Do you think modern bareknuckle boxing has more in common with gloved boxing or MMA?

Definitely not under the umbrella of boxing, as far as the spirit and substance of it goes..... I would say the culture and vibes BKB gives off almost hearkens back to the earlier days of MMA - except there's nowhere the same level of charm, and mystique that the old days of MMA had due to it being something fresh and new. BKB is hard to take seriously as a sport because it consists largely of washed up and/or irrelevant fighters from MMA, and boxing along with random low skill toughman characters. Most of the appeal of BKB was the forbidden nature of it, guys fighting illegally in warehouses, basements or out in farmhouses in the country, the whole commercialization and wide availability of it is also another blow to the appeal.

 

I agree with this. Same reason that some people who love to watch illegal street racing wouldn't be caught dead at a Nascar event. Different vibe.