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The short answer is elbows. Elbows completely change the dynamic of boxing and the kind of guard that’s necessary. It’s the reason that Muay Thai fighters reach their hands to control the distance once they start to get close rather than keeping a tight guard like boxers and K-1 or Glory rules kickboxers do. When one fighter throws an elbow and the other throws a punch, the fighter throwing the elbow will always get there first. In fact the elbow will get there so much faster that often times the opponent won’t even see it before they get hit and we all know that it’s the strikes that aren’t seen that produce knockouts. Furthermore elbows like the left upward elbow double as a block and a strike so even if the elbow doesn’t land, the fighter throwing it is still safe from punches. There are several ways to beat punches with kicks and knees as well and good Muay Thai fighters use all of these strategies to outgun one dimensional fighters who can only rely on good punches, but the elbow is often the easiest way to exploit this kind of flaw in a fighter.