Elite boxer Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez says 'losing is okay' ahead of Gennadiy Golovkin trilogy fight

• Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez returns to the ring Saturday against Gennadiy Golovkin.
• The super middleweight fighters exchange slugs at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS — The first time Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez lost he evolved his skillset through the years and tallied so many elite wins he became the sport's No.1 boxer and established himself as a Hall of Fame fighter.

In his 61st bout against Dimitry Bivol in May, after a 16-fight stretch in which he remained unbeaten, Canelo lost once again in an upset.

The Mexican boxer wanted to create more legacy at light heavyweight — a division he has no right to dominate considering he began his career at welterweight — but came unstuck because of Bivol's feints and triple jabs.

He returns to the ring Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, in another marquee boxing match. This time, Gennadiy Golovkin — a fighter whom he's faced twice already — is in the opposite corner.

Considering Canelo's career history, the question, this time, is whether he'll evolve once again and begin another winning run to reestablish himself as the sport's No.1.

"Look, I always try to learn," Alvarez told Insider in an interview arranged by his lead sponsor Hennessy. "I learn from everything."

Alvarez is taught by his manager and trainer Eddy Reynoso, one of boxing's most celebrated coaches. Reynoso will be in his corner, like he has been from the beginning, to try and restore Canelo's place at the highest echelon of the fight game.

There will be pressure for Canelo to not only rebound with a win against Golovkin but to do so with a knockout so thumping it buries the memory of defeat to Bivol.

"I just can't wait to be in the ring again, coming back stronger than ever," Canelo told us. "I, all my life, try to learn from everything. In this fight, I'll be bringing my best."

'Losing is okay'

Insider covered Canelo's last fight in Las Vegas.

Unlike many elite-level combatants, his entourage is not unnecessarily big. He has his training team. He has his family.

As he made his way to the stage during the grand arrivals at the beginning of the week in May, after a loud Mariachi band introduced him to his fans, Canelo's five-year-old daughter Maria sat next to us.

She clapped when she saw her father, screamed "Papi!," and exchanged loving glances with the fighter.

"When you win, you celebrate," Canelo told us this week, ahead of another of his fight weeks. "You're happy, and with friends, team, and family."

During losses, those relationships are just as important.

It is those relationships that seem to define Canelo, rather than the rare defeats.

"You need to have a strong mind and think forward," Canelo said. "Losing is okay. You need to learn from that, too.

"With a loss, you need to accept that like a man, and I'm fine with that. I'm focused 100% on this fight and I just can't wait to be in the ring."

Canelo's quest in boxing helps the sport, according to a TV exec

Prior to his defeat to Bivol earlier this year, the promotional message from Matchroom and DAZN was that their marquee fighter, Canelo, was daring to be great by moving up a weight class to challenge a legitimate champion.

The message, this time, is that by chasing these legacy-enhancing matches, Canelo is helping push the sport forward by showing that losses do not take the shine away from a fighter's star.

It is a hangover from the Floyd Mayweather era, DAZN executive vice president Joe Markowski told Insider at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas this week.

A key part of Mayweather's legacy is that he remained unbeaten despite taking part in some of boxing's best-selling bouts of all time.

In that period, a loss seemed to affect a fighter's standing in a division and the wider sport.

Between the UFC, where there are more ways to lose a bout, and Canelo, Markowski argues the sport of boxing has moved on.

"Canelo helps the sport move past the obsession with an unbeaten record," Markowski told Insider. "It doesn't matter commercially, or in the eyes of the fan.

"If you look at the UFC, the biggest draw is Conor McGregor but I've lost count of the number of times he's lost. He still generates seven-figure pay-per-view numbers because he's a draw, he's interesting, and people care about his career.

"They don't really care about him perfecting, keeping, and maintaining a perfect record."

Markowski said people are drawn to Canelo because "he's using his career to test himself."

He added: "Canelo's taking on major challenges which come with risk. Those risks have, against Mayweather and Bivol, cost him a win but I think the respect level on both occasions has drawn him up.

"I imagine he'll rematch Bivol at some point soon which will be a tremendous test physically. So in my eyes, I respect him more."

For the public, Markowski believes it adds intrigue to whether he'll rebound with a signature knockout win over Golovkin, or struggle against his old rival.

Canelo promises 'a great fight' against Golovkin

Markowski said Canelo and Golovkin "have a genuine dislike for each other" that goes back years.

This needle can elevate the show as Canelo himself promises "a great fight."

The super middleweight world champion, who puts his WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF world titles on the line, said: "My goal is to end the fight before the 12 rounds — that is my goal — a knockout."

He finished by calling Golovkin "a great fighter, a strong fighter. Whatever he brings, I'll be ready."