A boxer does not need to be a knockout machine in order to achieve great success in the ring. Pernell Whitaker is one of the top five pound-for-pound fighters of my lifetime, and his KO percentage was a mere 37 percent.
Current pound-for-pound stars Floyd Mayweather and Andre Ward can certainly end fights early. But it has not been an essential ingredient in making them great.
Still, big-punch power has its advantages in the fight game. The ability to deposit an opponent on his ear with one or two sudden shots will bring a crowd to its feet every time. It can mark the difference between being a major star and just another contender.
The knockout is a lot like the home run in baseball. You can light up a score board all day with opposite-field doubles. But sometimes, you get to a point in a game where the big bomb is the surest and quickest way to turn things around.
So for the fans, the guys who can deliver them are always going to be special.
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