The Boxers do deserve a bad reputation, because two of the Boxer’s target were Chinese converts and families of missionaries.
Not only did the Boxers kill foreign christians, but the Chinese converts as well, when the Boxers laid siege on Beijing, the Chinese and foreign Christians took refuge in the church, they were lucky, outside of Beijing, converts were targeted by Boxers and killed. Even in Taiyuan, where the governor offered asylum to 44 missionary’s families, executed them cold-blooded.
This is an immoral, inhumane cruel thing to do because no matter the belief, they’re still Chinese, this shows the deep hatred the Boxers have for foreigners and Christians, which makes it harder to sympathize with Boxers.