Have you guys put your hands in professional fight gloves? There's really not much padding at all over the knuckle area - 8 oz Reyes or Everlast gloves are brutal. The padding over the metacarpal and thumb areas make them look deceptively big. You become conditioned to whatever it is you're training and fighting with, e.g. MMA gloves, boxing gloves, bareknuckle. it doesn't make that much difference. A huge puncher will kill you if he lands with any of them. And a feather duster will still bore the hell out of you if they're fighting bareknuckle.