Gennady Golovkin: Will the Boxer Return to the Ring?

Is Golovkin leaving the sport? Expert opinions.

The sports world was shaken by the news that Gennady Golovkin has been appointed as the president of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan. This has led to many speculations about whether such a fact will prompt "Triple G" to retire from sports. Let's ponder on this topic.

In the near future, there are no fights scheduled for GGG. However, the list of upcoming fights that are yet to be seen is available on the  БК Parimatch line under the Boxing category.

Will Golovkin step into the professional ring again?

At 41, for a top boxer, it is by no means a sentence or a reason to hang up the gloves. There is always the possibility to find an opponent for a lucrative match. But Golovkin is attracted not so much by money as by the sporting thrill and the opportunity to win a title. And the most realistic chance to compete for the title is to organize a fight with Canelo, whom the Kazakh has already faced three times.

Golovkin has not announced his retirement from sports yet. This means that the boxer has left the door open for negotiations. Therefore, GGG's return to the ring is a very real possibility, even while holding the position of NOC president.

Отдельно хочу отметить весь тренерский штаб. Отличная работа👏🏻 Удачи в подготовке к Олимпийским играм✊🏻🇰🇿 pic.twitter.com/V1d0rOoGT6

— Gennadiy Golovkin (@GGGBoxing) May 15, 2023

Who could be Gennady Golovkin's opponent?

GGG has not entered the ring since 2022. In his last fight, Gennady lost to Canelo Alvarez and failed to win in the trilogy. It is unlikely that there will be a fourth fight with the Mexican. There is no point in organizing such a confrontation anymore. Alvarez won two fights, and one ended in a draw. Golovkin cannot overturn the score in his favor anymore.

There are few options for his comeback. It will be difficult for "Triple G" to fit into his native middleweight category. Canelo dominates the super middleweight, holding all the belts.

Undoubtedly, if Gennady decides to return to the ring, it will be for a title fight. And the most likely scenario for his return seems to be in the light heavyweight category, as organizing a fourth fight against Canelo will be difficult.

Earlier, the Kazakh vacated three championship belts he held in the middleweight division. Therefore, if he wishes to fight again, any of the organizations will grant the ex-champion the right to compete for a title. If we set aside the prospects of a confrontation with Canelo and assume a return in the light heavyweight division, GGG's opponents could be:

• Artur Beterbiev;
• Dmitry Bivol;
• Joshua Buatsi.

But the latter does not hold any championship belts. However, whether Golovkin can handle the competition from heavier opponents with a strong punch is the main question that could hinder Gennady on his path to returning to the ring. In such a case, every bookmaker would consider Golovkin an underdog, like in this example of one of them, where you can watch and bet in real-time: https://parimatch.kz/ru/all-live/.

Conclusions

Gennady Golovkin has not yet announced the end of his sports career. Therefore, the path to organizing a future fight remains open. But lucrative options for the Kazakh athlete are not yet apparent.

All that's left is to wait. If the newly appointed president of the National Olympic Committee does not announce a return to the ring by mid-2024, it is likely that GGG will retire from sports. However, undoubtedly, the former champion wants to leave boxing gracefully, closing the bitter defeat in his last fight.