In street fights, most aggressors tend to throw strong-hand power shots rather than fighting like a trained boxer. Since most people are right-handed, this means that the likely threat is a right-hand punch that will usually be a wild haymaker, or a grab with the weak hand and a straight punch with the right.
Headshots
Most assailants will swing at the head; it is rare to encounter body blows except at very close quarters. A big right will usually be followed by a big left, then another big right, although some assailants will bore in with repeated rights and largely forget about their left hand.
If you keep moving and guard your head with your hands you can make it very difficult for an aggressor to put you out of a fight.
Guard Your Head
A blow to the head that makes a clean connection can knock you out, send you reeling off balance or at least stun you. Even the most badly-executed haymaker can thus take you out of the fight or permit a follow-up blow to be landed. However, it is surprisingly difficult to make that clean connection if you are moving and have your hands up.
Getting caught by surprise is very dangerous – a single sucker-punch can be all an aggressor needs.
Dealing with Threats: Intimidation
Someone who is large and appears dangerous can intimidate an opponent to the point where they do not put up much of a fight, yet it might be that the victim could have won if they had tried. Physical factors such as size, strength and fighting ability are certainly important, but they are nothing if they are not driven by a will to win.
It is possible to successfully drive off an assailant by doing nothing more than making a lot of noise and ineffectually kicking and scratching. You must acknowledge that things are bad, but not hopeless. If you don’t give up, then the only way to defeat you is to physically incapacitate you … and you can make that so difficult to do that the opponent gives up.