These gloves feature a thick (over 1''), multi-layered pad on the front--with which I'm extremely pleased--but rather little padding elsewhere. Open-palm design ventilates well and allows forming a tight fist around the palm pad, which some other gloves do not. Inside lining is cloth--very comfortable, but mine become damp after several sparring rounds.

While I can't speak to the smaller make, the finger holes on the L/XL size are about an inch wide. My 4-inch palm looks small inside the glove, which would accomodate the largest hands I've seen. Still, the gloves fit snuggly, and the large front profile performs quite a lot like a boxing glove.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this glove: it offers good coverage and serious padding on the front where I need it. The gloves fit confortably despite being on the XL side of L/XL. The Gladiators offer a solid alternative to those unsatisfied with the more common wrap-around-the-back punch design.