Re boxing - OP If you really love the sport the brain damage risk is a very negligible one.
I would discourage taking 1 on 1 lesson for the first year if not just for integrating with group classes.
Your coach will only be sparring with you at like 15-20% while in a group class you would get way more aggressive guys that will force you to step up your game. Also sparring with different partners really helps in understanding the flow as every person has different patterns.
Point can be made about jiu jitsu not being super useful in a street brawl as most of them don't really even end up in the floor and you are at risk of getting hit by multiple people, but honestly boxing + bjj or muay thai + wrestling are killer combo. Train those consistently for 2 years and you can stand your ground with 90% of tough motherfuckers out there.
I would discourage taking 1 on 1 lesson for the first year if not just for integrating with group classes.
Your coach will only be sparring with you at like 15-20% while in a group class you would get way more aggressive guys that will force you to step up your game. Also sparring with different partners really helps in understanding the flow as every person has different patterns.
Point can be made about jiu jitsu not being super useful in a street brawl as most of them don't really even end up in the floor and you are at risk of getting hit by multiple people, but honestly boxing + bjj or muay thai + wrestling are killer combo. Train those consistently for 2 years and you can stand your ground with 90% of tough motherfuckers out there.