Punch to the back of the neck while sparring

Sparred with a guy who started boxing this year, like me... since i think we shouldnt go all out and we really should just get the feel of the ring at first since we are newbies i told him to go slow and soft so we didnt hurt eachother. no problem in pucnhing fast(although i would like to keep it slow really) as long as we just touch and dont really hit, was what i said.

Went for 5 rounds, all good in the first round, really slow, just getting the fill of it, learning i should react to punches, working on my technique, some counters here and there, a really good round. In second and third round he went a gear up, i still could control the fight pretty well since im used to fighting and controlling distance since i did competitive karate all my life. he started to throw some nasty and strong hooks which i defended and gave some hooks of my own, but stopping right before they would hit the side of his head or eye, i thought he was just trying out the hooks so i really didnt tell him to go slower but aparently he wasnt so happy to be just touched with my jabs through all the round and some hooks here and there. i would also stop hitting and give him space whenever i cornered him or pushed him to the ropes and would just back off and give him space to get back in the game. Eventually he started to get more agressive and in the fourth round i closed the distance in order to avoid a full force hook and the bastard curled it a bit so it would hit the back of my neck with full weight behind it. i felt really dizzy but continued to fight. in the next round i fought mainly on the defensive and only hitted a clean strong hook on his eye just to show him i could hit hard too if i wanted too...


My neck was pretty sore after it and i had a light headache(the typical light head'ness after sparring of someone that didnt cover his head the way he should) after that hit. Itts still pretty sore today and though the light headness still persists it has improved since yesterday.


My questions are:
-Is that punch to the back of the neck even allowed?! i dont thin i ever saw it on boxing matches but i dont see nearly as much boxing as i should tbh... that thing hurts like hell and it shook my brain on the inside of my head like if it was clothes in a washing machine.

- Is the way i tryed to spar wrong? i really thought we should keep it slow and controled since we are still just learning to box and that the important thing right now is to feel confortable in the ring and learn how to react to different types of punches and situations. But maybe i was wrong? am i supposed to be more agressive?

- i seem to feel more comfortable just keeping my distance and work the jab on my opponent, while ocasionally throwing some 1-2's, feints and some hooks in the mix, and countering when he leaves gaps when he punches... problem is, my reach isnt that long... it is not really short, its just that it doesnt seem fit for that kind of style. i had no problem in timing my shots and counters but they fell short most of the times(maybe due to inexperience more than reach really, but truth is i cant really tell). So, question. Should i aim to be more of a fighter type instead of a boxer type, despite feeling more confortable working on the outside rather than the inside?


Thanks in advance for the replies and sorry for any grammar mistakes or plain piss poor english.

That’s a rabbit punch and no you can’t do it. I’d tell them to watch out for my neck.

He sounds a bit of a dick. I’m just learning too and I’d much rather spar the way you wanted to.

When it’s open sparring and they’re hitting hard I don’t feel in control yet. I can’t really plan or practice any moves because they don’t come to me quick enough as I’m preoccupied with defending. I know this will come but I feel I learn quicker if you actually get to practice things in a more controlled environment when there’s less danger to be concerned about. You can then add moves to your repertoire allowing you to use them with less thought later on.

I try to change what I’m working on depending on what the other person is doing. If the sparring partner is hitting very soft I’d try to be sharper and quicker on my feet, slip punches and counter. Many of the things I’m not really ready to apply if someone is wailing away at me.

If they do hit too hard I would try practicing blocking harder shots without breaking my guard or being knocked off balance, moving my feet and head and to trying keep looking where I’m supposed to despite the punches. I’d keep my offence simple and if my technique is ok maybe it doesn’t matter if it’s predictable and easy to block. When I get better I can mix it up with other punches and it won’t be.

People seem to have different views on what they want to get out of sparring. Some like to simulate the aggressiveness of a real fight without being 100% there while others want to practice the technical side with moving targets. Personally I'd rather feel comfortable with the moving targets before I do too much of the aggressive stuff.

Thanks for the reply remac. Seems that the way i spar is not that dumb after all, i was afraid to be the "pussy" that would prefer light sparring instead of full contact uncontrolled and ape shited ring brawl :P.

As anyone else here ever got rabbit punched? the head ache is gone, and the neck soreness is going away little by little but i still feel a bit of discomfort...i swear to god i could kill the guy right now haha :D.


as for the TL.DR. types regarding the questions on my first post:

- i have short range. Not short but i think im below average, and the way i feel confortable while fighting is on the outside, working the jab, parrying punches and countering. should i change my style since i fall short on most counters? or is it a matter of timing/experience/practise more than range?

I have in fact been 'sucker punched" in fights outside the ring and received punches to the back of the head inside the ring..which is illegal. Without going into a lot of medical terms and reasons for not allowing punches in the back of the head, the short answer to your question is : Yes, you can be knocked out or will feel dizzy...tha'ts why it's the preferred punch of a street fighter. Yes, your neck will feel very stiff...even to the point it hurts to turn your head. You might even experience headache. My advice is to lay off any head blows for the next couple of weeks. My best advice is to find another sparring partner...this guy has no idea of what is expected of a sparring partner and sounds like someone who could get out of control real fast.

Thanks for your reply gray lion! um feeling much better now, already sparred today, lightly and i felt no pain at all! Thanks for telling me the important stuff in order to prevent a punch like that to become a bigger and cronical issue ;)!