Gennady Golovkin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gennadiy Golovkin Геннадий Головкин
Golovkin in 2017
Statistics
Real name	Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin
Nickname(s)	GGG ("Triple G")
Rated at	Middleweight Super middleweight
Height	5 ft 10+1/2 in
Reach	70 in
Nationality	Kazakhstani
Born	(1982-04-08) 8 April 1982 (age 43) Karaganda, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union (now Karaganda, Kazakhstan)
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	45
Wins	42
Wins by KO	37
Losses	2
Draws	1
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  Kazakhstan Olympic Games Silver 2004 Athens Middleweight World Championships Gold 2003 Bangkok Middleweight Junior World Championships Gold 2000 Budapest Light welterweight World Cup Silver 2002 Astana Light middleweight Bronze 2005 Moscow Middleweight Asian Games Gold 2002 Busan Light middleweight Asian Championships Gold 2004 Puerto Princesa Middleweight East Asian Games Gold 2001 Osaka Welterweight

Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin (also known as Gennady; born April 8, 1982) is a famous professional boxer from Kazakhstan. Many people know him by his nickname "GGG" or "Triple G". He has won many world championships in the middleweight division. He was also a unified champion twice, meaning he held several major titles at the same time.

Golovkin held important titles like the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), and International Boxing Federation (IBF) middleweight belts between 2014 and 2023. He also held the International Boxing Organization (IBO) middleweight title twice. From 2017 to 2018, The Ring magazine ranked him as the best boxer in the world, pound for pound.

In his amateur career, Golovkin won a gold medal at the 2003 World Championships. He also won a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, representing Kazakhstan. In 2024, he became the President of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan. He also helped keep boxing as an Olympic sport.

Early Life and Family

Gennadiy Golovkin was born in Karaganda, which was part of the Soviet Union at the time and is now in Kazakhstan. His father was a Russian coal miner, and his mother was of Korean descent and worked in a chemical lab. His maternal grandfather was a Korean who was moved to Kazakhstan.

Gennadiy has three brothers: Sergey, Vadim, and his twin, Max. His older brothers, Sergey and Vadim, encouraged him to start boxing when he was eight years old. They would even set up fights for him with older men. Gennadiy said his brothers did this since he was in kindergarten. Sadly, both Sergey and Vadim passed away when they were serving in the army.

Gennadiy started boxing at age 10 in Karaganda. His first coach, Victor Dmitriev, was very good. He lost his first fight, but he kept going.

Amateur Boxing Career

Golovkin started boxing in competitions in 1993 when he was 11. He won a local tournament in his region. It took several years before he could compete against adults. After seven years, he joined the Kazakhstani national boxing team and started competing internationally. He also earned a degree in athletics and sports.

At the 2003 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Bangkok, he won a gold medal. He beat many strong boxers, including future champions. A boxing commentator said, "Golovkin. Remember that name! We sure will hear it again." He then won a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

Professional Boxing Journey

After his amateur career, Golovkin became a professional boxer in 2006. His first professional trainer was Magomed Schaburow. By the end of 2008, he had won all 14 of his fights, with 11 knockouts. He was seen as a very promising boxer.

In 2010, Golovkin left his first promoter because he felt they weren't helping his career enough. He said he was always put behind other boxers. He wanted to fight for world titles.

Becoming a World Champion

After leaving his old promoter, Golovkin won the WBA interim middleweight title by knocking out Milton Núñez in just 58 seconds. He wanted to fight other champions, but they seemed to avoid him. His manager joked that one champion should become a marathon runner because he was "running fast and long" from Golovkin.

Golovkin dreamed of fighting in famous places like Madison Square Garden. He signed with K2 Promotions and started training in California with coach Abel Sanchez. Sanchez helped him combine his strong Eastern European style with an aggressive Mexican style. Sanchez believed Golovkin could become one of the greatest boxers.

In 2012, Golovkin made his debut on HBO in the United States. He impressed everyone by winning against Grzegorz Proksa with a technical knockout (TKO) in the fifth round. Proksa said Golovkin "hits like a hammer." Later that year, the WBA made Golovkin their main middleweight champion.

He continued his winning streak, beating Gabriel Rosado in 2013. Rosado's corner had to stop the fight because he was bleeding heavily. Golovkin then became the first person to knock out Nobuhiro Ishida, who had never been stopped in his career. He also knocked out Matthew Macklin and Curtis Stevens, showing his powerful punches.

Unifying the Middleweight Titles

In 2014, after many successful title defenses, the WBA officially made Golovkin their "Super" champion. He then defended his titles against Daniel Geale, winning by TKO in the third round.

Later in 2014, Golovkin fought Marco Antonio Rubio for the WBC interim middleweight title. Golovkin won by knockout in the second round. This made him a mandatory challenger for the full WBC title.

In 2015, Golovkin fought Martin Murray in Monaco. Murray was tough, but Golovkin eventually won by TKO in the eleventh round. He then defeated Willie Monroe Jr. by TKO in the sixth round.

His next big fight was against IBF world champion David Lemieux in October 2015. Golovkin won by TKO in the eighth round, unifying his WBA (Super), IBO, and WBC Interim titles with Lemieux's IBF title. This was a major step towards holding all the middleweight belts.

In April 2016, Golovkin defended his titles against Dominic Wade, winning by knockout in the second round. He then became the full WBC middleweight champion after Canelo Álvarez gave up the title.

Big Fights and Challenges

In September 2016, Golovkin fought Kell Brook in London. Brook moved up two weight classes to challenge Golovkin. Golovkin won by TKO in the fifth round after Brook's corner stopped the fight to protect his injured eye. Golovkin said Brook was a true champion but not a middleweight.

In March 2017, Golovkin faced Daniel Jacobs in a tough 12-round fight. This was the first time Golovkin fought all 12 rounds in his professional career. Golovkin won by a unanimous decision, keeping his titles.

Golovkin vs. Canelo Álvarez: The Rivalry

After the Jacobs fight, everyone wanted to see Golovkin fight Canelo Álvarez. In September 2017, they finally met in Las Vegas. The fight was very close and ended in a split draw, meaning the judges couldn't agree on a winner. Many people thought Golovkin had won.

A rematch was planned for May 2018, but it was canceled because Álvarez tested positive for a banned substance. Golovkin still wanted to fight on that date, so he fought Vanes Martirosyan instead, winning by knockout in the second round.

The highly anticipated rematch between Golovkin and Álvarez finally happened in September 2018. This time, Álvarez won by a majority decision after 12 rounds. It was another very close and exciting fight that many fans and experts debated. Both fighters showed great skill and toughness.

Later Career and Titles

In 2019, Golovkin signed a big deal with DAZN. His first fight under this new deal was against Steve Rolls in June 2019, which he won by knockout in the fourth round. He also changed trainers, working with Johnathon Banks.

In October 2019, Golovkin fought Sergiy Derevyanchenko for the vacant IBF and IBO middleweight titles. It was a very tough fight, with both boxers landing many punches. Golovkin won by unanimous decision, regaining his titles.

In December 2020, Golovkin defended his titles against Kamil Szeremeta, winning by TKO in the seventh round. He knocked Szeremeta down multiple times.

In April 2022, Golovkin fought Ryōta Murata in Japan, winning by TKO in the ninth round. With this win, he also gained the WBA (Super) middleweight title.

Moving Up in Weight

In September 2022, Golovkin moved up to the super middleweight division for the first time to fight Canelo Álvarez in their third match. Álvarez held all the undisputed super middleweight titles. Golovkin lost the fight by unanimous decision.

After this fight, Golovkin decided to give up his middleweight titles (WBA, IBF, and IBO) in early 2023. This meant he was no longer a middleweight champion.

Fighting Style and Training

Golovkin is known for his powerful and accurate punches. He is a "pressure fighter," meaning he constantly moves forward and tries to overwhelm his opponents. He has a very strong "chin," which means he can take a lot of punches without getting knocked down. He has never been knocked down or stopped in his entire career, including his amateur fights.

He is also known for his hard training. His former trainer, Abel Sanchez, said Golovkin was very humble and had a great work ethic. For many years, Golovkin didn't even have a special strength coach or nutritionist, preferring traditional training methods.

Personal Life

Gennadiy Golovkin moved from Kazakhstan to Germany in 2006, and then to California in 2013 to train. He now lives in Santa Monica, California, with his family. He has a son and a daughter.

He can speak four languages: Kazakh, Russian, German, and English. His twin brother, Maxim, who is also a boxer, often joins Gennadiy's training camp.

Golovkin enjoys spending time with his family and playing games with his son. He has been asked to appear in movies and magazines, but he prefers to focus on his boxing career. He believes his sport is the most important thing for him right now.

Professional Boxing Record

Boxing Titles Won

Major World Titles

• WBA (Regular and Super) middleweight champion (160 lbs) (2 times)
• WBC middleweight champion (160 lbs)
• IBF middleweight champion (160 lbs) (2 times)

Other World Titles

• WBA (Regular) middleweight champion (160 lbs)
• WBA interim middleweight champion (160 lbs)
• WBC interim middleweight champion (160 lbs)
• IBO middleweight champion (160 lbs) (2 times)

Regional and Special Titles

• WBO Inter-Continental middleweight champion (160 lbs)
• WBC Huichol II champion
• WBC Chiapaneco I champion

Pay-Per-View Fights

Professional Boxing

Totals (approximate): 3,783,000 buys and $327,500,000 in revenue.

Boxing Awards and Honors

• WBN Fighter of the Year: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017
• WBN Fight of the Year: 2018
• Fighter of the Year by the readers of The Ring magazine: 2013, 2017
• The Ring magazine Event of the Year: 2017
• The Ring magazine Fight of the Year: 2018
• Yahoo Sports Fighter of the Year: 2014, 2015
• Boxing News Fighter of the Year: 2015
• Jersey Joe Walcott Award by the IBF: 2017

Role in Olympic Committee

On February 26, 2024, Golovkin was chosen as the President of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In September 2024, he also became the head of the World Boxing Olympic Commission.

Golovkin played a very important part in making sure boxing stayed as a sport in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Images for kids

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  Golovkin fighting Gabriel Rosado in 2013

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  Golovkin in 2015

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  A 2016 stamp sheet from Kazakhstan featuring Golovkin

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  Actor Jon Bernthal wearing a GGG hat

See also

In Spanish: Guennadi Golovkin para niños

• List of world middleweight boxing champions