sparring vs fisticuffs

sparring and fisticuffs both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
sparring	Yes	No	No	No
fisticuffs	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, fisticuffs is a hypernym of sparring; that is, fisticuffs is a word with a broader meaning than sparring:

sparring: making the motions of attack and defense with the fists and arms; a part of training for a boxer
fisticuffs: fighting with the fists

Other hypernyms of sparring include boxing, pugilism.

sparring (noun)	fisticuffs (noun)
making the motions of attack and defense with the fists and arms; a part of training for a boxer	fighting with the fists
an argument in which the participants are trying to gain some advantage	a fight with bare fists