Meaning of もったいぶらず in the following sentence


Context: while talking about himself, a boxer says:

> 今持ってるモノは **もったいぶらず** 全て出す。それが俺の武器に繋がるんでねェ。拳に表れるんだよォ ――――[生き方]【スタイル】ってヤツは。

According to dictionaries, the meaning of もったいぶらない is unpretentious, modest.
But since this boxer is a flamboyant and ostentatious man, I thought that
maybe it could have a slightly different nuance here. Could you help me
understand its exact meaning in the sentence above?

[Here](https://i.imgur.com/5BSGJfE.jpg) you can see the whole page. Thank you
for your help!




## New answer

**Major revision has been made, in response to By137's comment, as follows:**

To begin with, consider the origin of もったいぶら **ず**. Where does it come from?
もったいぶら **ず** , or equivalently もったいぶら **ないで,** is an adverb which means doing
something in a **not** もったいぶる way. もったいぶる is a verb which means that someone
is unwilling to do something because it is もったいない．

Next, consider the meaning of adjective もったいない. When do we think that doing
something is もったいない? First, it is もったいない when **valuable** resources, such as
money, time, or effort, are spent in a not useful/efficient/effective way. A
typical usage is as follows:

> 時間がもったいない。
>
> It's a waste of time.
>
> (This implies that there can be a more useful way of spending time.)

It is also もったいない when something is being done in favor of someone who does
not deserve it. In other words, it is もったいない when it is not **worthy** enough
to spend some **valuable** resources in favor of someone. A typical usage is
as follows:

> あなたにはもったいない。
>
> You don't deserve it.
>
> (This implies that there can be someone else who really deserves it.)

In both usages, the key to understand the meaning of もったいない is a sense of
**values/worthiness**. Of course, everyone has a **different** sense of
values, and whether to think that something is もったいない depends on who you are.
In other words, when to say もったいない is a **subjective** matter. We shall return
to this point at the end of the answer.

Now, go back to the main question. What does もったいぶら **ず** mean? We can infer
the meaning from its origin and from もったいない: Doing something もったいぶら **ず**
means doing something **without** 'hesitation that is caused when one
considers whether it is **worthy** enough to do.' For example, in the manga,
the boxer said:

> (1) 今持ってるモノはもったいぶらず全て出す。
>
> I'm gonna spend all (the money) I have right now (without considering how
> valuable the money is).
>
> (The boxer is very willing to pay all his signing bonus in order to drink in
> a hostess bar.)

Then, think about what a もったいぶらない way of boxing is. After saying (1), the
boxer added that:

> (2) それが俺の武器に繋がるんでねェ。拳に表れるんだよォ ――――生き方スタイルってヤツは。
>
> That will lead to my strong point. In my fist ―is my way of life (which is
> もったいぶらない).
>
> (The boxer is trying to say that his もったいぶらない **characteristic** is his
> strong point and that he もったいぶらない not only in spending money but also in
> boxing and even in living a life.)

But how can the boxer's act of spending all his money in a もったいぶらない way, or
(1), relate to his boxing style? And what is a もったいぶらない boxing style? As
explained above, whether something is もったいない is a **subjective** matter, and
the boxer is a man of もったいぶらない: In many aspects, he lives his life もったいぶらないで,
and he actually thinks that doing so is really **nice/cool/chic**! That's why
he boxes もったいぶらないで, or he puts his **full** effort when he boxes.

Last but not least, consider the other question: Why does もったいぶらない mean
unpretentious or modest, according to a dictionary? As explained above,
everyone has a **different** sense of values: To be a もったいぶらない person, one
needs to **give up** his/her sense of values to some extent and to be **open-
minded**. That's why a person of もったいぶらない characteristic can be
received/considered as modest, humble, generous, easy-going, and even
**nice/cool/chic** , at least in the Japanese society.

## Old answer

As background information, もったいぶら **ず** , or equivalently もったいぶら **ないで** , is
an adverb which means doing something in a **not** もったいぶる way. もったいぶる is a
verb meaning that someone is unwilling/reluctant to do something because doing
something is もったいない. We feel もったいない when we spend or miss **valuable** things,
such as money, time, and opportunities, usually in an inappropriate way.

From the background information, we can conclude that もったいぶら **ず** is an
adverb which means doing something **without** hesitation/reluctance and
without contemplating relevant **values**. In the manga, もったいぶらず is used to
indicate that the boxer is very willing to spend what he has, say all his
signing bonus (契約金), in order to drink in a hostess club.




I basically agree with the other answer. But, we need to connect them with the
boxing a bit.

I adopt the definition もったいぶらない ; doing something without
hesitation/reluctance and apply it to the boxer.

So, probably the boxer prefer to fight against his opponent very aggressively
without considering stamina i.e. no hesitation.

According to the wikipedia, I guess his fighting style is kind of
"[Brawler/slugger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing#Boxing_styles)".

> _They often have a higher chance than other fighting styles to score a
> knockout against their opponents because they focus on landing big, powerful
> hits, instead of smaller, faster attacks._

So, his [生き方]【スタイル】 seems to be living life-in-the-fast-lane and he prefers to
fight like in that way even in the boxing ring.

