Defending WBA/IBO champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (26-0, 23KO’s) and Ireland’s top-rated former world title challenger Matthew “Mack The Knife” Macklin (29-4, 20KO’s) both took time out of their busy training schedules to talk about their eagerly anticipated upcoming middleweight championship showdown on June 29th at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino. The championship matchup will be the main event on HBO Boxing After Dark, which will be televised live at 9:45 p.m.
Golovkin is training at The Summit High Altitude Training Facility in Big Bear with head trainer Abel Sanchez, while Macklin has been preparing at his brand new state-of-the-art facility, Macklin’s Gym Marbella (MGM) in beautiful Marbella, Spain. Macklin left his camp in Spain this past Sunday to travel to New York City for his final preparations with head trainer Buddy McGirt.
Below are camp notes from both fighters.
GOLOVKIN:
“Training has been going very well, we have a very good atmosphere up in Big Bear. This is where I have trained for my last seven fights and I am very comfortable here. I have been getting great sparring, training with WBO junior middleweight champion Zaurbek Baysangurov.
“Every morning I wake up at 6:30 and do my morning run, which is anywhere between 4-5 miles. We go to the gym in the afternoon and, depending on the day, I will either spar or work on strategy with Abel. Every night, we all have dinner together as a team and then we spend the latter part of the evening socializing, relaxing and watching movies.
“We respect Macklin, but I don’t believe that the strengths that he has shown in the past against previous opponents will have any effect on me. I expect him to be a complete different fighter with a completely different game plan against me. Whatever he brings though, we will be more than ready to come away successful, and as always I plan on putting on a very strong, and entertaining performance on June 29th.”
MACKLIN:
“I have had an excellent camp so far here in Spain, and I am looking forward to coming over to NYC to join Buddy and get acclimated to the time difference. It is great having my own gym when I am preparing for a fight, but I also cherish the fact that the facility is home to a number of world-class athletes from all types of sports, as well as for the local kids here to come in and learn the sport of boxing.
“We start our day with an early morning run. I divide my running sessions up between hill runs, through the beautiful mountains, and sprints. After my run, I go home and have a good breakfast and relax until the afternoon. In the afternoon, I head to the gym for my main session of the day. I switch things around to keep things fresh; depending on the day, the main focus of the session will either be pad-work or sparring. On alternate days, I’ll go back to the gym in the evening and work with my strength and conditioning coach. At night, I will either watch a movie to relax, or go for a long walk around the beautiful harbor in Marbella.
“I have been a pro since 2001, but I am always learning and trying new things in training. There is no substitute for experience and through that, you find out what works for you and what doesn’t. It is important to listen to your body and not be afraid to adapt your training routine based on what your body is telling you.
“I am very excited about this fight, because Golovkin is there to be hit. With someone like Sergio Martinez, because of his style and movement, it can be very hard to land cleanly on him and get your combinations off, and that is frustrating. With Golovkin, obviously he is very dangerous, but he is right there in front of you. Everyone talks about his power, and believe me, I am well aware of it, but just like I am going to have to deal with his, he is going to have to deal with mine.
“I’ve always had a lot of confidence in my own ability. I think the nature of my career and the ups and downs that I’ve had to get to this point have made me a very mentally strong person. To become World Champion and finally lift that world title belt is a goal that has driven me since the first day I put on a pair of boxing gloves. I’ve won everything else in terms of Irish, British and European titles and I should have had the world title after I got ripped off in the Sturm fight. Each setback though has just made me more determined to become World Champion so that’s really the driving force behind me at this point in my career.
“As much as I am looking forward to June 29th, the the fans are the real winners in this fight. This is a real old fashioned, middleweight ‘fight’ and a throwback to the great middleweight heyday of the 40’s and 50’s where the best fought the best. I don’t think there are going to be too many tactical surprises in there from either of us. You have two physically strong punchers who love to come forward, so it’s no surprise that people are predicting a real war.
“Gennady’s a great fighter and he will go on to achieve a lot in this sport, but every great fighter hits a bump in the road at some point, and for Gennady, that will come on June 29th.”
