Dedicated Golovkin skips baby’s birth to train for title fight
LAS VEGAS: Gennady Golovkin is one of the most dedicated boxers in the world and even the birth of his daughter couldn’t pry him out of the gym.
The three-belt champion missed the birth on Friday because he was training for his upcoming world middleweight title fight.
Golovkin stayed in the gym for two hours after his wife, Alina, gave birth to the couple’s second child. They also have a son.
“He didn’t leave the gym until 6pm,” Golovkin’s trainer Abel Sanchez said.
“The baby was born at 4pm. His wife was in the hospital for one day. She came home next day so he was home with them.”
Golovkin, who holds the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation middleweight belts, will face Canelo Alvarez in a 12-round mega title fight tomorrow in Las Vegas.
Sanchez said he was concerned during the long training camp about how Golovkin was doing with the baby on the way.
“I started to voice my concern. ‘The baby’s not here’. He said ‘coach the baby is going to come whether I am there or not. I have already done my part’.”
Sanchez said Golovkin has been in high spirits as the fight preparation shifted this week from their training camp to Las Vegas.
“He is in a great mood. I don’t know if it is because of the baby being here or if because he finally got the fight he wanted,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez says Golovkin is a good father and just as dedicated to his family as he is to his work.
“Golovkin is a family man. He has always been very, very, very focused,” Sanchez said.
“He has never been the type of guy to go out at night. You are never going to lose him for a day. — AFP