Handwraps usually consist of gauze and medical tape, and are tattered by boxers under their gloves. They are designed to guard the bones of the boxers hands and wrists when punching. Hand wrap is a strip of cloth used by boxers to defend the hand and wrist against injuries induced by punching. It is wrapped steadily around the wrist, the palm, and the base of the thumb, where it serves to both maintain the alignment of the joints, and to compress and lend strength to the soft tissues of the hand during the impact of a punch.
A hand wrap protects against several common types of injuries that are familiar to most boxers. For instance, it supports the wrist joint, keeping it allied when the contact of a punch is immersed by the wrong part of the hand. It also secures the base of the thumb to the hand, thereby reducing the chance of a sprain or fracture that can result from the thumb prominent an opponents elbow. Most importantly, it extensively strengthens the metacarpus, reducing the likelihood of a fracture of one of the metacarpal bones. Such a fracture is often called the boxers fracture" -- which is usually a fracture in the neck of the fifth metacarpal -- because of its ubiquity among fighters.

