Boxing headgear
Boxing headgear: 13 models — full face, open face, face cage or nose bar
The essentials: 13 boxing headguards, from the club-issue model to the Japanese flagship. Four formats: full face, open face, face cage and nose bar. PU leather to start, genuine leather and microfibre for regular practice, club logo customisation from 10 pieces. The principle to remember: the more a headguard covers the face, the less field of vision it leaves. Free standard shipping on the whole collection.
A boxing headguard is not chosen on colour but on three criteria: how much of the face it covers, the material of its shell, and how well the size fits. A headguard that is too big pivots on every impact and protects nothing at all. A PU leather shell is more than enough for three sessions a week, but it will not keep up with a club that takes it out every day. This page gives you what you need to decide, and for every model we say what it cannot do.
🥊 Full face, open face, cage or nose bar: which format
The full face headguard closes the cheeks and jaw with cheekbone pads. It is the training and sparring format: maximum coverage, with slightly reduced lower peripheral vision.
The open face headguard leaves the face clear. It is the amateur competition and technical sparring format, the one where you want to read your opponent's footwork rather than absorb shots.
The face cage headguard closes the front of the face entirely and protects the nose, mouth and teeth, which stay exposed on every other format. It is a rare product: specialist European catalogues line up around thirty cheek-padded headguards for two or three caged models.
The nose bar headguard is the compromise between the two: a padded bar in front of the nose, without closing the rest of the face. It is the choice of fight camps and of comebacks after a fracture.
📋 The 13 headguards in the collection
| Model | Format | Material | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kids headguard | Full face, wrapped jaw | PU leather, single-density | Under 47 cm head, first sessions |
| Adjustable headguard | Full face, ear cups | PU leather, single-density | Club issue and shared use |
| XL headguard | Full face, the only XL in the range | PU leather, single-density | Head sizes above 61 cm |
| Sparring headguard | Full face, wrapped cheeks | PU leather, single-density | Regular partner work |
| Ventilated headguard | Open face, 3D mesh shell | Open mesh | Long sessions, hot gyms |
| Women's headguard | Open face or face cage | PU leather, single-density | Narrower head shapes |
| Gold headguard | Full face, snakeskin finish | Metallic PU leather | Standing out in the gym |
| Open face headguard | Open face, maximum vision | Genuine leather and suede | Amateur competition |
| Microfibre headguard | Open face, cheek and chin pads | Microfibre, PU lining | Heavy sweaters, no upkeep |
| Full face headguard | Full face, ear reinforcement | Genuine leather, triple density | Clubs and daily sparring |
| Nose bar headguard | Nose protection bar | Genuine leather, triple density | Return after a nose injury |
| Custom headguard | Your choice, club logo | Your choice | Teams, from 10 pieces |
| Winning FG-2900 | Semi-full face, 270 g, 5 colours | Japanese synthetic leather | The professional benchmark |
💰 The essential range in PU leather
This range is PU leather with single-density padding. We say it plainly: the foam is one density, it cushions training contact correctly but packs down faster than layered foam. It is the right choice to start, for recreational practice, or to equip a boxing school without blowing the budget.
Two models stand out through a specific design choice. The ventilated headguard has its entire outer shell in 3D mesh, where every competitor settles for a breathable lining over a solid shell: it is the headguard for long sessions and overheated gyms. The gold headguard is the only one with a metallic snakeskin finish, in a market where manufacturers offer nothing but black, red, blue and white.
✨ Genuine leather and microfibre
As soon as practice becomes weekly or intensive, the material makes the difference. Genuine leather softens, moulds to the shape of the head and lasts years; PU leather eventually cracks along the fold lines. Microfibre does not soak up sweat and needs no conditioning at all.
The genuine leather full face headguard is suede-lined, with ear reinforcement and triple-density foam: the club choice. The Winning FG-2900 is the Japanese benchmark in semi-full face, 270 g on the head, in five colours and three sizes.
🎨 Headguards customised with your club logo
The custom headguard can be ordered from 10 pieces: club logo, colours, the boxer's initials on the cheek pad, in open face, full face or nose bar, in genuine leather, PU leather or microfibre. We kit out clubs this way across Europe, with matching headguards and gloves.
📏 What size boxing headgear should you choose
Measure your head circumference with a tape, passing about 2 cm above the eyebrows and across the widest point at the back of the skull. Between two sizes, take the smaller one: the foam packs down with use, and a headguard that is too big pivots on every impact.
The full head-circumference to size chart lives on the microfibre headguard page — that is our reference page on the subject. Two models sit outside the standard grid: the kids headguard, which goes below 47 cm, and the XL headguard, the only one offering a size beyond 61 cm.
⚖️ Headgear and competition: what the rules require
Rarely stated plainly: in amateur English boxing, a sanctioned bout is fought in an open face headguard. The cheek pads of a full face model, a nose bar or a face cage are not permitted in the ring in competition. Those formats are training and sparring tools, not competition equipment. If you compete, your fight headguard will be an open face model, and you may keep a full face one for preparation sessions.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Which boxing headgear should a beginner choose?
A full face headguard in PU leather covers everything a beginner needs: cheeks, ears and forehead protected, contained budget, no regrets if the practice does not stick. The criterion that matters most is not price but how well the size fits. Move to genuine leather once you reach two or three sparring sessions a week.
Full face or open face: what is the difference?
A full face model adds cheek pads covering the cheeks and jaw: more protection, but slightly reduced lower peripheral vision. An open face model leaves the face clear: better vision, less protection for the lower face. Full face is used in training, open face in amateur competition and technical sparring.
What is a face cage on boxing headgear for?
It closes the front of the face and protects the nose, mouth and teeth, which stay exposed even on a cheek-padded headguard. It is mainly used to resume sparring after a nose injury or to protect dental braces. In exchange, the bars create blind spots looking downwards.
Genuine leather or PU leather for boxing headgear?
PU leather is cheaper, lighter and easy to clean, but it eventually cracks along the fold lines. Genuine leather softens, moulds to the shape of the head and lasts years. Below two sessions a week, PU is enough. Above that, genuine leather pays for itself.
Is headgear compulsory in boxing?
It is required as soon as punches are exchanged with a partner, so at every club sparring session, and it is imposed by the rules in most amateur competitions. It is not needed on the bag, on the pads or for shadow boxing. The exact rules depend on the sanctioning body, the discipline and the age category: check with your club.
What size headgear should I take?
Measure your head circumference about 2 cm above the eyebrows, across the widest point at the back of the skull. Between two sizes, take the smaller: the foam packs down with use and an oversized headguard pivots on impact.
Can headgear be customised with a club logo?
Yes, from 10 pieces: club logo, colours, the boxer's initials on the cheek pad, in open face, full face or nose bar, in genuine leather, PU leather or microfibre. Send your logo to info@esprit-boxe.com and we come back with a quote and a visual before production.
How do I care for boxing headgear?
Wipe the inside and outside with a damp cloth after every session, then air dry — never on a radiator or in direct sun. Never store it damp in a closed bag: that is what wears out the foam and creates odours. Replace it once the foam stops springing back or the hook-and-loop stops gripping.
🏆 The Esprit Boxe world
Complete your kit with our mouthguards, essential from the first exchange, our boxing gloves and hand wraps, our punching bags and focus mitts and Thai pads for coach work, our speed bags, double end bags and reflex balls for timing and evasion, our skipping ropes for conditioning, and our boxing rings and MMA cages to equip a gym. The whole catalogue is gathered on our boxing equipment guide.
To complete the outfit: boxing shorts, in English boxing, Muay Thai or MMA fight cuts. The rest of the protection: shin guards with instep guards, for Muay Thai, kickboxing and MMA. After the shot: cutman equipment, including the medical iron that slows a haematoma between rounds.