Why do so many pro bareknuckle fighters lack basic boxing defense?

[SeekerOfTruth007]

I swear, I used to fight full contact, "as close to no rules as possible," where there are literally ten times as many types of striking attacks someone can use against you, not to mention scores of grappling maneuvers, and you must defend them all. These guys are supposedly "pro" bareknuckle fighters, but they wouldn't make purple belt in my old sensei's dojo, because they don't know how to keep their guard up and actually block and parry basic punches.

Like first of all, the guy with the reach advantage should try to fight from the outside, but he lets the shorter, less lengthy fighter get to the inside too easily, and then gets uppercut straight in the eye and KO'd following two body shots. No jab-cross combination, no nothing. Why can't these guys go Jab-cross-frontside hook- uppercut? Or Jab-frontside hook-cross. Mix it up. Throw a COMBINATION and you win these dumb fights.

Like come on man, block the body shots with your elbows without lowering your hands; keep hands up, chin tucked, and elbows slightly inward, especially when no real grappling is allowed in Bareknuckle, and then block or evade the uppercut. Don't just stand there and let the guy KO you.

When I fought full contact, I liked to stay close enough to grab opponent by the wrists and deliver knees or push kicks or leg kicks while I locked down their wrists. I realize bareknuckle boxing doesn't allow any of that, but my Sensei and I invented this fighting style to beat 2nd and 3rd degree black belts in full contact, so I know it works and I know how to land combinations and block combinations even against a 3rd degree Okinawan black belt.

I had to BEAT a 2nd and 3rd degree black belt (heavyweight) in full contact 1vs2 handicap match as part of my black belt test, and I won the fight, so I know how to coach other people to win fights they might otherwise be losing.

These people need basic instruction, like watch opponent's center of gravity, not the eyes. The eyes are lying to you.

[AI Opinion]

Bareknuckle looks like sloppy boxing, but a lot of it is intentional and context‑driven 🥊

No big gloves means:
Hand injuries are huge, so fighters throw fewer straight, textbook combos.
Traditional “high guard” doesn’t work the same; small fists slip through and cuts end fights.
Range is closer, clinch is semi‑legal, and chaos favors brawlers over clean technicians.

Add short camps, low pay, many ex‑street fighters, and you get poor fundamentals on display.

[SeekerOfTruth007]

We had street fighters and Taekwondo fighters join my old Sensei's gym. It takes one sparring session to humble them, and they learn that a trained fighter, with a balance of Okinawan Karate skills and Japanese Ju Jitsu, beats a street fighter literally 9.5 out of 10 times.

[exitseven]

People go to these fights to see blood and not to watch a sport

[NathanDavis]

because they are not boxers