By Sean Jones: Gennadiy Golovkin’s former trainer, Abel Sanchez, watched his loss to Canelo Alvarez last Saturday night, and he feels he had the wrong game plan to beat the Mexican star.
Sanchez said for Golovkin or anyone to beat Canelo (58-2-2, 39 KOs), you have to be aggressive and fight him the way Dmitry Bivol did last May.
Golovkin (42-2-1, 37 KOs) couldn’t do that, and Sanchez believes the game plan was wrong for Gennadiy. He also believes that Golovkin has too many coaches. According to Sanchez, Golovkin has Johnathon Banks in addition to four or four other coaches who don’t have a track record of success.
Sanchez feels that Golovkin strayed from his normal fighting style by choosing to box Canelo instead of being aggressive and pressuring him. It’s unclear if Golovkin came up with this idea on his own or if it was the idea of his head trainer, Banks, trying to outdo Canelo.
Without Golovkin throwing combinations, he was never going to get past Canelo. Also, Golovkin fought timidly, as if he was afraid to let go of his hands for fear of being countered by Canelo.
Interestingly, Sanchez said that he would be interested in coaching Golovkin again if he contacted him or someone called him.
He feels Golovkin isn’t too old to be successful, but he would have to be at 160. That’s where Sanchez feels Golovkin is at his best.
“What’s that that says, ‘A guy [Golovkin] did not want to fight, and the other [Canelo] I was happy,’” Abel Sánchez told Fighthype, reacting to Gennadiy Golovkin’s loss to Canelo Alvarez last weekend.
“I just felt like they fought 24 rounds and knew each other so well it was a pity punch sparring session. Neither wanted to take over.
“I don’t know the reason why Golovkin. Golovkin, to me, was the one with the most to prove and the most to gain from being the winner.
“Canelo is at the point right now where he can have a loss like he had against Bivol, and it’s not going to affect him as much. Financially that is.
“I felt for some reason that Gennadiy didn’t have the strength to do what he did in the first two fights. He didn’t have the authority in the ring, he didn’t have control of the fight.
“To beat Canelo, you have to do what Bivol ultimately did in his career, where he was aggressive. That’s what you have to do with Canelo. You have to act to react. You can’t wait to react on Canelo.
“We can tell when a guy wants to win or just survive so he doesn’t lose too much and maybe win. It seemed that way in the first eight or nine rounds for Gennadiy. I don’t understand.
“It seemed to me the declining attitude and the aggressiveness that he had with me in fights. He is trying to be more of a boxer. I don’t understand why. The judges look at him like he’s not winning because he’s not the aggressor because he’s got his back, backing away, and the other guy is the aggressor.
“When he’s not doing that, the guy can do whatever he wants, and Canelo was doing whatever he wanted for the first six or seven rounds. No, I don’t think so,” Sánchez said when asked if Golovkin’s performance was because he was 40 years old.
“If you continue your training regiment the way you have been training. If you don’t allow too much time between your regiment, then your strength, in your case, that’s one of your attributes, your strength will stay.
“Looks like his punches aren’t as effective as they used to be. I remember in many of his fights that as soon as he landed a punch at the start of a fight, you would see the change in the opponent’s eyes and gestures.
“In the last fight that I’ve seen clips of, the three or four before this one, I haven’t seen that in the opponent’s eyes. I see them as ‘I can walk through those bumps. They won’t hurt me.
“Gennadiy is a strong puncher; he’s a heavy handed guy, and if his timing is right and he throws a combination, he’ll hurt guys. He hasn’t been doing that.
“It seems like he has to wear guys down to knock them out, whereas in the past, he could hurt them with anything he wanted to hurt them with.
“We can’t blame Johnathon [Banks]. When a fighter reaches a certain level at a certain point, we as coaches can suggest. I am the type of coach that I demand. Many trainers suggest what we have to do.
“I think Johnathon did what he thought he had to do because of the instructions he received from his fighter in the gym. You have to have a trainer that suits your style that you have been fighting with.
“To have four other trainers who had no history of having success with any fighter, Gennadiy Golovkin was a test baby for them. That was a bit unfair to Golovkin, in my opinion.
“I didn’t see the Golovkin that we saw in the past in this fight. Yes, I think so,” Sánchez said when asked if Golovkin should retire. “It was not obvious to me.
“Yeah, it didn’t look as good as before. If you go back and change a few things, you’ll be better. You need to assess your situation and assess it in your best interest.
“If what you were doing didn’t work out in the fight, then maybe you need to reassess it. No, I would be the last to tell you that he needs to retire.
“Unfortunately, they talk a lot, but they don’t produce anything,” Sanchez said when asked if he would like to see Golovkin fight Demetrius Andrade or Jermall Charlo next.
“Who has Andrade really fought? How long has it been since they fought? The only one I see that he would be a threat to any of them, Canelo and Golovkin would be Benavidez at 168.
“I don’t think Golovkin needs to go to 168. I think he needs to stay at 160, defend his titles and ride off into the sunset on his terms. Even Charlie. When was the last time Charlo fought and who did he fight?
“It’s not that he doesn’t deserve the fight. Just like people criticize Canelo for taking on Golovkin, an old man in his 40s. He looked at his history. Look at Canelo’s resume. He has consistently fought some very good guys.
“Golovkin has at least fought some guys and made defenses. Charlo, it’s been at least a year since he fought, and he’s not signed up to fight anyone.
“I don’t know who Golovkin will fight next. I guess the organizations will determine that. I think the guy who fights him has to be a guy who is constantly in the ring or at least twice a year to deserve a shot at a title.
“If you’re sitting on the bench just because you got No. 1 doesn’t mean you deserve a title shot from me.
“That’s a tough fight,” Sanchez said when asked if Canelo should fight Dmitry Bivol again. “In the Canelo fight, he took a risk; he backed it up. He did all the things I thought Golovkin should have done on Saturday night.
“Bivol is a Golovkin, but only 15 pounds heavier, but with the same amateur credentials. I would like to see Canelo defend at 168. I don’t think it suits him to go up to 175 again, especially against Bivol or Beterbiev, who I said in the past would be a tough fight.
“Those guys are big, and they are big hitters. They can shoot and are very skilled. I would like for him [Canelo] stay at 168 and face the young lions at 168.
“He is still a young man. How old is he, 32? Not that he’s going to give up much age-wise. Yes, he has many miles in his boxing life, but he is still a young man.
“He can still fight those guys, and I guess how many times has a little guy moved up to a big guy and been successful? Very rarely because those guys, especially for Bivol and Beterbiev. They are 185, 190 and 200. They are going down to 175.
“Canelo started at 147, so he’s going up. I honestly think he has a lot of challenges at 168 if he accepts them.
“Not really,” Sanchez said when asked if he would be interested in coaching Golovkin again. “I think it would be an insult on my part because it would be an insult to Johnathon.
“I think it would have to be initiated by Golovkin or someone by Golovkin with Golovkin’s approval. I would never initiate that call. It is an insult to his coach,” Sánchez said.
