By: Hans Themistode
In the opinion of Abel Sanchez, Gennadiy Golovkin’s decision to part ways wasn't a sagacious choice.
For years on end, the two partnered together to go on one of the more destructive runs in the history of the middleweight division. At one point, Golovkin went on a particularly violent tear, winning 23 consecutive contests before the sound of the final bell.
Still, despite Golovkin becoming a household name, the former unified champion decided it would be in his best interest to part ways with Sanchez, following his 2018 majority decision defeat at the hands of Canelo Alvarez.
With Sanchez now out of the loop, Golovkin has enlisted the help of world-renowned trainer, Johnathan Banks. Under his guidance, Golovkin has gone on to win three bouts in a row, two of which came via stoppage. But while Golovkin has re-entered the winner's circle, he hasn’t looked like the destructive force he once was.
Under Sanchez, Golovkin was known as a come-forward fighter with relentless pressure and pernicious knockout power. Under Banks, however, Golovkin has implemented more of a box-first approach, slipping punches and boxing on the outside for long durations of his bouts.
As a result of his new style, Golovkin has been hit far more often than many have been accustomed to seeing over the past few years. Throughout his transition phase, Sanchez has kept a watchful eye on his former fighter. And, considering his lackluster results, Sanchez believes that the abrupt change in trainers wasn't the best idea.
“Seeing some of the results of the last three or four fights, I don’t believe it was the right choice,” said Sanchez during an interview with Fight Hub TV. “Not because I’m a supreme coach. But sometimes when you’re doing particular things that are successful, as soon as you change those things, all of a sudden, you change the routine and change the things you were doing, and things don’t go so well.”
Regardless of the feelings of Sanchez, Golovkin will attempt to move his career in the right direction. On Saturday night, April 9th in Saitama, Japan, Golovkin will take on WBA middleweight titlist, Ryota Murata. Should Golovkin successfully add Murata’s world title to his IBF trinket, he’ll patiently wait for Alvarez. The two are tentatively scheduled to face off should Golovkin defeat Murata and should Alvarez lay waste to Dmitry Bivol.
From Sanchez’s standpoint, it’s of little to no importance what Golovkin does from here on out. While initially, Sanchez was hurt and apoplectic by the way things ended, having had time to reflect, the longtime trainer reveals that at this point, he has nothing but love for his former star.
“The first week there was resentment,” Sanchez said. “Once I gave it some thought, listen, everybody goes different ways. I don’t want to see him hurt. But things happen. I have no animosity now. I’d give him a hug.”
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