GGG Takes His First Steps into the Battlefield of Business

An uncomfortable looking Gennady “GGG” Golovkin officially entered the battlefield of business and announced it on Monday.

Flanked by Team GGG, the former middleweight champion sat side-by-side with DAZN’s John Skipper to share his reasons for entering the more intimidating world of business at the Conga Room in downtown Los Angeles.

“I thought DAZN provided the best platform and the best plan,” said Golovkin through a translator. “I had other offers but this allowed me to fight on my own promotions.”

Business and boxing are opposite sides of the coin.

When we last saw Golovkin he was in a pitched battle against Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alvarez last September in Las Vegas. Though he lost the fight by majority decision, his brand of fighting was only enhanced by the remarkable exchange of blows that rocketed off each other’s heads and bodies that warm night.

More than 1.1 million pay-per-views were purchased in the U.S. for the Golovkin-Alvarez rematch. In the world of social media where pay-per-view fights can be seen free via link exchanges on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, those are highly favorable stats.

Golovkin signed a three-year deal with DAZN for at least two fights each year. It allows him to fight on the same streaming network as Alvarez, Daniel Jacobs and Mexico’s young upstart Jaime Munguia should he move up a weight division.

“I hope I can do six fights,” said Golovkin who turns 37 next month.

John Skipper, the DAZN executive chairman, said signing Golovkin was essential.

“He was the key element,” said Skipper who formerly worked at ESPN. “Very little questions in my mind this was a great deal for us.”

No actual numbers were revealed but it was hinted that no less than $10 million per fight will be given to Golovkin.

From Kazakhstan to California

It’s been an amazing journey for Golovkin since he arrived nine years ago. Back then he was one of the first prizefighters from Kazakhstan to make the USA his base and despite lacking fluency in English, he had renowned boxing trainer Abel Sanchez (pictured) introducing him to the many journalists in Southern California.

As a native Southern Californian, the veteran trainer Sanchez’s knowledge of the boxing landscape enabled him to introduce his protégé to writers of influence. He circulated Golovkin around various media events like a press agent showcasing an Academy Award candidate during Oscar season.

In 2011, Sanchez and his compadre Ben Lira, also a veteran trainer, spoke highly of the newcomer from Kazakhstan.

“You won’t believe how good this kid is,” said Sanchez. “He hits harder than anyone I ever had before and I’ve trained heavyweights.”

Over the decades both Lira and Sanchez trained world champions like Terry Norris, Lupe Aquino, Miguel Angel Gonzalez and others. All had power but these two trainers still vowed they had the “best fighter they had ever trained.”

Powerful words coming from Sanchez and Lira.

I remember taking the drive up to Big Bear to watch Golovkin at work for the first time. As a boxing journalist for more than 35 years and as a member of a boxing family that’s been involved in the sport for more than 100 years, I can honestly say I’ve seen every avowed superstar pugilist at work. But that first day watching the Kazakh middleweight work the heavy bag was eye-opening. It was kind of like hearing someone hit the bag with a baseball bat at full force.

And when Golovkin finally was shown on American television back in 2012, his dominating debut performance against Grzegorz Proksa that ended in a knockout win was a mere teaser compared to what followed.

From 2010 to 2016 Golovkin knocked out 23 consecutive opponents including 17 who tried to take away the middleweight title from him. And his battles with Alvarez were a boxing fan’s dream.

Now, here he stands poised to make his final bows in the boxing world as a prizefighter. But it’s clear he deigns to remain as a promoter.

“I’ve gained a lot of experience in the last years of my career,” said Golovkin who works with other fighters from his country. “I want to share that with fighters who will be working with me on GGG promotions. I think with DAZN we have the right partner to put on the best fights.”

Another battlefield has been entered.

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