Gennady Golovkin may or may not be retired from the ring; he hasn’t completely ruled out the possibility of coming back at the right time, but he hasn’t given up the fight. Defeating an overmatched middleweight challenger is not his newest challenge; rather, it is a fight to continue fighting in the Olympics. Golovkin, a former Olympian himself and the new head of Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee, hopes to use his status and experience in the sport to ensure that boxing remains a part of events when the Olympic circus comes to Los Angeles in 2028. Paris 2024 is quickly approaching.
In a recent interview with BoxingScene, the former middleweight champion remarked via a translator, “I never announced my retirement, and it’s against my nature to make any loud announcements.” Time will tell, then. I have this work right now, and I like what I’m doing. Life is movement to me, but, at the same time. And I may welcome a significant challenge if it presents itself to me and I perceive it as an excellent opportunity to change course, realign my movement, or switch gears. I may thus get into another argument with you.
The future Hall of Famer, whose most recent fight was a 2022 decision defeat to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, did acknowledge that when the chance to pursue his new role presented itself, he had started to drastically reduce his physical activity.
“It’s not that they came to me directly or that I offered my services,” he said when asked how the interview went. “I was just reducing the scope of my professional career, which was a result of a series of events.” My daily workout routine ended, and I found myself with more spare time. I’m interested in sports because they’re a passion of mine and because they provide me a chance to support the growth of sports in my nation. As an athlete, I support the athletes. I’m not a politician or a bureaucracy. I support both individuals and athletes. And I consented to participate in the National Olympic Committee presidential election when it was announced, which is how I was chosen.
Being an athlete himself, he believes that “our athletes should be in a better position,” thus he says he appreciates the responsibility of learning about and supporting Kazakhstan’s Olympic competitors. Although professional boxer Gennady Golovkin was well-known for his relentless intensity, he is more circumspect when it comes to the issues he believes to be the main ones affecting Olympic participants.
“We must combat corruption,” he said in a generic way. “And in order to make corruption impossible, we must eliminate all avenues for corruption. Furthermore, I’m not referring to any one nation. It is the worldwide issue, I am saying.
Few sports have more corruption than boxing, yet even the filthy professional prizefighting scene needs to make way for the depraved amateur program. The International Boxing Association (IBA) no longer has any long-term governance since the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has revoked its accreditation as the IBA’s international federation. The IOC is in charge of organizing boxing at the Paris Games, but they have made it plain that they do not see that happening after this summer. Golovkin would not be drawn when asked whether he would push Kazakhstan to join the World Boxing Association, an alternative to the IBA that has been created by amateur programs in many nations, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
He said, “The way to keep boxing in the Olympic program is for all the countries to get together, sit down, and discuss and reach a solution.”
When he talks about his own thoughts on the mess Olympic boxing is in, he appears more at ease.
“It bothers me,” he said. It makes me sad. Not because I’m a boxer, but rather because boxing is one of the most well-liked sports in the world, I believe the current scenario to be intolerable. Furthermore, it is quite difficult to envision an Olympic Games without boxing. Therefore, we must take all action necessary to ensure that boxing remains a part of the Olympic program. Furthermore, I believe it should be preserved since it provides boxers with an advantage. Once their amateur career is over, it provides them with the chance to pursue their professional career. Thus, boxing must be included in the Olympic Games.
Golovkin will be in Paris, where he will be holding talks with the leaders of other national committees on how to keep the sport in the Games.
He gave a cryptic explanation of his goals for the Games, saying, “We have a plan that is pretty straightforward, and that’s what can be used in order to reach a result or look for a solution.”
Since the start of the modern Olympiad, outside events have influenced the games just as much as athletic competition. Consider Jesse Owens in Berlin in 1936, the murder of Israeli athletes in Munich in 1972, the boycotts that followed in 1976, 1980, and 1984, or the worldwide pandemic that almost caused Tokyo 2020 to be postponed by a year. Golovkin, however, who took home a silver medal from the 2004 Athens Games, exhorts the athletes competing in Paris to rise above the din and embrace the Olympic ideals.
He said, “Do not place results above your integrity, honesty, or pride.” “You have to be a person of integrity and not sell yourself at any costs, no matter what.”
Meanwhile, he exhorts them to cherish each second.
He said, “It is an incredible experience.” “The opening and closing ceremonies, as well as particularly if you win a medal and are declared a champion. Therefore, I would advise them to appreciate it above anything else.
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