Gennady Golovkin

Gennady Golovkin
Born	Геннадий Геннадьевич Головкин (1982-04-08) April 8, 1982 Karagandy, Kazakhstan
Nationality	Kazakh
Other names	Golden Boy, GGG (Triple G), God of War
Statistics
Weight(s)	Middleweight
Height	5 ft 10+1⁄2 in (1.79 m)
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	33
Wins	33
Wins by KO	30
Losses	0
Draws	0
No contests	0
Medal record Men's Boxing Representing Kazakhstan Olympic Games 2004 Athens Middleweight World Championships 2003 Bangkok Middleweight Asian Games 2002 Busan Light Middleweight Asian Championships 2004 Puerto Princesa Middleweight

Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin (Kazakh: Геннадий Геннадийұлы Головкин; Russian: Геннадий Геннадьевич Головкин; born April 8, 1982) is a Kazakh boxer who competed in the middleweight (75 kg) division at the 2004 Summer Olympics, where he won the silver medal. Currently undefeated as a professional, he is the reigning WBA and IBO middleweight champion. He holds the highest KO ratio in middleweight championship history with a 90.9% knockout percentage, and is ranked the number four pound-for-pound boxer by Ring Magazine. Golovkin has never been knocked down or knocked out in over 375 fights, both as a professional and amateur. He was named the 2013 "Fighter of the Year" by the readers of The Ring magazine. Golovkin holds notable victories over former world champions Kassim Ouma and Daniel Geale.

Early life

Gennady Golovkin was born on April 8, 1982, in Karagandy, Kazakhstan as one of four brothers to a Russian father who was a coal miner, and a Korean mother who was an assistant in a chemical laboratory. His older brothers, Sergey and Vadim, had pushed him into the ring. When he was eight, both of them joined the Soviet army.

In 1990, Gennady's brother Vadim was killed in action. In 1994, Sergey was also killed in action. There were no details given by the government officials and there was no funeral for either. Both brothers were lost before Gennady had turned 14. Golovkin however pressed on and used the family tragedy as motivation to continue fighting.

It was very tough, very tough. My family, it really tore us up.

Golovkin had been throwing big punches all his life. Growing up, Sergey and Vadim would walk the streets with Golovkin and pick men out of a crowd. Are you afraid of him, they would ask Gennady. When he said no, they told him to go get into a fight. Sometimes they wrestled, sometimes they boxed, sometimes they just threw punches.

"My brothers, they were doing that from when I was in kindergarten," Golovkin said. "Every day, different guys."

Amateur boxing

He was a scholarship holder with the Olympic Solidarity program since November 2002.

At the 2003 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Bangkok, he won the gold medal beating future two-time champion Matvey Korobov (RUS) 19:10, Andy Lee (29:9), Lucian Bute (stoppage), Yordanis Despaigne in the semifinals (29:26) and Oleg Mahskin in the finals.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics he beat Ramadan Yasser Abdelghafar 31 - 20 and Andre Dirrell 23 - 18, lost to the Russian Gaydarbek Gaydarbekov 18 -28 and won the silver medal. He qualified for the Athens Games by winning the gold medal at the 2004 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in Puerto Princesa, Philippines. In the final he defeated home fighter Christopher Camat.

At the world championships 2005 he sensationally lost to Mohamed Hikal. He finished his amateur career with an outstanding record of 345-5.

Amateur highlights

• 2000 won the Junior World Championships in Budapest, Hungary as a Light Welterweight. Results were:
  • Defeated Hao Yen Kuo (Chinese Taipei) RSC-3
  • Defeated Alexander Renz (Germany) PTS (26-7)
  • Defeated Benjamin Kalinovic (Croatia) PTS (21-10)
  • Defeated Evgeni Putilov (Russia) PTS (24-10)
  • Defeated Maikel Perez (Cuba) PTS (30-17)
• 2002 won the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea as a Light Middleweight. Results were:
  • Defeated Abdullah Shekib (Afghanistan) AB-1
  • Defeated Nagimeldin Adam (Qatar) RSCO-1
  • Defeated Song In Joon (South Korea) PTS (18-12)
  • Defeated Suriya Prasathinpimai (Thailand) RSCO-3
• 2003 won the World Championships in Bangkok, Thailand as a Middleweight. Results were:
  • Defeated Matvey Korobov (Russia) PTS (19-10)
  • Defeated Andy Lee (Ireland) PTS (29-9)
  • Defeated Lucian Bute (Romania) KO-4
  • Defeated Yordanis Despaigne (Cuba) PTS (29-26)
  • Defeated Oleg Mashkin (Ukraine) RSCI-2
• 2004 Middleweight Olympic Silver Medalist as a member of the Kazakhstani Olympic Team. His results were:
  • Defeated Ali Ahmed Khan (Pakistan) 31-10
  • Defeated Ramadan Yasser (Egypt) 31-20
  • Defeated Andre Dirrell (USA) 23-18
  • Lost to Gaydarbek Gaydarbekov (Russia) 18-28

Professional boxing

Contracted to Universum

After ending his amateur career in 2005 Golovkin would sign a professional deal with the then massive Universum Box-Promotion (UBP) and made his professional debut in May 2006. By the end of 2008 Golovkin's record stood at an excellent 14-0 (11) and whilst his best win was over Ian Gardner it was obvious that he had the talent to reach the top as long he was let off the proverbial leash. Unfortunately under Universum that didn't seem likely to happen any time soon and Golovkin was given 4 more relatively easy bouts in 2009. In 2010 Universum started to run in to financial issues after having been dropped by German television channel ZDF. This caused a number of issues for Golovkin who was effectively unable to fight in Germany, and contract disputes between the two parties got complicated.

Golovkin terminated his contract with Universum in January 2010, stating in an interview "The reason for this decision is that I've always been placed behind Felix Sturm and Sebastian Zbik by Universum. Our demands to fight against Felix Sturm or Sabastian Zbik have been always rejected on absurd grounds. Universum had no real plan or concept for me, they did not even try to bring my career forward. They would rather try to prevent me from winning a title as long as Sturm and Zbik are champions. Further more, bouts against well-known and interesting opponents were held out in prospect, but nothing happened. This situation was not acceptable. It was time to move forward."

Signing with K2 and training with Abel Sanchez

Golovkin was determined to become a worldwide name, dreaming of following in the Klitschko brothers’ footsteps by fighting in Madison Square Garden and Staples Center. He signed with K2 and went into training in Big Bear, Calif., with Abel Sanchez, the veteran trainer behind a Hall of Famer Terry Norris and many other top talents. Sanchez was stunned by and impressed with Golovkin’s talent and attitude from their first meeting. He has since then worked to add Mexican-style aggression to Golovkin’s Kazakh-style amateur discipline, thereby producing a formidable hybrid champion. “I have a chalkboard in the gym, and I wrote Ali’s name, Floyd Mayweather’s name and his name,” Sanchez said. “I told him, `You could be right there.’ He was all sheepish, but once I felt his hands, and I saw how smart he was in the ring and how he caught on... sheesh. He’s going to be the most-avoided fighter in boxing, or he’s going to get the chance he deserves.”

Winning The WBA Middleweight Title

On August 14, 2010, Gennady Golovkin got his 1st major middleweight title. He won the vacant WBA Interim Middleweight Title, defeating Milton Nunez by 1st-round KO in Panama City, Panama. He was later promoted to the status of WBA Regular Champion after the current champion at the time Felix Sturm was promoted to Super Champion by the WBA.

Title Defenses

In December 2010, he made his first successful WBA title defense by defeating Colombia's Nilson Julio Tapia via KO in the 3rd round. In Golovkin's first fight of 2011, he defended his belt against former IBF Light Middleweight champion Kassim Ouma, defeating him in the 10th round by TKO.

Dual Champion, winning the IBO Middleweight Title

In December 2011, Golovkin fought against 2-time world title challenger Lajuan Simon for the vacant IBO Middleweight Title. Simon had never been stopped before and Golovkin floored him with a left hook in the first round which he was unable to get up from, winning his 2nd World Title in the process.

Defending The WBA and IBO Belts

Golovkin successfully defended his WBA title for the 4th time and IBO title for the 1st when he took on and defeated Japan's Makoto Fuchigami, earning a TKO victory in the 3rd round. Both of these fights were broadcast on BoxNation, exposing Golovkin to English viewers who were impressed with his performances.

HBO Debut and Fighting in America

Golovkin vs. Proksa

Distant view of Golovkin fighting against Gabriel Rosado at Madison Square Garden in January 2013.

Golovkin put on an impressive performance in his American debut on HBO by battering, at the time, The Ring's #10 Rated Middleweight Grzegorz Proksa(28-1 21 KO) until a stoppage was called in the fifth round, becoming the first one to TKO or KO him. In October when Super WBA Middleweight Champion Daniel Geale signed to fight Anthony Mundine in a rematch, the WBA stripped Geale of the title and named Golovkin the sole WBA champion at middleweight.

Golovkin vs. Rosado

Golovkin followed up his Proksa win with a TKO victory over The Ring's #9 Rated Jr. Middleweight Gabriel Rosado(21-5 13 KO) on the HBO Salido-Garcia card in the co-main event. The fight was halted when Rosado’s corner threw in the towel to save Rosado, who was battered and bleeding heavily from his nose and left eye.

Golovkin vs. Ishida

On 30 March 2013 Golovkin became the first person to knock out former WBA interim super welterweight champion Nobuhiro Ishida(24-8-2 9 KO), finishing him in the third round with a vicious overhand right.

Golovkin vs. Macklin

On June 30, 2013 Golovkin successfully defended his titles against Matthew Macklin(29-4 20 KO). Many people felt that this fight would be the toughest of Golovkin's career, against a 2-time world title challenger and Ring Magazine's #5 rated middleweight to retain his IBO and WBA belts, but as it turned out the powerful boxer had absolutely no trouble dispatching of Matthew Macklin. From the opening bell, Golovkin was the more aggressive fighter, landing more punches and with significantly greater power. In round 3, Golovkin closed the show with a picture perfect left hook to the body. Golovkin set it up perfectly, trapping Macklin against the ropes, creating the opening with an uppercut, then blasting the body with a hook to the liver. The tough Macklin went down hard and didn't even come close to making it back to his feet.Golovkin's victory over Macklin, earned him a spot as one of the very best in the division.

Golovkin vs. Stevens

On November 2, 2013, he successfully defended his titles against The Ring's #9 Rated Middleweight Curtis Stevens(25-3 18 KO) via an eighth-round technical knockout, methodically breaking down the latter with many ferocious punches to the head and body. Stevens went down hard in the 2nd from two left hooks to the head, and after watching their fighter absorb enormous punishment Stevens’ corner called for a halt in the 8th. The event captured huge interest around the world, with it being broadcast in more than 100 countries worldwide, including SKY in the United Kingdom, Channel 1 in Russia and Polsat TV in Poland. The win was Golovkin's 15th straight stoppage victory and further cemented his status as one of the greatest finishers in the middleweight division.

Golovkin's camp made a request for Golovkin to become WBA (Super) Middleweight champion in December 2013, but this was refused by the WBA due to the fact that Golovkin was already granted special permission for a fight prior to his mandatory commitment.

Golovkin vs. Adama

Golovkin's tenth title defense took place in Monte Carlo on February 1, 2014 against former title challenger Osumanu Adama (22-3 16KO), which he won by seventh round stoppage. At the end of the 1st round, Golovkin dropped Adama with a solid jab and right hand. Golovkin went on to drop Adama again in the 6th by landing two sharp left hooks to his head, and then again in the 7th with a hard jab. Golovkin then nailed Adama with a left hook to the jaw, sending Adama staggering and forcing the referee to stop the bout.

The WBA (Super) Middleweight Title

On June 3, 2014 the World Boxing Association has officially elevated middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (who at the time has ten successful title defenses since August 14, 2010) to the status of WBA (Super) Champion. Golovkin was also granted a special permission from the WBA to defend his title against Daniel Geale on HBO July 26. Golovkin had been previously ordered to face #2 Jarrod Fletcher.

Golovkin vs. Geale

On July 26, 2014, Golovkin defended his title for the 11th time, defeating The Rings #2 Rated Middleweight Daniel Geale via a third round stoppage. Golovkin dropped Geale in the second round. A right hand in the third sent Geale down again from which he never recovered completely. A staggering Geale prompted a swift stoppage from referee Michael Ortega. Geale's defeat started from a stiff Golovkin Jab, according to GGG's trainer Abel Sanchez. The accuracy of punches by both fighters were at the 29% mark by Compubox, but the effectiveness of those that connected resulted in a noteworthy win for Golovkin in his record.

Golovkin vs. Rubio

On October 18, 2014, Golovkin defended his title in a championship unification bout against interim WBC Middleweight Champion Marco Antonio Rubio. The fight took place at the StubHub Center in Carson, California on HBO. Rubio was knocked out in the 2nd round from an overhand left. In the post fight interview Golovkin called out Middleweight champion Miguel Cotto.

Golovkin vs. Murray

On February 21, 2015, Golovkin defended his middleweight titles against British fighter Martin Murray in Monte Carlo, returning to the site after a pair of recent wins over Nobuhiro Ishida and Osumanu Adama. Martin Murray started the fight off well defensively, but by the fourth round Golovkin began to heat up and started finding Murray consistently, eventually knocking him down twice in round 4. Golovkin then found it much easier to land his punches on Murray in the middle-rounds, although Murray's chin withstood a lot of Golovkin punches in those middle-rounds, he eventually went down again in round 10 after sustaining a lot of punishment.

Murray came out for round 11 and therefore had lasted longer in the ring with Golovkin than any other of his opponents so far, although Murray came out with a bloodied countenance and Golovkin continued to connect with shots, the referee stopped the bout as he felt Murray was not fighting back effectively and had taken too many punches.

Golovkin's victory over Murray was his 13th consecutive successful title defense, placing him third all-time in consecutive middleweight title defenses behind Bernard Hopkins (19) and Carlos Monzón (14).

Golovkin vs. Monroe

On May 16, 2015, Golovkin faced Willie Monroe Jr a middleweight prospect who had just come off a dominating victory over trial horse Brian Vera. Monroe put on a spirited effort, tagging Golovkin frequently with southpaw left hands, but the champion appeared unfazed and was relentless in his pursuit of the slick contender. Golovkin would drop Monroe three times in the bout; twice in the second round and once in the sixth round. When the referee asked Monroe if he wished to continue after the third knockdown, the visibly exhausted and battered Monroe shook his head no, giving Golovkin his 20th consecutive knockout.

Personal life

When not training at Big Bear, California, Golovkin lives in Germany, where he moved to in 2006. He and his wife Alina have a son named Vadim, who is in primary school. Golovkin speaks four languages: Kazakh, German, Russian and English. He has a fraternal twin brother named Maxim, who was also a talented amateur boxer and joined Gennady's camp and team in 2012. At the end of 2014 Gennady moved with his family to Los Angeles.

External links

• Boxing record for Gennady Golovkin from BoxRec (registration required)
• bio - file interview w/ Gennady Golovkin
• sports-reference
• Gennady Golovkin on X
• Gennady Golovkin on Facebook
• Official website