It doesnt mean shit. Think about it. It might mean something in that singular moment, but there are too many other factors in ones career that decide if that was a 'oh wow' moment or not. At the end of the day you win or lose. there are no moral victories. Chuck Wepner got a 'moral victory' against Ali, shit turned into rocky. Ya know what it got him? Shit out of his own life story as a movie (he never got paid on stallone making a career off his moment), and he never fought another meaningful fight again and sold beer and wine the rest of his life. All he really got out of it was 'hey, I once went to the bell with Ali' If Rocky is never made nobody would ever know his name. Moral victories dont count for much 99.9 % of the time. Thats not to say that there hasnt been moments were it counted for something, or was a preview of greatness - but those are the exception not the rule