Gennadiy Golovkin might be bowing out of the sport, at least for a while, according to Erik Morales. Photo by Naoki Fukuda
Erik Morales, the trainer of middleweight contender Jaime Munguia, says former unified champ Gennadiy Golovkin isn’t interested in fighting for the time being and will be stepping away from the sport for “an indefinite period.”
The hall of famer said this during an interview with IZQUIERDAZO, a Spanish-language site that covers boxing. Morales was asked about a potential showdown between his fighter and Golovkin, who recently abdicated his IBF and WBA 160-pound titles.
“I don’t think (we are looking for that fight),” Morales told IZQUIERDAZO when asked if there were negotiations for a Golovkin-Munguia showdown. “What I understand, what I was told by the (promotional) company, is that Golovkin told them that he is leaving boxing for an indefinite period of time. And that, if he decides to come back, he will let everybody know. So, we can’t think about Golovkin right now”.
Morales said that Munguia’s promoters are looking for an opponent for a June 10 date.
“(Fernando) Beltran (of Zanfer Promotions), Golden Boy (and) Oscar De La Hoya will (let us know) who will be Jaime’s next opponent,” Morales said. “We all would like it to be Golovkin, the (entire) team, especially Jaime, but Golovkin is not there anymore.”
Golovkin, The Ring’s No. 1-rated middleweight, is coming off a very lucrative 2022, in which he unified IBF and WBA titles with a ninth-round stoppage of the recently retired Japanese star Ryota Murata and dropped a close unanimous decision to arch-rival Canelo Alvarez in their rubbermatch at super middleweight. The future hall of famer may be content to enjoy the fruits of his labor with his family in 2023.
