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Gennadiy Golovkin vacates IBF middleweight title in face of order to fight Esquiva Falcao

Gennadiy Golovkin voluntarily relinquishes one of his major world titles.

Gennadiy Golovkin is one world title lighter after he decides to relinquish the belt rather than make a mandatory defense agaisnt Esquiva Falcao.
Gennadiy Golovkin is one world title lighter after he decides to relinquish the belt rather than make a mandatory defense agaisnt Esquiva Falcao.
Erik Verduzco / Las Vegas Review-Journal

Multiple reports are surfacing that middleweight titleholder Gennadiy Golovkin has officially vacated his IBF middleweight world title. The news comes as Golovkin had been ordered to make a mandatory defense against Esquiva Falcao, with Golovkin obviously having other plans at the moment.

So with Golovkin now out as far as the IBF title is concerned, it appears there may soon come a new order for the now vacant belt.

Golovkin, 40, made his last appearance in September 2023, when he lost a trilogy match against Canelo Alvarez. Golovkin has long been seen as a boogeyman in the sport of boxing but in recent years he’s begun to show clear signs of aging, which is really only to be expected from a fighter of his age.

For now, however, Golovkin maintains his WBA title and we’ll just have to see what exactly he intends on doing as he continues his boxing career.

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