A formerly holy union has become unholy.
Yesterday, the boxing world was blindsided by the news that Gennady “GGG” Golovkin decided to part ways with his long-time trainer, Abel Sanchez.
Golovkin released a statement to the media to confirm the fact.
“I would like to announce that I have made a major decision for myself and for my career. I want to build on what I have already achieved and continue to better myself. Therefore, I will not be training with Abel Sanchez. This was not an easy decision for me and it is not a reflection on Abel’s professional abilities. He is a great trainer, a loyal trainer, and a Hall of Fame trainer.
“I will be announcing my new trainer at a later date. But today, I want to thank Abel for the lessons he taught me in boxing.”
Immediately, Sanchez told Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole his side of the story and it is a classic case of a relationship soured by financial negotiations.
A statement from @abelthesummit on parting with @GGGBoxing pic.twitter.com/9PtYGKTDVB
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) April 24, 2019
On March 8th, DAZN Group Executive Chairman John Skipper announced that Golovkin will fight the rest of his career on the streaming platform.
The six-fight global partnership between GGG Promotions and DAZN will see Golovkin fight twice a year on the platform for the next three years.
Golovkin will no longer appear on pay-per-view. Instead, his fights will be available to all DAZN subscribers at no extra charge. In addition, GGG Promotions will present two cards per year on DAZN beginning in 2020.
Golovkin plans to return to the ring in June 8th at Madison Square Garden against undefeated Top 10 contender and Kronk Gym alumnus Steve Rolls (19-0, 10 KOs), from Toronto, Canada, in a battle, scheduled for 12 rounds, at a maximum weight of 164 lbs.
“DAZN has quickly become the new home of boxing by making the biggest events easily available to the fans,” said Golovkin. “When deciding on where I wanted to continue my career, DAZN’s global vision perfectly matched my goals – not just for my career but the opportunity to showcase talented Eastern European fighters to the world. Thank you to my fans for all of the loyal support and I look forward to you joining me on DAZN.”
Further, Mike Coppinger reports that Abel Sanchez said Golovkin offered him “one fifth” what he was being paid.
Golovkin has had a storybook Middleweight career until his loss to Canelo Alvarez last September.
