The biggest lesson from September 14

Just look at the prediction threads: a lot of people predicted that Lucas Matthysse would knock Danny Garcia out. A lot of people predicted that Canelo Alvarez would finish Floyd. Matthysse's right would be too much for Garcia to take. Canelo's body shots would hurt Floyd like he's never been hurt. So what happened? Matthysse hit Garcia with big shots but, for all of the power on them, never realistically came close to putting Garcia away. Despite entering the ring as arguably the (physically) strongest opponent Floyd has ever faced, Canelo never seemed to bother Floyd with any of the punches he managed to land. If there's a lesson from last night's features, it's this: punching power is too often overrated in the upper echelons of the sport. Any time two guys step into the ring, one punch can change the fight. But at championship levels, fighters are far more likely to: Have a decent ability to take a punch (it's much harder to become and stay a champion if you have a glass chin). Have the ring intelligence to react properly if hurt. Be difficult to hit with clean shots repeatedly. I'm sure the KO prediction nonsense will continue, but September 14 was a good reminder that boxing is about more than punching power.