Maybe you get flustered because, being new, you aren't confident in your defensive abilities. And it is hard to be composed and fight back, or to retreat and counter when the air is full of gloves and you're uncertain about how to handle them. Of course, the easiest way is to side-step, move and stay out of range, and your footwork is hurting you there. Have you made any progress with that since the last time?
If it is at all possible, try to spar a round where you don't throw punches. Get your sparring partner to press you and throw a lot at you (not with the intent of maiming you, just to give you work), and avoid him. Use your legs (fix your feet!), block, slip, parry etc..Spar another round where you avoid punches and counter with your front hand, then another with your rear hand.
And you can always work on your infighting skills but, honestly, to punch in close effectively you'll need to really, really improve your balance and footwork.
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