Conversation with Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin About DAZN, Steve Rolls, Canelo, and His Career

One of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world Gennady “GGG” Golovkin chats with The Big Lead about his career, his fights against Canelo Alvarez, a potential trilogy fight, switching to DAZN, his fight this Saturday against Steve Rolls, and more!

Bobby Burack: Why did you pick DAZN as your broadcast partner over other networks you had offers from? Did you have any concerns about switching to a relatively new streaming service after spending most of your career with a premium cable service (with HBO now out of the boxing business)?

Gennady Golovkin: DAZN gave me the best offer. It was very good and very large and very serious. No one could top what DAZN was giving me. I was very happy to switch to a streaming service. Because if you compare what I have here, a partner with a great streaming service, compared to HBO it is really night and day. They are much more interested in athletics and sports here at DAZN.

Burack: What about have you noticed about your upcoming opponent, Steve Rolls, watching the tape? Stylistically he much different than your past few opponents, in particular, Canelo Alvarez.

Golovkin: Well, you cannot compare boxers. Every boxer is different than the other one. What intrigues me about [Rolls], is that he is an unbeaten boxer. He’s a hungry boxer. So, that will be very interesting.

Burack: Gennady, looking over your recent bouts, your record is not accumulating as many knockouts as it was early on. Is that an adjustment or more to do with the recent quality of opponents?

Golovkin: It shows the progress in boxing. It shows my opponents are better prepared. It shows it is not so easy. It is really too bad you don’t remember my fight with Vanes Martirosyan.

Burack: Your biggest fight, the first one against Canelo, didn’t come until you were in your mid-30s. Does it bother you that due to your former reputation as a knockout artist that you likely won’t have that many marquee fights on your resume when all is said and done because fighters were reluctant to face you early on?

Golovkin: I may have to take offense to that. Because why don’t you remember my fight against Martirosyan? When I knocked him out. I don’t think anything has changed. Yes, there was a time where people were afraid to fight me. But the situation and attitude has not changed.

Burack: Well, let’s talk about Canelo. How interested are you in that trilogy fight? I’ve said it several times, I thought you won both of those fights but the judges did not agree. And if that fight does take place, do you hope to have it take place somewhere other than Las Vegas, where it appears the judges have favored Canelo?

Golovkin: It is the boxing business. The third fight will bring the best eyes out, so that is why it is interesting. I’m not really thinking about this fight yet. I’m focused on my upcoming fight in New York, New York on Saturday. We will talk about the next fight when the time comes.

Burack: Has your training camp process changed as you have become an older fighter?

Golovkin: Yes, it is 100 percent different. It is different views and a different understanding of boxing. A new person has arrived with a different view on boxing.

Burack: How surprised were you Anthony Joshua lost this past weekend to Andy Ruiz Jr. via TKO?

Golovkin: I wasn’t surprised at all. I thought he got what he was due.

Burack: Okay, finally, why should those on the fence get a subscription to DAZN to watch your fight against Rolls this weekend?

Golovkin: The reason is because all interesting fights and all things interesting in boxing will be happening on and only on DAZN.