Adidas Boxing Shoes

In my personal opinion (as well as in the opinion of many others), Adidas boxing shoes are the best boxing shoes. The two models we reviewed above, Boxfit 3 and Rival 2, are both great, just different styles. I’m currently still using my pair of Title boxing shoes, but now that I have a good idea of what I want, I will definitely be going with the Adidas boxing shoes next time. I have been able to try them at my local boxing gym, and they felt amazing. However, since I haven’t used them for more than 30 minutes, I cannot personally attest to the durability or any other long-term considerations .

Summary

We hope this review of the best boxing shoes will provide you with some useful information that will help you decide what’s best for you. We will continue to add to this article as we gather more information and personal experience, so please feel free to visit us again!