There are three main types of boxing shoes: Low-top Boxing Shoes, Mid-top Boxing Shoes, and High-top Boxing Shoes.
Over the years various pro boxers have had their preferred choice of boxing shoes, depending on which gave them the most balance, ankle support, and ease of movement.
In this post, I’m going to put High-top Boxing Shoes and Low-top Boxing Shoes to the test.
Footwork in boxing is just as crucial as strength, defense, and offense. The best type of boxing shoes guarantees agility and stamina.
They aid easy movement around the ring, assist in striking explosive punches, and help you dodge your opponent’s blow.
If you want to always walk out of the ring as a champion, then getting the right boxing shoe for you will be a very powerful tool in your arsenal.
So if you are looking for a profound comparison between these two types of boxing shoes, then you’re in the right place.
What Is The Major Difference Between The Two?
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The major difference between a low top and high top boxing shoe is that the high top has a higher upper leather than the low top, which is only at the ankle level.
Low Top Boxing Shoes
This type of boxing shoe almost looks like our regular shoes, except they have an ankle strap that goes up to around the wearer’s ankle.
Low-top shoes are great for speed boxers or amateur boxers who are practicing various kinds of new moves and workouts.
Most low-top shoes are made of leather and suede tops, and the upper is just as high as the ankle level.
High Top Boxing Shoes
High tops, on the other hand, have a high calf. Just as the name suggests, the upper goes way higher above the ankle level to somewhere in the mid-calf.
High tops are usually made of 100% leather and are a great comfort for professional boxers, as they provide space for the ankles to move around freely without strain or injuries.
So now that we know that low tops have uppers at just the same level as our ankles, while high tops go way higher than the ankle but as high as our mid-calf, let the detailed comparison begin!
Other Differences Between Low top and High top Boxing Shoes
Comfort
Comfort is one thing you must consider when choosing your choice boxing shoe.
While both the High top and Low top boxing shoes offer maximum comfort, it’s not at the same level.
In the professional ring, high tops are usually best comfortable for pro boxers, especially when you already know the moves you want to execute
Low tops on the other hand are most preferred by amateur boxers who want the freedom to do different kinds of moves without feeling there’s anything on their legs.
Also, comfort can boil down to the brand or design of the boxing shoe.
Both high-top and low-top boxing shoes are made of rubber soles, which absorb shocks and help boxers bounce effectively.
Although, because high-top shoes are usually laced up to the shins, they provide the most fantastic support as they blend seamlessly with the wearer’s feet.
Weight
When it comes to weight, Low tops are usually lighter than high tops, obviously because they don’t have the extra upper like the high top shoes.
So an amateur boxer who is just beginning to master his footwork would be better off in a low-top boxing shoe.
However, high tops are not heavy either.
They are just not as light as a low top, and they are mostly used by pros who might not need a lighter or heavier boot to get their footwork right.
The high-tops offer other benefits to Pros than being light.
They are not heavy in the first place, but a lighter shoe would suit better if you are all for speedy moves or flexibility for practicing new moves.
When you wear a Low-top, aside from the straps at the end of the upper, you feel like you are wearing a normal sneaker or you’re just barefooted.
That’s not the same for high-tops, especially if you are wearing them for the first time.
Usually, after wearing High-tops for a while you’ll get used to them and realize that they are not any bit heavy, at all.
Ankle Support
High-tops beat low-tops when it comes to ankle support.
Injuries like swollen eyes, broken noses, or jaws are common in boxing matches and that’s because we can see them.
Fact is, while all these kinds of injuries are more likely to occur, ankle injury is one of the most common unseen injuries in the boxing rings.
And if the fighter is not careful, these ankle strains might lead to early retirement.
Because of this, professionals always choose high-top boxing shoes, as it helps them navigate all over the ring, and make sharp turns without shattering their precious foot.
On the other hand, low tops offer little support for the ankles, but they support the ankles in other ways, aiding speedy moves and effective footwork.
If you won’t be prone to ankle injuries then low-tops can be a great fit.
However, ankle injuries are unpredictable.
So if you’ll be in for a tough match with a super-fast opponent and there will be a lot of jumping around, then going for the high-top will be the better decision in the long run.
Breathability
Whether a shoe will breathe or not, depends on the brand.
Most boxing shoes are made of leather and synthetic materials, which offer great ventilation.
So neither high-tops nor low-tops shoes have better breathability.
Since you are going to be wearing the boxing shoe for hours, it is wise to choose one made with materials that would allow air to pass through it, so your feet don’t start to sweat, making you feel uncomfortable and weird in the ring – which is the last thing you want to feel in a hot boxing ring.
However, in my own opinion, Low-top boxing shoes do provide faster ventilation than high-tops.
This is simply because they are low, so they easily allow for faster airflow than high tops(run-up to the calves of the wearer).
Balance
High tops offer more balance than low tops.
When you are wearing a low-top boxing shoe, you are depending on yourself for most of the balance, since in boxing balance is all about stamina, and the best stamina low-top shoes can offer is for the feet.
Unlike low-top shoes, high-top boxing shoes provide great stamina and balance for the foot and ankles.
The lace-up grips the ankle from straining left and right unconsciously.
Instead, it gives maximum support for holding the boxer in the ground and prevents them from easily falling off.
This is possible because of the double grip effect high-tops provide: The high upper grip and the lace-up grip.
In a nutshell, if you are looking for more stability, you should opt-in for the high-tops.
Ease of Movement
Depending on your level of experience, your ease of movement could be free or restricted.
Professionals prefer high-top because it allows them to move around the ring with speed while ensuring protection for the ankles.
However, low-tops are more flexible when it comes to ease of movement because they are lighter.
To practice your boxing speed, footwork, or stamina around the ring, you might need to go for low-top shoes.
But remember, while you are jumping around, low-tops are not highly optimized to protect your ankles from impending strains.
When Should I Buy a High-Top Boxing Shoe?
You should buy a High Top Boxing shoe if you are prone to leg injuries, but need to be fast in the ring and not get injured in the process.
Based on our comparison, High-tops boxing shoes are best at providing;
- Ankle support
- Stamina
- Security for speedy movement
Mostly, pros love using high-tops.
So if you are prone to foot injuries, you might want to buy a high-top shoe.
Also, if you need added balance and stamina, probably you will be facing a bigger opponent, then a high-too show is also the best option.
And lastly, if you will need that butterfly movement, flashing from the north or south of the ring, striking at a blink and dodging like a spider, but with guaranteed protection for your ankles, then go for the high-top.
While low-tops might offer more flexibility in terms of speedy movement, they do not guarantee maximum protection for your ankles.
When Should I Buy A Low-Top Boxing Shoe?
You should buy a low-top boxing shoe if you need total freedom in terms of speed, legwork, and practicing special/new moves.
Low-top boxing shoes are great if you are looking for the best lightweight solution.
If you are confident you have enough stamina and are not likely so prone to the infamous ankle injury, then let’s see if the low-top will do your job!
Mostly great for practice, using low-top shoes speeds your mastering of footwork, and speedy moves, and trains you balance in the ring.
Low-top shoes are becoming increasingly popular in the professional ring these days.
However, they are mostly known to be used for practice by amateurs who want to get a natural grip of the needed boxing skills before seeking the additional support provided by high-top boxing shoes.
Bottom Line
So far, this Low-top vs High-top boxing shoe comparison has been a bloody boxing match.
So who’s the winner? Whoops!
I will recommend the low-tops because it’s lightweight, flexible, and ventilated. It’s also super recommended for beginners in boxing.
However, the high-top wins.
This is because it provides the most core support a boxer should need, which is;
- Ankle support
- Balance Stamina and
- Security against foot injuries when in a tough boxing match.
FAQs on boxing shoes
What Boxing Shoe Does Pacquiao Wear?
Pacquaio is best seen in the Hyper KOs boxing shoe (usually red in color) made for him by Nike in a shoe promotion deal.
Manny Pacquiao was one of the greatest professional boxers in the world.
After winning multiple world boxing heavyweight championships, he became a powerful icon for his country, the Philippines.
His success made Nike sign a deal with him. They were to capitalize on his fame, so they manufactured a training and pro-fighting boxing shoe for him.
Hyper KO’s is a high-top boxing show that has all the features of an ideal boxing shoe plus the support It offers, e.g comfort, light-weight, ankle support, balance, and aesthetics.
However, the shoe brand was not a successful one in terms of business (the shoe did it attain worldwide popularity and sales).
One of the major reasons, according to Pacquiao, is that it is hard to replicate the same success of basketball shoes like the Nike Jordan in boxing shoes since boxing had no real use outside of the ring.
What King of Boxing Shoes Does Tyson Fury Wear?
The Mizuno boxing shoes have been Tyson Fury’s lucky charm over the years.
In 2010, Emanuel Steward, a retired pro boxer, gifted Fury the boot at a training camp.
The boxing shoe gave Tyson Fury the support he needed.
According to him, “I’ve had them (the Mizuno Boxing Shoes) for most of my big fights and they never let me down yet.”, he continued, “When I get these on, I feel like I’ve got the fastest feet in the world”.
What Boxing Shoes Does Canelo Wear?
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s official boxing shoe is the Under Armour UA Boxing Boots which has helped to be one of the fastest feet in the ring and nemesis of speedy opponents.
This unique low-top boxing shoe aids his speed and leg work success in the ring.
The pair comes in various colors and has a white Under Armour logo on the sides and the frontflip collar as well.
Also, Canelo’s name is designed on the boot’s backflip collars.
Super suitable for training and pro-boxing.
What Boxing Shoe Does Floyd Mayweather Wear?
Throughout most of his career in the ring, the retired undefeated – 50(wins) : 0(losses) – World Boxing Champion has been going to battle his Reebok Boxing Shoes.
He signed a million-dollar shoe deal with Reebok company in 2009. However, the deal wouldn’t last long since Mayweather reportedly gave good publicity to another shoe brand – Nike – on social media.
Regardless, Mayweather had come to love the Reebok high-top boxing shoes and still wore them till the end of his career.
This shoe made him a fluid-moving boxer who became technically untouchable and undefeated throughout his career.
Conclusion
Your choice of boxing shoes matter.
If you want to be a successful pro-boxer, you need to get the right shoes for you, either low-top or high-top boxing shoes.
I hope this article has helped you decide on which type of boxing shoe to go for.
Happy Boxing Shoe Shopping.