Gennady Golovkin was inactive throughout 2023 and lost both his WBA and IBF world titles as a result. With 2024 well underway, there is still no sign of the Kazakh, and it seems a retirement announcement could be imminent, after confirmation of ‘GGG’s’ career change.
Golovkin won silver at the 2004 Athens Olympics almost 20 years ago and now the granite-chinned icon has officially been appointed as the President of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan, possibly spelling the end of his boxing career.
A distinguished boxing coach in Kazakhstan, Nurgazy Zharylgapov, approved of the decision in an interview with Time.kz news agency.
“I am confident that Golovkin can contribute significantly to domestic sports as president of the NOC. He is a respected figure who has overcome formidable challenges in life and achieved remarkable success in the world of sports,”
Meanwhile, Serik Sapiyet, a London 2012 gold medallist who defeated the likes of Errol Spence Jr and Yordenis Ugas as an amateur, has offered to aid Golovkin during his tenure and has submitted his candidacy for the position as vice-president of the NOC.
“We have good relations with him. My vice-presidential candidacy reflects a sincere desire to assist Golovkin in his new venture. I believe that everyone stands to benefit, from the NOC to the broader development of sports in Kazakhstan”.
Kazakhstan’s Olympic presence has always been centred around boxing, picking up 24 of their 71 total medals in the sport and medalling at every games since their first appearance as an independent nation at Atlanta 1996.
However, their two bronze medals at Tokyo 2020 is the country’s worst performance at the games to date, sticking out as the only year they didn’t receive a gold medal, and also failing to achieve a silver.