Golovkin announces split with trainer Sanchez

Gennady Golovkin will have a new trainer when he returns on June 8.

Gennady Golovkin has surprised a lot of people in boxing today, as he’s officially announced via social media that he will no longer be working with trainer Abel Sanchez.

“I would like to announce that I have made a major decision for myself and for my career. I want to build on what I have already achieved and continue to better myself,” Golovkin wrote on Instagram. “Therefore, I will not be training with Abel Sanchez. This was not an easy decision for me and it is not a reflection on Abel’s professional abilities. He is a great trainer, a loyal trainer, and a Hall of Fame trainer.

“I will be announcing my new trainer at a later date. But today, I want to thank Abel for the lessons he taught me in boxing.”

Golovkin (38-1-1, 34 KO) is set to return to action on June 8 at Madison Square Garden, facing Steve Rolls in a matchup that has drawn a ton of criticism. The fight will be Golovkin’s debut on DAZN, and his first outing since last September’s controversial rematch loss to Canelo Alvarez.

The fight with Rolls is one GGG is expected to win handily, but is also now one where we could reasonably expect Golovkin, at 37, to maybe try to change his style and preparation a little bit.

It likely won’t have any impact on the outcome of that fight, but obviously this is more about a potential third fight this fall with Alvarez. Golovkin seemingly feels that he’s gone as far down the road with Abel Sanchez as possible, and that whatever you think of the decisions, that tandem didn’t get the win in either of the fights with Canelo. GGG might be hoping that a new approach can get him over that hump.