by David P. Greisman

The best fighters in the world will almost never have to react to being badly hurt. Then again, the best fighters in the world can remain the best if they know how to react to being stunned.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. had the presence of mind, or the instinct, to hold onto Shane Mosley for dear life when Mosley rocked him in the second round of their fight years ago. Peter Quillin didn’t do the same thing when Daniel Jacobs wobbled him in the first and only round of their bout this past Saturday. Instead, he alternated between covering up and trying to stand his ground and trade.

“When you in a moment, you think like a fighter, you don’t care,” Quillin said afterward. “I know in life, if you rush a moment and rush a decision … sometimes it’s not a decision you’re able to live with. Now this is a fight. Same thing can happen, you can make a bad decision in a moment and it can cost you.”

It may not have made a difference anyway. Jacobs saw a hurt opponent in front of him and was able to put forth an assault that brought about the finish. Jacobs said afterward that this was no accident. Just as fighters should know how to respond when they’re hurt, Jacobs said he and his team had practiced drills for what to do to close a show.

Pick up a copy of David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” at or internationally at . Send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com