After the fight: Canelo Alvarez proves a loss can make you stronger

Boxers get judged harshly after taking a loss, but Canelo Alvarez proved that a defeat doesn’t have to define a fighter. It can make them stronger.

Today, boxers get harshly criticized after suffering defeat in the ring. Unfortunately, a single loss can tarnish years of hard work and even prematurely damn a boxer’s career. However, Canelo Alvarez is living proof that losses can build a fighter up instead of breaking them.

In the golden era of boxing, every fighter lost at some point. Many legendary combatants fought each other four, five, six times or more. They competed so frequently that a loss one month could lead to a rematch several weeks later.

In the modern era of boxing, much has changed. Boxers fight much less frequently than in the past. The human body can only take so much, and the boxers in the olden days suffered later in life because of their wars.

Now, boxers still feel the trauma of past battles long after they’re retired. It’s a brutal sport that can have dire consequences, but that’s also what adds to boxing’s mystique. Fighters know what they’re getting into when they compete at the highest levels.

Alvarez is only 31 years old, but he has been a professional for half his lifetime. He collected his first paycheck for throwing a punch in 2005, and to say that he has come a long way would be an understatement.

Canelo Alvarez once lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr., but most great boxing champions have been defeated and taken something valuable away from that experience

When Alvarez fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013, he was 23 years old and had over two years invested as a world champion. The writing was on the wall that he was an exceptional boxing talent. Mayweather was 36 and proclaiming ‘TBE’ status. On that night, he put on a boxing masterclass against Alvarez.

Mayweather might be ‘The Best Ever.’ Who’s to say or judge? There’s no right or wrong answer when discussing subjective historical questions. Even though Alvarez was out-boxed by Mayweather, he had the heart and mental durability to push his abilities to the next level.

Alvarez has one of the better current résumés in boxing. Names like Mayweather, Shane Mosley, Erislandy Lara, Gennadiy Golovkin, Miguel Cotto, and Sergey Kovalev prove that statement isn’t hyperbolic. He met those champions head-on because he believed in himself and didn’t fear taking a loss.

Alvarez, like many other prizefighters in boxing’s Parthenon, excelled after defeat. They learned lessons from their losses because they were brilliant and diligent about their fistic craft.

Society has a warped view towards winning and losing that wasn’t present in past decades. People once accepted loss and failure from their sporting heroes. They were accepted for their imperfections and extended the courtesy of the possibility of redemption.

Currently, our nation is conditioned to despise defeat and has helped create intolerance and poor sportsmanship in realms that extend beyond the sporting world. Famous figures try to patch up their pride after falling short of expectations by creating fiction surrounding cheating allegations or other fantastic conspiracy theories. Deontay Wilder’s accusations towards Tyson Fury after their second bout is a perfect example.

Alvarez endured his loss and didn’t allow it to bruise his dignity or ambition. Instead, he kept sharpening his skills and adapting to lessons learned in the ring against other combat masters.

We all learn from mistakes and downfalls. Boxers are no different. Gene Tunney, Manny Pacquiao, and Benny Leonard are just a few legends that have had historic careers despite disappointing losses before becoming champions.

After his latest TKO victory over Caleb Plant, Alvarez is putting his name up there with those former champions, which is a reminder that sometimes you have to lose to be a winner later in life.