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 "GGG" or "Triple G") is a famous professional boxer from Kazakhstan. He was born on April 8, 1982. He has won many world championships in the middleweight division. He held titles from the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), and International Boxing Federation (IBF) at different times. He also competed for the top title in the super middleweight division in 2022.

Many people considered Golovkin to be one of the best boxers in the world, pound for pound, from 2017 to 2018. He is known for his incredibly powerful and accurate punches. He also has great balance and moves well in the ring. Golovkin had an amazing streak of 23 knockout wins in a row from 2008 to 2016. He holds the record for the highest knockout-to-win ratio in middleweight championship history, at 88.1%. He is also famous for having a very strong "chin," meaning he has never been knocked down or stopped in any of his 395 fights, including 45 as a professional and 350 as an amateur.

In his amateur career, Golovkin won a gold medal at the 2003 World Championships. He then won a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics while representing Kazakhstan. In 2024, Golovkin was chosen to be the President of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Early Life and Boxing Start

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 coal miner and his mother worked in a chemical lab.

He 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 often challenge him to fight older boys and men. Golovkin said that his brothers did this for him every day, with different people, even when he was very young.

Golovkin's first boxing gym was in Maikuduk, Karaganda. His first coach, Victor Dmitriev, was someone Golovkin thought was "very good." Just one month after starting, at age 10, his coach had him step into the ring to test his skills, and he lost his first fight.

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 older boxers. After seven years, he was accepted onto 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 Thailand, he won the gold medal. He beat many strong boxers, including future champions. After his victory, a boxing commentator said, "Golovkin. Remember that name! We sure will hear it again."

He earned his spot in the Athens Olympics by winning a gold medal at the 2004 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in the Philippines. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, he won a silver medal after winning several fights before losing in the final.

Golovkin finished his amateur career with an impressive record of 345 wins and only 5 losses. All his losses were by very small point differences, and he often got revenge for those losses later on.

Amateur Highlights

• Gold Medal at the Brandenburg Cup in Germany (2000)
• Gold Medal at the Junior World Championships in Hungary (2000)
• Gold Medal at the Usti Grand Prix in the Czech Republic (2001)
• Gold Medal at the East Asian Games in Japan (2001)
• Silver Medal at the Chemistry Cup in Germany (2002)
• Silver Medal at the World Cup in Kazakhstan (2002)
• Gold Medal at the Asian Games in South Korea (2002)
• Gold Medal at the Ahmet Cömert Memorial in Turkey (2003)
• Gold Medal at the World Championships in Thailand (2003)
• Gold Medal at the Asian Championships in the Philippines (2004)
• Bronze Medal at the Acropolis Cup in Greece (2004)
• Gold Medal at the Golden Belt Tournament in Romania (2004)
• Silver Medal at the Summer Olympics in Greece (2004)
• Bronze Medal at the World Cup in Russia (2005)
• Gold Medal at the Amber Gloves Tournament in Russia (2005)

Professional Boxing Career

After his successful amateur career, Golovkin became a professional boxer in 2006. By the end of 2008, he had won all 14 of his fights, with 11 of them by knockout. People saw him as one of the most promising new boxers.

In 2010, Golovkin left his first professional boxing company because he felt they weren't helping his career enough. He wanted to fight for world titles.

Fighting in the United States

Golovkin wanted to become a big name in boxing around the world. He signed with K2 Promotions and started training in California with a famous coach named Abel Sanchez. Sanchez helped Golovkin combine his strong Eastern European amateur style with an aggressive "Mexican style" of fighting.

Golovkin made his debut on HBO, a major TV channel for boxing in the US, in September 2012. He won impressively by stopping his opponent, Grzegorz Proksa, in the fifth round. Proksa said Golovkin "hits like a hammer." After this, Golovkin was named the main WBA middleweight champion.

He continued his winning streak, stopping Gabriel Rosado in January 2013 and Nobuhiro Ishida in March 2013. He then faced Matthew Macklin in June 2013, winning by knockout in the third round. Macklin said Golovkin was the best opponent he had ever fought.

In November 2013, Golovkin defended his titles against Curtis Stevens. He won by technical knockout in the eighth round. This win was watched in over 100 countries and showed how strong Golovkin was.

Becoming a Unified Champion

In 2014, Golovkin was officially made the WBA (Super) middleweight champion. He defended his titles against Daniel Geale in July 2014, winning by knockout in the third round.

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

In February 2015, Golovkin defended his titles against Martin Murray in Monaco. He won by technical knockout in the eleventh round. Murray lasted longer than any of Golovkin's previous opponents, showing his toughness.

Golovkin continued to dominate, defeating Willie Monroe Jr. in May 2015 by technical knockout in the sixth round. He then unified his titles by beating IBF champion David Lemieux in October 2015. Golovkin won by technical knockout in the eighth round, adding the IBF title to his collection.

In April 2016, Golovkin defended his titles against Dominic Wade, winning by knockout in the second round. This was his 22nd knockout win in a row.

Big Fights and Rivalries

After another boxer, Canelo Álvarez, gave up his WBC middleweight title, Golovkin was given the full WBC championship. This meant he held three of the four main world titles in boxing.

In September 2016, Golovkin fought Kell Brook in London. Brook was a welterweight champion who moved up two weight classes to challenge Golovkin. Golovkin won by technical knockout in the fifth round after Brook's corner stopped the fight to protect his injured eye.

Golovkin then faced Daniel Jacobs in March 2017. This was a very close fight that went all 12 rounds, the first time Golovkin had fought a full 12 rounds in his professional career. Golovkin won by a unanimous decision, ending his long knockout streak.

Golovkin vs. Canelo Álvarez I

After the Jacobs fight, everyone wanted to see Golovkin fight Canelo Álvarez. The fight was announced for September 2017 in Las Vegas. It was a huge event, selling out tickets quickly.

The fight itself was very exciting and went all 12 rounds. The judges scored it a split draw, meaning one judge thought Canelo won, one thought Golovkin won, and one thought it was a tie. Many people felt Golovkin had done enough to win. This fight was a big success, making a lot of money and becoming one of the highest-earning boxing events in history.

Golovkin vs. Martirosyan

A rematch with Canelo was planned for May 2018, but it was cancelled due to an issue with Canelo. Golovkin still wanted to fight on that date, so he fought Vanes Martirosyan instead. Golovkin won by knockout in the second round, showing his power once again.

Golovkin vs. Canelo Álvarez II

Despite the previous cancellation, Golovkin and Canelo agreed to a rematch in September 2018. This fight was also very close and went all 12 rounds. Canelo Álvarez won by a majority decision, meaning two judges scored it for Canelo and one scored it a draw. This was Golovkin's first professional loss. Both fighters showed great respect for each other after the fight and were open to fighting a third time.

Later Career (2019–2023)

In 2019, Golovkin signed a big new deal with DAZN, a streaming service, for several fights. He wanted to fight the best boxers in the middleweight division.

Golovkin vs. Rolls

In June 2019, Golovkin fought Steve Rolls at Madison Square Garden. He won by knockout in the fourth round. After the fight, Golovkin said he felt "like a new baby" and was ready for a third fight with Canelo.

Golovkin vs. Derevyanchenko

In October 2019, Golovkin fought Sergiy Derevyanchenko for the vacant IBF and IBO middleweight titles. It was a very tough and exciting fight that went all 12 rounds. Golovkin won by unanimous decision, becoming a world champion again.

Golovkin vs. Szeremeta

Golovkin defended his titles against Kamil Szeremeta in December 2020. He put on a dominant performance, knocking Szeremeta down multiple times before the referee stopped the fight in the seventh round.

Golovkin vs. Murata

In April 2022, Golovkin fought Ryōta Murata in Japan to unify their middleweight titles. Golovkin won by technical knockout in the ninth round, adding the WBA (Super) title to his collection.

Moving to Super Middleweight

Golovkin vs. Canelo Álvarez III

In May 2022, it was announced that Golovkin would move up to the super middleweight division for the first time to fight Canelo Álvarez in their third match. The fight took place in September 2022. Golovkin lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Giving Up Middleweight Titles

After his loss to Canelo, Golovkin still held his middleweight titles. However, in early 2023, he decided to give up his IBF, WBA (Super), and IBO middleweight titles. This meant he was no longer a middleweight champion.

Training Style

Golovkin is known for his very hard training sessions, especially his sparring practice. He often sparred with much larger opponents to prepare himself.

His former coach, Abel Sanchez, praised Golovkin for his strong work ethic and humble attitude. Sanchez said that Golovkin was always a quiet and respectful person. He also mentioned that for many years, Golovkin didn't even need a special coach for strength or nutrition because he preferred traditional training and food.

Personal Life

In 2006, Golovkin moved from Kazakhstan to Germany, and then in 2013, he moved to California to train. He now lives in Santa Monica, California, with his family, but still trains in Big Bear, California.

He is married to Alina and they have a son and a daughter. His fraternal twin brother, Maxim, who is also an amateur boxer, joined Gennady's team in 2012.

Golovkin can speak four languages: Kazakh, Russian, German, and English.

He enjoys playing games with his son and spending time with his family. Golovkin has said that he loves boxing and wants to focus on his sports career rather than appearing in movies or on magazine covers.

Professional boxing record

Pay-Per-View Fights

These are some of Golovkin's biggest fights that were shown on pay-per-view television.

United States Pay-Per-View

United Kingdom Pay-Per-View

Overall Totals (approximate): 3,475,000 buys and $268,000,000 in revenue.

Boxing Awards

• WBN Fighter of the Year: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017

President of the National Olympic Committee

On February 26, 2024, Golovkin was chosen to be the President of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

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

• List of world middleweight boxing champions