Former middleweight titleholder Gennadiy Golovkin recently announced a parting of ways with trainer Abel Sanchez, which turned nasty when Sanchez accused Golovkin of being greedy and ungrateful, and since then life has gone on, and now Golovkin has found his new trainer in Emanuel Steward disciple Johnathon Banks.
Golovkin (38-1-1, 34 KO) will return to the ring for his DAZN debut on June 8 at Madison Square Garden, facing Steve Rolls in what is expected to be no more than a tune-up fight to get ready for something major this fall. The 37-year-old Golovkin last fought in Sept. 2018, losing a tight and controversial majority decision to Canelo Alvarez.
He’s actually slightly older than his new trainer, too. Banks doesn’t turn 37 until June 22, but he’s got experience as a trainer in high-level fights. Most notably, he took over as lead trainer for Wladimir Klitschko after Emanuel Steward passed away in 2012. Like Klitschko, Banks was trained by Steward, and had a solid pro career of his own from 2004-2014.
As a fighter, Banks challenged for the IBF cruiserweight title in 2009, stopped in the eighth round of what had been a competitive fight with Tomasz Adamek. He moved up to heavyweight after that, and derailed the Seth Mitchell hype train in Nov. 2012, stopping the former Michigan State football player in two rounds. (Mitchell won a decision in a rematch in June 2013, then was knocked out of the sport for good a couple months later by Chris Arreola.)
Banks’ last fight came in Dec. 2014, when he was stopped in the seventh round by Antonio Tarver.
If/when Golovkin does his business against Rolls on June 8, it’s well-known that DAZN want to match him with Canelo Alvarez for a third bout in September.
(Note: we’re spelling it “Gennadiy” now because Golovkin has asked media to do so. It’s “Gennadiy” on his birth certificate; somewhere along the way in boxing it became “Gennady,” as often happens to fighters who aren’t called “Bobby” or “Ted” or whatever. But he wants “Gennadiy,” so we’re going with “Gennadiy.” Despite this request, Golovkin has not changed his own name on social media.)