Characterization

Because reading a fight scene can get boring quickly, it's important that you focus on more than the bare-knuckle action. Use fights as a way to explore your character(s) and provide more insight on the following:

Why does the character make the choices that they make in the fight?

How does each choice reinforce their characterization?

How does each choice impact their internal and/ or external goals?

Is this conflict getting the character closer or further away from their goals? How?

What are the stakes for each character? What do they stand to win? What will they lose?

What type of fighter is the character? What are their physical or mental abilities? (Remember that not every protagonist will be a trained assassin, so they're prone to make sloppy mistakes during a fight.)

Use the fight scene to reveal necessary information about the characters. Be sure to give the reader a glimpse into the character's soul and not just into their fighting skills.

Make sure the characters are in character.

If the character is smart, have them fight using strategy. If the character is defensive, have them mostly defend. If the character is aggressive, have them fight aggressively, etc.

Include details about the emotions of the fighters. Fear, confidence, and even maniacal joy can all have their place depending on the characters involved.

Remember to show the different levels of experience of the participants and how that affects their actions, reactions, and feelings. An inexperienced fighter might panic upon losing their weapon, while someone who has survived many battles could have multiple backup plans already in place.

As with any scene--fighting, sex, dialogue--, all that matters is what reveals the character. The play-by-play of punching and techniques aren't important in themselves. You wouldn't write a scene where people drink tea describing them reaching forward, curling their fingers around the handle, tensing to lift, raising the cup, angling it to their mouth, tip, etc. You might mention that they hide behind the cup, pretend to sip because they suspect poison, or splash it in someone's face--only things that reveal character matter to the scene.