Golovkin Trainer Says Cotto, Canelo and Ward All Go Down By the 10th

Abel Sanchez trains Gennady Golovkin and by all accounts, has done a marvelous job. The Cali-based tutor has a track record, he helped refine the immense talents of “Terrible” Terry Norris, so it goes as no surprise.

What might surprise some, I guess, is the role Sanchez takes on as the s— talker. Yep, he can sling it, bring it, drop the hammer down on ducking foes and the like.

Makes sense, actually, some times things need stirring up, to get people and situations stuck in a place of inertia, and Golovkin is the anti-trashtalker. I don’t know if the guy would speak a cross word if a waiter presented him with a plate of food, reached up, ripped off a few strands of his hair, topped Gennady’s plate with ’em, and said, “Here ya go, champ.”

Gennady is a “good boy,” and really doesn’t do trash talk.  But Sanchez, sometimes he’s Honest Abe. I spoke to him the other day, after Golovkin’s next foe Martin Murray got the W in Monaco, over Domenico Spada, setting up a middleweight showdown with Triple G Feb. 21, on HBO, from Monaco.

“I had a chance to watch a couple rounds of Murray-Spada on YouTube,” the trainer told me. “It was a rough fight, Spada had an awkward style, the stoppage was quick…but it was not a good style matchup. For the Golovkin-Murray fight, I will prepare Triple G as if we are facing the second best fighter in our division, and if Murray can cope with that Triple G, then we are in for a barn burner. But I see knockout number 19, and early! I said this two years ago…NOBODY at 154 to 160 will hear the bell ending the twelfth round. Now, Murray has size, belief in himself, and boxing ability. He has positives and negatives.” Then Sanchez pivoted, set his feet and set down on his punches. “Unfortunately, for us, there are lot of talkers, masquerading and pretending to want to fight. But all those so called stars are just talking and not making legitimate offers. Andre Ward, his management and his attorney are talking but only doing that, talking. It’s a smoke screen, only to stay boxing-relevant.”

I told Sanchez I still hoped to hear back from Ward co-promoter Antonio Leonard, who I called last week.

“And then he can call Tom Loeffler (Golovkins’ promoter), and Leonard will understand who needs who and how negotiable they will be. I repeat, like I said, “smoke screen,” staying boxing relevant.”

Sanchez was now on a roll, his flurries were fluid and sharp…

“Miguel Cotto doesn’t make it out of the fifth round, and he knows it,” the trainer told me. “Canelo doesn’t make it out of the eighth round, and his people know it. Andre Ward doesn’t make it out of the 10th round, and that’s why they lost your digits.”

By the way, I asked a Ward spokesman on Monday if Ward wanted to touch on some of this material but so far, no reply….

“Remember when Ward had Chad Dawson come down to him, and refused to go up to 175 for a rematch,” Sanchez said. “His attorney I recall put out a release saying he would be willing to come down to Triple G, it’s a smoke screen. They need to follow up, call Tom Loeffler , maybe they lost his numbers also. When Ward or Leonard call you, please give them Loeffler’s number, we need number twenty for sometime in May.”