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Why did padded gloves change where boxers aimed their punches?
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boxing
Manny Pacquiao (right) and Floyd Mayweather, Jr., in their 2015 welterweight bout; Mayweather won in a unanimous decision.
The introduction of padded boxing gloves fundamentally altered the tactics of the sport by changing where boxers aimed their punches.
When fighters competed with bare hands, they typically avoided striking their opponent's head to prevent injuring their own hands. Instead, they focused their efforts on softer targets. However, once padded gloves were introduced to protect both the fighter's hands and the opponent's face, boxers became more likely to target the head. Ironically, while the gloves were intended to increase safety, this shift in targeting contributed to the prevalence of brain injuries associated with the sport.1