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    LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (Sept. 12, 2022) — The super middleweight edition of Gennadiy “GGG” Golovkin’s Big Drama Show debuts Saturday evening, live on DAZN PPV (https://www.dazn.com/en-US/welcome) from T-Mobile Arena, against the undisputed World Super Middleweight Champion and arch rival  Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, in the long-awaited third fight of their triloGGGy.  It’s the type of challenge Golovkin has always relished and pursued, champion vs. champion.  Now, in this third fight with Canelo, he has one-stop shopping to finally become an undisputed champion, which would be a historic highlight in a career made up of historic highlights.

            “This fight is important for the sport.  It rewards fans and creates new fans.  It is the biggest fight in boxing and certainly the biggest fight of our trilogy.” said Golovkin.  “This is the type of fight that makes boxing grow.  Trilogies are historic and I am excited to be part of one.  It is amazing.  It means that the first two fights were so good that we were in demand and the fans wanted to see us fight each other again.  I made a lot of concessions to Canelo to keep this fight intact because I have always wanted this third fight.  I would never give up a championship belt or move to a different weight class to avoid an opponent.  And while four years is too long between the last fight and this one, I am relieved Canelo did not wait until I was 50 to agree to a third fight because, for awhile, it seemed that was a strong possibility.”          

            History is nothing new to middleweight legend Golovkin.  One of the marquee fighters of his era, he has been rewriting the storied division’s record book throughout his career.  He holds the division record for total title defenses and consecutive title defenses.  Golovkin’s Big Drama Show is built on a base of crushing power, continuous pressure, and masterful offense.  The Guinness Book of Records certified his knockout percentage as the highest for any middleweight, which also explains why he has been one of the most avoided fighters of his era.  Since 2010, there hasn’t been a year when he wasn’t wearing a middleweight world championship belt.  Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs), from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, is a model of consistency, discipline, hard work, and excellence.  In short, he’s a winner.                

            A restless fighter constantly in search of new worlds to conquer and new fans to fight in front of, Golovkin has never allowed himself to be confined by geography or the business of boxing.  Rather, he has been defined by his willingness to take on the biggest challenges available anywhere in the world.  While most champions look for the friendly confines of a hometown or home country venue or a city where they enjoy “most favored nation status,” Golovkin, who hasn’t fought in his native Kazakhstan in 12 years, has fought in eight different countries since winning his first world title in 2010.  Golovkin’s Big Drama Show has packed iconic arenas around the world, selling out Madison Square Garden, The O2 in London, the Fabulous Forum and StubHub Center in the Los Angeles area, and T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.  True to form, his most recent fight was in Japan on April 4, one day after celebrating his 40th birthday, where Golovkin once again became the unified middleweight champion by knocking out  Japan’s national hero and WBA Super World Middleweight Champion Ry?ta Murata in the ninth-round.  The fans in the sold-out Saitama Super Arena, located near Tokyo, gave Golovkin a standing ovation when the referee raised his hand in victory.  It is one of the many reasons for his global popularity and proof that the appeal of the Big Drama Show has no boundaries and plays in any language.

            Which brings us to Saturday’s epic fight between world champions.  Their two previous fights were all-action high octane middleweight championship battles, both going the 12-round distance, with the vast majority of ringside observers and fans agreeing that Golovkin should still be undefeated.  Four years in the making, despite both fights earning live gates in excess of $27 and $23 million, respectively, placing them No. 3 and No. 4 on Nevada’s all-time list, and each one attracting over one million pay-per-view buys in the U.S. alone, the third fight of their trilogy is finally upon us.  And while the fight is again at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, that is one of the few constants of this trilogy.  For the first time in his professional career, Golovkin will be in a world title fight outside his familiar home in the middleweight division.  The other new facet will be a different trainer from the first two Canelo fights — Johnathon Banks, a Kronk Gym alumnus and a protégé of the legendary trainer Emanuel Steward.  This will be the fifth, and certainly most important fight for the GGG-Banks tandem.  

            “Johnathon has added the traditions of the Kronk Gym to my training.  He has opened a different world to me,” said Golovkin.  “Johnathon has not changed my style of fighting but has added weapons to my arsenal.  I had the honor of knowing Emanuel Steward.  Johnathon brought his memorable experience of Kronk to me.  It has been my privilege for Johnathon to share that with me.  With Johnathon behind me, it does not matter who is in front of me.  I trust him completely.”   .

            “This is our fifth fight together.  We have been building on what Gennadiy has learned while incorporating what made him so special as an amateur, working on the basics — timing, rhythm, and speed,” said Banks.  “In boxing, to remain at the elite level, you either evolve or die.  He’s not depending solely on power punching.  I still remember sitting with Emanuel Steward at amateur tournaments and both of us marveling at Gennadiy’s all-round abilities inside the ring.  He was an extraordinary power-punching boxer.  He could do anything he wanted.  Even at 40, he still approaches training like he’s a young and hungry top-rated contender.  He is all smiles and always the first one in the gym.  He really enjoys training and it shows in his work ethic and the results.  He is a fast study and an eager student.  He has an incredible thirst to learn new things.  Gennadiy is an athlete’s athlete.  And while 40 may be the new 30, thanks to the science of nutrition and strength and conditioning, come Saturday night, 40 may also be the new World Super Middleweight Champion.”   

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GGG MEDIA CENTRAL – FIGHT WEEK MONDAY EDITION

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