Gennady Golovkin has admitted that he’s heading towards retirement as he prepares for his trilogy showdown with Canelo Alvarez.
At the age of 40, Gennady Golovkin has already accomplished a great deal in the sport of boxing. He’s won a silver medal at the Olympic Games, won multiple world titles as a pro, picked up 37 knockout wins, and has been involved in some of the biggest fights of his era.
He’s also one of the most respected fighters of this generation and even though that may not mean much in the eyes of some, his legacy will almost certainly stand the test of time.
One man that he’s been linked with more than anyone throughout his career is none other than Canelo Alvarez.
The rivals have met on two separate occasions with the first bout being ruled a draw, despite many feeling as if GGG had done enough to get the win, followed by a rematch that ended in the Mexican sensation having his hand raised thanks to the judges’ scorecards.
Now, with a third meeting on the horizon, Golovkin has reflected on his run thus far and where he’s heading next.
“I’m going to retire soon anyway. With his help or without his help. Let’s face it, I’m 40 years old and nearing my retirement,†Golovkin said.
Golovkin went on to detail how the sparring sessions he had with Canelo played out back in the day.
"We had very good sparring sessions back then. Those were exciting spars to watch," Golovkin explained.
“We had a normal relationship. But he then felt too much of himself. He’s now a big star so the consequences of that was probably a side effect of him shooting to fame.
“I don’t feel any hatred towards him. To me, he’s just an athlete, just another human being. Just a boxer. I guess that’s how he as a human being decided to behave and decided to think of himself, love himself and position himself.â€
The final chapter
On September 17 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Gennady Golovkin will collide with Canelo Alvarez one more time as they battle it out over the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super middleweight titles.