By Miguel Maravilla
With a little over a week to go for his next fight WBA/IBO middleweight champion Kazakhstan’s Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (29-0, 26 KOs) worked out for the media at the Box and Burn Boxing Gym in Santa Monica, California. Golovkin will take on former two time world champion Daniel “Real Deal” Geale (30-2, 16 KOs) of Australia, Saturday July 26 live on HBO World Championship Boxing from the Mecca of boxing Madison Square Garden in New York.
“I am happy to be back boxing, I know this is not an easy fight,” Golovkin told Fightnews.com.
The Kazakh world champion looked sharp working out in the beach community with his respected trainer Abel Sanchez as media members, and fans looked on.
“My camp and performance was good, I feel great camp was great,” Golovkin said.
His trainer Abel Sanchez who has trained the likes of former world champions Terry and Orlin Norris, as well as Miguel Angel Gonzalez talked to us about Golovkin.
“He is a professional, he came in 11-12 pounds overweight, he is not a big guy and don’t gain that much weight,” trainer Abel Sanchez told Fightnews.com
Golovkin trained for nine weeks in the high altitudes of Big Bear, California setting their camp up in the San Bernadino Mountains in Sanchez headquarters the Summit. The quiet mountain community has served as camp to other champions such as Oscar De la Hoya, Shane Mosley, and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Big Bear provides isolation and tranquility for the champ Golovkin where the two (Golovkin Sanchez) have held camp for the last four years.
“The last two months I trained in Big Bear, it’s great. I worked hard every day,” Golovkin said.
Sanchez commented. “He was a little rusted at the beginning. We had more months off than usual but in a couple of days he was right back to himself, every camp we have one or two things we implement different.”
In this camp Golovkin has had quality sparring with the son of former world champion Julian Jackson, undefeated super middleweight Julius “The Chef” Jackson, 2012 Japanese Olympic gold medalist Ryota Murata, and former world title challenger George Groves, in preparation for his Australian awkward counterpart Geale.
“I had great sparring with Julius, Ryoda, and George. It was a great camp,” Golovkin said about his sparring.
The Australian Geale, a former world champion is coming off a six round technical decision over Garth Wood in February. In his previous fight Geale lost the IBF middleweight title to Darren Barker by a close disputed split decision. Golovkin and his trainer Sanchez talked about strengths and weakness as well as the challenge that Geale presents to his fighter.
“He throws a lot of punches but I think my style has more power to it. I respect him. He’s an ex-champion. It’s not an easy fight for us, a great fight for us, and everyone it’s a different styles fight,” Golovkin stated.
“The biggest thing for me is his experience going twelve rounds. We have never been twelve rounds and we have never gone past ten,” said Golovkin’s trainer, “that is not a concern but some things we have to be aware of.”
This will be Golovkin’s third time fighting at Madision Square Garden as he has fought twice at the Theatre. Now he gets set to headline in the big room. “This is the first time I fight in the big arena. There have been many great fights there. It’s my first big test, it’s important,” Golovkin stated.
“G4″ Golovkin vs. Geale will be a scheduled 12 round middleweight championship fight for Golovkin’s WBA and IBO titles in what is to be Golovkin’s biggest test of his career in fighting the experienced Australian.
“This is boxing. I am ready. Expect a great show, a great fight. I am ready, he is ready,” Golovkin concluded.
“He has been off too long and looking to get in ready to go. It will be vintage Gennady right back,” Sanchez said. “He wants the bigger names and sees the landscape in the middleweight division, star wise, he needs to look spectacular,” Sanchez concluded.
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