Gennady Golovkin

Gennady Golovkin Геннадий Головкин
Golovkin in 2013
Statistics
Real name	Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin
Nickname(s)	Golden Boy GGG (Triple G) God of War
Rated at	Middleweight
Height	5 ft 10 1⁄2 in (1.79 m)
Reach	70 in (178 cm)
Nationality	Kazakh
Born	(1982-04-08) 8 April 1982 Karagandy, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union (now Kazakhstan)
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	34
Wins	34
Wins by KO	31
Losses	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 Геннадьевич Головкин; born 8 April 1982) is a Kazakh professional boxer. He is the current, unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBC (interim) and IBO middleweight champion, and is the fourth ranked pound for pound boxer by The Ring magazine. He was also named the 2013 Fighter of the Year by readers of The Ring.

Golovkin holds the highest knockout percentage – 91.2% – in middleweight championship history and is said to have one of the hardest chins in modern boxing, having never been knocked down or knocked out in over 375 fights, either as a professional, amateur or in sparring. As an amateur he represented Kazakhstan at the 2004 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal in the middleweight division. In 2003, he won gold at the World Amateur Boxing Championships.

Early life

Gennady Golovkin was born on April 8, 1982, in the city of Karagandy in the Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union 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 signed a professional deal with the Universum Box-Promotion (UBP) and made his professional debut in May 2006. By the end of 2008 Golovkin's record stood at 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 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 British viewers who were impressed with his performances.

Fighting in the United States

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 by battering The Ring's #10 Rated Middleweight Grzegorz Proksa(28-1, 21 KO). Golovkin's fifth-round TKO was Proksa's first loss by knockout. 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 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 requested that he be awarded the WBA (Super) Middleweight title in December 2013, but this was refused by the WBA, as 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, after ten successful title defenses, the World Boxing Association officially elevated Golovkin from Middleweight champion to (Super) champion. Golovkin was also granted a special permission to defend his title against Daniel Geale. 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 Ring's #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 at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. 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 in Monte Carlo against British fighter Martin Murray, who had recently defeated 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 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.

Golovkin vs. Lemieux

Main article: Gennady Golovkin vs. David Lemieux

Golovkin defeated David Lemieux via eighth round knockout on October 17, 2015, at Madison Square Garden to unify his WBA (Super), IBO, and WBC Interim Middleweight titles with Lemieux's IBF title. With this 21st consecutive knockout victory, Golovkin passed Monzón for most consecutive middleweight title defenses with 15.

Personal life

In 2006 Golovkin moved from his native Kazakhstan to Stuttgart, Germany, and then in late 2014 to Los Angeles, California, where he currently lives with his family. He trains in Big Bear, California. He and his wife Alina have a son, Vadim, who is in primary school. Golovkin speaks four languages: Kazakh, German, Russian and English. His fraternal twin brother, Maxim, a talented amateur boxer, joined Gennady's camp and team in 2012.

Professional boxing record

34 Wins (31 Knockouts), 0 Losses, 0 Draws
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Location	Notes
Win	34–0	David Lemieux	TKO	8 (12), 1:32	2015-10-17	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York	Retained WBA (Super), IBO & Interim WBC Middleweight titles. Won IBF Middleweight title.
Win	33–0	Willie Monroe, Jr.	TKO	6 (12), 0:45	2015-05-16	The Forum, Inglewood, California	Retained WBA (Super) & IBO Middleweight titles.
Win	32–0	Martin Murray	TKO	11 (12), 0:50	2015-02-21	Salle des Étoiles, Monte Carlo	Retained WBA (Super), IBO & Interim WBC Middleweight titles.
Win	31–0	Marco Antonio Rubio	KO	2 (12), 1:19	2014-10-18	StubHub Center, Carson, California	Retained WBA (Super) & IBO Middleweight titles. Won Interim WBC Middleweight title.
Win	30–0	Daniel Geale	TKO	3 (12), 2:47	2014-07-26	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York	Retained WBA (Super) & IBO Middleweight titles.
Win	29–0	Osumanu Adama	TKO	7 (12), 1:20	2014-02-01	Salle des Étoiles, Monte Carlo	Retained WBA & IBO Middleweight titles.
Win	28–0	Curtis Stevens	TKO	8 (12), 3:00	2013-11-02	Madison Square Garden Theater, New York, New York	Retained WBA & IBO Middleweight titles.
Win	27–0	Matthew Macklin	KO	3 (12), 1:22	2013-06-29	Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Connecticut	Retained WBA & IBO Middleweight titles.
Win	26–0	Nobuhiro Ishida	KO	3 (12), 2:11	2013-03-30	Salle des Étoiles, Monte Carlo	Retained WBA & IBO Middleweight titles.
Win	25–0	Gabriel Rosado	TKO	7 (12), 2:46	2013-01-19	The Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York, New York.	Retained WBA & IBO Middleweight titles.
Win	24–0	Grzegorz Proksa	TKO	5 (12), 1:11	2012-09-01	Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, New York	Retained WBA & IBO Middleweight titles.
Win	23–0	Makoto Fuchigami	TKO	3 (12), 1:17	2012-05-12	Ice Palace "Terminal", Brovary	Retained WBA & IBO Middleweight titles.
Win	22–0	Lajuan Simon	KO	1 (12), 2:17	2011-12-09	Ballsaal Interconti-Hotel, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen	Retained WBA Middleweight title. Won vacant IBO Middleweight title.
Win	21–0	Kassim Ouma	TKO	10 (12), 1:57	2011-06-17	Arena Roberto Duran, Panama City	Retained WBA Middleweight title.
Win	20–0	Nilson Julio Tapia	KO	3 (12), 2:44	2010-12-16	Sport Complex “Daulet”, Astana	Retained WBA Middleweight title.
Win	19–0	Milton Nunez	KO	1 (12), 0:58	2010-08-14	Arena Roberto Duran, Panama City	Won Interim WBA Middleweight title.
Win	18–0	Mikhail Makarov	KO	2 (10), 1:24	2009-11-21	Sparkassen-Arena, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein
Win	17–0	John Anderson Carvalho	KO	2 (12), 2:20	2009-07-11	Nürburgring, Nuerburg, Rheinland-Pfalz	Won vacant WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight title.
Win	16–0	Anthony Greenidge	KO	5 (10), 0:59	2009-04-25	König Palast, Krefeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Win	15–0	Javier Alberto Mamani	TKO	1 (10), 2:52	2009-01-17	Burg-Waechter Castello, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Win	14–0	Malik Dziarra	RTD	2 (10), 3:00	2008-11-22	Stadthalle, Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Win	13–0	Amar Amari	UD	8	2008-06-21	Brøndby Hall, Copenhagen
Win	12–0	Ibrahim Sid	TKO	8 (8), 0:26	2008-05-10	Brandberge Arena, Halle an der Saale, Sachsen-Anhalt
Win	11–0	Ian Gardner	UD	8	2008-04-05	Burg-Waechter Castello, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Win	10–0	Tshepo Mashego	KO	1 (8), 2:04	2008-02-29	Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, Alsterdorf, Hamburg
Win	9–0	Mehdi Bouadla	UD	8	2007-09-07	Burg-Waechter Castello, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Win	8–0	Sergei Khomitsky	TKO	5 (8), 1:59	2007-05-25	Fight Night Arena, Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Win	7–0	Simon Mokoena	RTD	6 (8)	2007-02-27	Kugelbake-Halle, Cuxhaven, Niedersachsen
Win	6–0	Sylvain Gomis	KO	4 (6), 1:00	2006-12-02	Estrel Convention Center, Neukoelln, Berlin
Win	5–0	Jorge Ariel Garcia	KO	2 (6), 2:28	2006-10-21	Brandberge Arena, Halle an der Saale, Sachsen-Anhalt
Win	4–0	Martins Kukulis	TKO	3 (4)	2006-09-19	Kugelbake-Halle, Cuxhaven, Niedersachsen
Win	3–0	Daniel Urbanski	TKO	4 (4)	2006-08-22	Universum Gym, Wandsbek, Hamburg
Win	2–0	Sergei Navarka	TKO	3 (4), 1:10	2006-07-29	Koenig Pilsener Arena, Oberhausen, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Win	1–0	Gabor Balogh	KO	1 (4), 1:28	2006-05-06	Burg-Waechter Castello, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen	Professional debut.

Titles in boxing

Major world titles:

• WBA Interim middleweight champion (160 lbs)
• WBA middleweight champion (160 lbs)
• WBA (Super) middleweight champion (160 lbs)
• WBC Interim middleweight champion (160 lbs)
• IBF middleweight champion (160 lbs)

Minor world titles:

• IBO middleweight champion (160 lbs)

Regional/international titles:

• WBO Inter-Continental middleweight champion (160 lbs)

External links

• Professional boxing record for Gennady Golovkin from BoxRec
• bio - file interview w/ Gennady Golovkin
• sports-reference
• Gennady Golovkin on Twitter
• Gennady Golovkin on Facebook
• Official website

Awards and achievements
Vacant Title last held by Julio Cesar Green	WBA Middleweight Interim Champion August 14, 2010 – October 14, 2010 Promoted	Vacant Title next held by Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam
Vacant Title last held by Felix Sturm as Champion	WBA Middleweight Champion October 14, 2010 – June 3, 2014 Regular Title until November 1, 2012 Promoted	Vacant Title next held by Daniel Jacobs as Regular Champion
Vacant Title last held by Daniel Geale	WBA Middleweight Super Champion June 3, 2014 – present	Incumbent
Vacant Title last held by Marco Antonio Rubio	WBC Middleweight Interim Champion October 18, 2014 – present	Incumbent
Preceded by David Lemieux	IBF Middleweight Champion October 17, 2015 – present	Incumbent
Vacant Title last held by Avtandil Khurtsidze	IBO Middleweight Champion December 09, 2011 – present	Incumbent