I was a non functioning alcoholic and ran with some rough types in my late teens/early 20s and have both kicked ass and had my ass kicked. Mostly drunken barfights.
One time someone legitimately mistook me for someone else and started cussing at me, so I started cussing back and pushed him to the ground. He got up and did a really neat move actually where he faked a kick and then socked me right in the cheek, knocked me on my ass. I apologized, got up, we figured out the misunderstanding and he bought me a beer.
I’ve never really been punched in the face even when I was a kid, unless you count protruding inanimate objects slamming into me. Isn’t the head, which contains the skull, a rather unattractive spot to strike one’s first move on?