I find myself a little alone here, but I personally did not like the restrictedness of the movement and the clunky switching of focus.
The brawler absolutely feels better than the Swordsman, and feels more engaging by its speed, while the swordsman is more locked in more and doesn't reward in other departments.
I dislike the breaking of the pace with the inventory, it feels like there could be a more dynamic and smooth solution without [PAUSE MENU].
As to your feedback questions in the end: I didn't actually notice there was knockback, and the pacing of the brawler was pretty good while the swordsman feels like he's laboring with the swing as in he takes a lot of time for a relatively light sword.