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what really makes a good fight scene?

so how exactly does one properly choreograph a fight?

The problem is that both of these are REALLY subjective questions. It's the same as "What makes a good movie?"- it's different for many people because it's an opinionated question. Although I didn't read too much disagreement on this thread, you will notice that people found different things they felt were important. I will try my best to answer in a way that I feel is helpful.

what really makes a good fight scene?

Again, this is largely opinionated. However, the best ways to find what makes a good fight scene to you is to
-watch a lot
-think a lot
-discuss a lot
Examine & analyze fights. What do you like? What don't you like? Talk about them with other people, read reviews, etc. Find out why people love a fight you hate & vice versa. Examine everything about the fight scene- camera work, acting, how each move works on its own, how each move works as a larger part of the choreography, how the fight relates to the story & characters, etc. Because it's a subjective question, doing this will at least make you realize what makes a good fight scene FOR YOU.

Also, find some stuff you really like & some stuff you really don't and find out what the difference is. If you can watch a fight you don't like & come up with how you think it would have worked better, you're on a good path. This is partially why I like watching indie/homemade stuff is I'll watch other folks stuff & try to figure out what they're missing from the big dogs.

so how exactly does one properly choreograph a fight?

I think that really comes down to what works best for you. There are a million different ways to choreograph a fight. Here are a list of different suggestions
-write it all down like a list
-draw it out like a storyboard
-use action figures to choreograph your sequence
-come up with large chunks & pieces & random moves, then rearrange them like a puzzle or fill in the missing pieces
-choreograph everybody's stuff
-choreograph your half & have someone else choreograph the responses
-video tape yourself fighting with a friend like a rehearsal
-rehearse way ahead of time like a stage play
-choreograph it all on the spot
No matter how you do it, you'll almost always have to make adjustments when you go to shoot. But people work differently, so find the method that works best for you.

Overall, I feel like the question you should always be asking is "Why?" If you can't answer this question or if the choreography doesn't relate back to it, then it's not choreographed well. The questions & answers can be any number of reasons. Here are some examples:

Q:"Why is Matt throwing that spin kick?"
A:"Because this is a test fight designed to show how great Matt's kicks are."
A:"Because he will be throwing that kick later & his opponent will see it coming."
A:"Because we want to establish that Matt's character is fancy to contrast between his practical opponent."

Q:"Why are these two fighting?"
A:"Because we need to establish conflict between these two fighters."
A:"Because we need to show how skilled this character is & establish his personality."
A:"Because we need to show how taller/shorter this fighter is."
A:"Becuase this fight is meant to be funny by how random it is."
A:"Because the movie is boring at this point & we need to break up the pacing."

Q:"Why does Scott fight with a mop?"
A:"Because this fight is meant to be silly to fit the rest of the mood of the film."
A:"Because we want to show that Scott is skilled with anything as a weapon."
A:"Because we want to show that Scott cannot fight & needs to use a mop in order to defend himself."

If you can ask questions like these & answer them with an appropriate response, then I feel you've choreographed a good fight. This avoids stupid stuff like someone trying to establish a character as realistic & brutal and they do a crazy 720 spin kick.