Nearly a year after the superfight unfolded, Alvarez is still answering questions about losing his undisputed super middleweight title to a smaller yet superior fighter.

"You cannot change anything, or control the results," Alvarez told CBS. "Even when you do everything well, things don't go your way … I learned that sometimes we forget the basics. I forgot the basics in that fight. It happens. You don't know. You think you are doing everything right.

"Mentally, I was not there. I did everything correctly in the gym and in training camp. If I'm going to continue fighting, I need to be there mentally and physically. Because I always train 100% and I am very disciplined."

Alvarez didn't elaborate on what was bothering him mentally, and it's hard to imagine what could have altered his ideal head space in one of the biggest fights of his career, especially when considering the 36-year-old Mexican once negotiated the release of his kidnapped brother days before knocking out Rocky Fielding in December 2018.

But Fielding was certainly no Crawford, just as his next opponent, Christian Mbilli, isn't either.

Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) will try to become a three-time, 168-pound champion when he faces Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs), who holds the WBC belt, on October 31 in Saudi Arabia. The fight was originally scheduled for September 12, but Alvarez said recently he needed to move the date to tend to family matters.

A matchup against Mbilli certainly remains top of mind for Alvarez, but so is a sequel against the retired Crawford.

"As a fighter, we always want revenge," he said. "He's a great fighter, but I believe [that I can beat him]. I always believe in what I can do ... I've done well in rematches. I know what was wrong, and what I did wrong. If the opportunity is there, it would be amazing. I hope the opportunity comes so I can show myself."

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan