Notebook: GGG on his new weight class, fighting at age 40 and retirement

BetUS show; YouTube interviews; junior flyweight unification; Haney-Kambosos II undercard; another Ali grandson fighting; Quick hits; Show and tell

Sep 17, 2022

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LAS VEGAS — From the moment the third fight between undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez and unified middleweight titlist Gennadiy Golovkin was made GGG has been questioned about many aspects of the fight.

But the main questions have been about moving up from 160 to 168 pounds, whether his age would be factor in the fight now that he is 40, and whether he would retire after the bout, which will take place Saturday (DAZN PPV and PPV.com, 8 p.m. ET) at T-Mobile Arena.

Golovkin has addressed each of those questions time and again.

During his 16-year career, he has only fought above 160 pounds three times — two early bouts at 161 and at 163.75 pounds for a 2019 bout with Steve Rolls that was contracted for a maximum of 164 pounds.

Now, Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs), who is officially 0-1-1 in two controversial results with Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KOs), 32, of Mexico, in middleweight championship fights, moves up to take on the king of the 168-pound division.

“I feel it’s going to be a new stage for me and a lot boxers found themselves in this situation,” Golovkin said of moving up. “My power, my speed, it’s all with me. I train hard, I feel great.”

Becoming a two-division champion in the twilight of his career would be a big deal.

“It’s hard for me to put it on some scoreboard against other achievements and at the same time I would say that it could be like the biggest bonus in my career,” Golovkin said of possibly being crowned undisputed super middleweight champion. “I don’t want to fry a fish until it’s caught so to say, but on the other hand, if that happens, that would be like biggest bonus.”

As for his age, Golovkin says it is no issue. Trainer Jonathon Banks agreed.

“Even at 40, he still approaches training like he's a young and hungry top-rated contender,” Banks said. “He is all smiles and always the first one in the gym. He really enjoys training and it shows in his work ethic and the results. Gennadiy is an athlete's athlete. And while 40 may be the new 30, thanks to the science of nutrition and strength and conditioning, come Saturday night, 40 may also be the new world super middleweight champion.”

And then there is the notion of retirement. Golovkin said he has no plans for that right now.

“I have some thoughts about the fights that I’d like to have,” said Golovkin, who, win or lose, will have to address his due WBA middleweight mandatory defense against secondary titlist Erislandy Lara. “At the same time it will all depend on this fight who I’m going to fight next. So, I suggest we go back to that question after (Saturday).”

Golovkin even said he could envision a possible fourth fight with Alvarez.

“I have certain plans regardless of the outcome of this fight,” Golovkin said. “If a fourth fight is offered I would say why not if people want it? And you should not forget I have belts at 160. There are a lot of options.”

Alvarez trainer and manager Eddy Reynoso, said they are by no means taking GGG for granted just because he is an older fighter moving up in weight.

“He is a really strong fighter,” Reynoso said. “He’s a dangerous fighter until the day he dies.”

BetUS Boxing Show

If you missed the BetUS Boxing Show live at 1 p.m. ET on Friday on YouTube, please check out the replay (and also subscribe to the YouTube channel). It was time to make the official picks for Canelo Alvarez-Gennadiy Golovkin III, one of the biggest fights of the year. We discussed and handicapped the undisputed super middleweight title fight as well as the two top undercard bouts, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez’s WBC junior bantamweight title defense against Israel Gonzalez and super middleweight Ali Akhmedov versus Gabriel Rosado. We also took viewer comments and questions on another fun show! Check it out here:

YouTube interviews

I always appreciate the interest various boxing YouTube channels have in interviewing me for my views on the goings on in the sport. A few them asked me to talk to them on Wednesday inside the Canelo-GGG III media center, where we discussed the big fight along with other boxing topics, most notably the prospect of a Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua heavyweight championship fight and the upcoming showdown between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn. Please check out those various interviews here if you can take this much of me — LOL!

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Intu Boxing

Pro Boxing Fans

Jr. flyweight unification

Hiroto Kyoguchi, The Ring magazine and WBA junior flyweight champion, will meet Japanese countryman and WBC titlist Kenshiro Teraji in a rare 108-pound unification fight on Nov. 1 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, Teiken Promotions announced.

The card will stream live in the United States on ESPN+ (4:30 a.m. ET) and also feature WBO junior flyweight titlist Jonathan Gonzalez defending his title against Shokichi Iwata in the co-feature.

“I feel highly motivated to face Kenshiro to acquire another belt, the one that is green,” Kyoguchi said at the news conference in translated comments, referring to the WBC belt.

Teraji (19-1, 11 KOs), 30, will be making the first defense of his second title reign. Kyoguchi (16-0, 11 KOs), 28, who vacated his strawweight title to move up in weight, will be making his fifth title defense.

“I wish to unify all belts and this is the first step for ultimate unification,” Teraji said.

They fought four times as amateurs with Teraji having a 3-1 edge. It will be the first unification fight between Japanese boxers since then-WBC strawweight titleholder Kazuto Ioka defeated WBA titleholder Akira Yaegashi in 2012.

Gonzalez (26-3-1, 14 KOs), 31, a Puerto Rican southpaw, will make his second title defense against Japan’s Iwata (9-0, 6 KOs), 26, knowing that if he wins he could then face the winner of the main event in a three-belt unification fight.

There will be two other fights on the stream:

WBO flyweight titlist Junto Nakatani (23-0, 18 KOs), a 24-year-old Japanese southpaw, will face former unified strawweight titlist Francisco Rodriguez Jr. (36-5-1, 25 KOs), 30, of Mexico, in 10-round nontitle bout at junior bantamweight.
Lightweight Shuichiro Yoshino (15-0, 11 KOs), 30, will face Masayoshi Nakatani (20-2, 14 KOs), 33, in a 12-round all-Japanese regional title bout.

Haney-Kambosos II undercard

Top Rank announced that Australian twins Jason and Andrew Moloney will compete on the undercard of the rematch between undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney and former unified champion George Kambosos Jr. on Oct. 15 (ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, 10:30 p.m. ET) at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia, where it will be the afternoon of Oct. 16.

The fights will be hometown bouts for the Moloneys, who are from the Melbourne suburb of Mitcham. The brothers also boxed on the Haney-Kambosos I card at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium in June.

Two-time bantamweight title challenger Jason Moloney (24-2, 19 KOs), 31, will face Nawaphon Kaikanha (56-1-1, 46 KOs), 31, of Thailand, in a final WBC bantamweight title eliminator. The winner will become a mandatory challenger for unified champion Naoya Inoue.

“This fight is one final steps towards me achieving my dream and becoming world champion,” Jason said. “Nawaphon Kaikanha is a very experienced and capable opponent. To have this fight in Melbourne, at Rod Laver Arena, in front of all my family and friends, is amazing and gives me even more motivation. I will grab this opportunity with both hands and earn my shot at becoming the WBC world champion.”
Junior bantamweight Andrew Moloney (24-2, 16 KOs) will face former world title challenger Norbelto Jimenez (31-9-6, 16 KOs), 31, of the Dominican Republic, in a 10-rounder for a regional title.

“I’m hoping that an impressive win over Jimenez earns me a shot at one of the world champions next,” Andrew said. “This is exactly the type of fight I’ve been wanting, to show the improvements I have made and that I am ready to become world champion again. I’m coming to put on the best performance of my career.”

Also slated for the undercard against opponents to be determined are pair of unbeaten fighters from New Zealand: cruiserweight David Nyika (4-0, 3 KOs), 27, a 2020 Olympic bronze medalist, in a six-rounder, and heavyweight Hemi Ahio (19-0, 14 KOs), 32, in an eight-rounder. They both won on the Haney-Kambosos I undercard.

In another bout, Haney protégé Amari Jones (7-0, 7 KOs) will box in an six-round junior middleweight bout.

Ali’s grandson signs MMA deal

Last year Muhammad Ali’s grandson, middleweight Nico Ali Walsh (6-0, 5 KOs), 22, turned pro as a boxer with Top Rank.

Now, his older brother, Biaggio Ali Walsh, is going pro as a mixed martial artist, having signed with the PFL. He will continue his amateur career in November on a PFL card and then turn pro in 2023, the PFL announced.

“The Professional Fighters League is committed to growing the league and the sport of MMA, it is incumbent upon us to look for the future stars of our sport, we have found one of those stars in Biaggio” PFL CEO Peter Murray said. “We are excited to watch Biaggio’s journey from amateur to professional on the world stage with the PFL.”

Ali Walsh, 24, of Las Vegas, was a running back at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas and began training in MMA in 2020.

“I can’t wait to enter the PFL SmartCage,” Ali Walsh said. “I have a legacy to live up to, a legacy that my grandfather began, that my brother and I continue. I chose to continue that legacy here in the Professional Fighters League. My one and only goal is to one day become a PFL world champion.”

Quick hits

Weights from Las Vegas for Saturday night’s Matchroom Boxing card: Canelo Alvarez 167.4 pounds, Gennadiy Golovkin 167.8 (for Alvarez’s undisputed super middleweight title); Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez 114.8, Israel Gonzalez 114.6 (for Rodriguez’s WBC junior bantamweight title); Ali Akhmedov 167.8, Gabriel Rosado 167.6; Austin Williams 160, Kieron Conway 159.2; Diego Pacheco 167, Enrique Collazo 167.8; Marc Castro 134.4, Kevin Montiel Mendoza 135.2; Aaron Aponte 139.8; Fernando Molina 140; Anthony Herrera 114.8, Delvin McKinley 116.

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The WBO has ordered a purse bid for the interim super middleweight title bout between Demetrius Andrade (31-0, 19 KOs), 34, of Providence, Rhode Island, who recently vacated the WBO middleweight title, and Zach Parker (22-0, 16 KOs), 28, of England. It is scheduled for Tuesday at the WBO offices in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Minimum bid is $300,000. The fight was scheduled for May 21 in Derby, England but canceled when Andrade suffered a shoulder injury. Parker promoter Frank Warren won the purse bid for that bout at $1,834,050. The split on the upcoming purse bid will depend where the fight takes place. If the fight is in the United States it’s 60-40 in Parker’s favor. If it’s in the United Kingdom it’s 60-40 in Andrade’s favor. If it’s anywhere else it’s 50-50.

The boxing match between heavyweight Hasim Rahman Jr. (12-1, 6 KOs), 31, of Las Vegas, and former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort (1-0, 1 KO as a boxer), 45, of Brazil, has had its date and site changed. It will take place Nov. 19 (DAZN) at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, and headline X Series 003, KSI’s Misfits Boxing and DAZN announced. It was originally planned to headline X Series 002 on Oct. 15 at Utilita Arena in Sheffield, England. Rahman-Belfort is slated to be a four-rounder at a contract weight of 215 pounds, according to Rahman promoter Greg Cohen. It was Rahman’s weight issues that caused an Aug. 6 Showtime PPV event against Jake Paul to be canceled a week beforehand.

Show and tell

The long-awaited third fight between Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin is finally at hand on Saturday. All three bouts will have taken place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and on Mexican Independence Day weekend. The first controversial draw was on Sept. 16, 2017 as Golovkin retained his unified middleweight title in a fight most thought he deserved to win. In the rematch, Alvarez scored a controversial majority decision to take GGG’s belts. The rematch was on Sept. 15, 2018 — four years ago on Thursday. Here is a poster from the fight in my collection.