After the fight: Canelo Alvarez and the inevitability of a loss

Dmitry Bivol’s win over Canelo Alvarez was a mild upset, but one that shouldn’t take anything away from Alvarez’s legacy. 

Almost every fighter, save for Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Rocky Marciano, has taken a loss at some point in their boxing career. Canelo Alvarez is no different, but people were alarmingly stunned that he dropped a decision to Dmitry Bivol on May 7.

Yes, it was surprising but not something that’s overwhelmingly staggering. However, there are a lot of fans demeaning Alvarez’s worth and body of work following his loss to Bivol, which is unfair but not uncommon in sports, unfortunately.

It’s one of the biggest sporting cliches, but everybody loves a winner while the loser is often forgotten.

Society puts a premium emphasis on winning in all facets of life. Kids are instilled with a winning mentality from younger and younger ages.

From a child’s first tee-ball or soccer game, there are parents coaching kids techniques for success on the playing field. Then comes the pressure to win using those skills.

Win the day and enjoy the praise along with an ice cream treat. Lose, and you’ll get a stern lecture on how to assure success next time.

In the worst cases, kids are shamed for their failure and made to feel inadequate. That inadequacy is used against them in endless drills and practices to ward off a recurrence of defeat.

That seed gets planted at a young age and in more areas than sports. Many parents and teachers set rigorous academic expectations for us that evolve into a measurement of victory once school-time lessons transition into the professional world.

Some people respond well to the pressure of expectations, while others develop phobias, anxiety, and depression.

Regardless of your reaction, society has internalized this interpretation of winning vs. losing as a norm. Winners get cheered, and losers get jeered. Somehow, we’ve naturalized these as acceptable responses, even though they’re not.

Social media gives everyone a voice and a chorus of “fans” rained hate on Alvarez after his loss to Bivol. Some claimed he was overrated and never worthy of being the pound-for-pound king.

The people tearing Alvarez to shreds proved their ignorance and shortsightedness. In many cases, they also demonstrated a lack of compassion.

Canelo Alvarez lost like many other greats like Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson, but he can still win like them too

Coming into his contest with Bivol, Alvarez constructed one of the best two-year runs in boxing over the last 30 years. He possessed eight world titles in that time and beat opponents with a combined record of 168-7-1 while also becoming the undisputed super middleweight champion.

Alvarez rightfully believed in his talent and sought more challenges and accolades. As he told FanSided during fight week, “Bring me some challenge. Like Bivol. Bivol is a champion at 175. The best in the division. He’s an excellent fighter. He is strong. That’s a challenge for me.”

Alvarez was right. Almost bored with the level of competition he faced over the years, he dared to conquer the light heavyweight division against an unbeaten champion with size, strength and boxing intelligence.

Alvarez bet on himself and lost a competitive battle against Bivol. Giving up 4 inches in height and 2 in reach, Alvarez put up a valiant fight against a strong opponent.

Bivol lacked Alvarez’s résumé, which made him an unknown quantity. His wins against Joe Smith Jr. and Jean Pascal proved he’s good, but his performance against Alvarez confirmed his greatness.

A fighter needs a win against another great fighter to quantify their value. Defeating Alvarez is Bivol’s announcement to the world that he’s elite.

Yet, some want to tear Alvarez down and diminish Bivol’s triumph in the process. They go back to Alvarez’s first loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013 as their faulty support that Alvarez was overrated.

As if losing to possibly the best boxer in history is a badge of shame.

Ridiculous.

On the flip side, some reached for excuses when Alvarez lost to Mayweather. They said he was too young and inexperienced. Some are also trying to qualify his defeat to Bivol similarly.

The defense of Alvarez’s shortcomings is a lot more tolerable than the attacks against him but their still an instance of flawed logic.

Yes, Alvarez has grown, both literally and physically, since losing to Mayweather nine years ago, but he lost for the same reason he lost to Bivol.

Alvarez fought another special fighter who was better than him on a given night. It’s that simple.

And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Losing is part of life, and it happens to us all more than once. We once taught people how to lose with grace and dignity while pulling a lesson from our shortcomings.

Today, losing means getting ridiculed and feeling inferior, which is not helpful. It’s destructive all the way around.

Alvarez is a remarkable boxer, and so is Bivol. They produced the highest quality boxing possible and entertained in the process.

Alvarez could win a rematch just as easily as he could lose it. When you throw two A+ fighters into the ring, each has a legit 50-50 shot at winning. That’s what makes these matchups so enjoyable and rare.

So praise fighters when they win and respect them when they lose. It’s their sweat and blood that they’re sacrificing along with spartan existences. A little respect is the least that they deserve.