Gennady Golovkin may have won all 37 of his fights as a professional boxer, but he still does not love the sport.
The undefeated Golovkin will put his WBC, WBA, IBF and IBO middleweight belts on the line on Saturday when he takes on Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The Kazakh has established himself as the dominant force in the division and is two fights away from matching the record of 20 successful title defences at the weight set by the legendary Bernard Hopkins.
However, Golovkin maintains a clinical view of boxing, admitting he by no means has an unbounded passion for the sport.
"I still don't love boxing. It's my job, it's my life. I am a fan of boxing. But I don't love this," he wrote in an article published on The Players' Tribune.
"You've seen fights. Who could love a thing so brutal? But I am good at boxing. It is my job and I work hard. Easy money. I love my team. I love my life.
"And I know the boxer that I need to be. I know that I have to become GGG. But I don't love that.
"I love my family. I love my wife, Alina. I love my son, Vadim. And I love our new baby girl, who was born this week."
Golovkin makes a distinction between the family man and 'GGG' - the persona he adopts when he steps into the ring and becomes "like a shark in the ocean".
"Every time, before every big fight, my body remembers what to do," he wrote.
"And it's no different this week, before I face Canelo Alvarez on Saturday night. Each day before the fight, it gets bigger. Bigger and bigger. Until fight night. That's when Gennady Golovkin becomes GGG in the ring.
"It's been happening again, these last few months, up at our camp in Big Bear, California. Gennady to GGG. As I get ready to fight Canelo, what people say is the biggest fight of my career, my body, my mind are both getting ready to step into the ring. And when I do, it is like a shark in the ocean. If you go in the ocean, the shark knows. He's home. It's the same for me in the ring."
Former heavyweight champion and Hall of Famer, George Foreman, weighed in on the fight and believes if the fight reaches a decision - Canelo will win the fight.
"I think these guys will put on a good fight," Foreman, 68, said to Sporting News. "It is going to be an evenly-matched bout. When you get two punchers together, both become very smart, trying to avoid the punch.
"It turns out being a 12-round decision. If it does, I think Canelo will win on points. I think both guys are so worried about the punch, neither will leave themselves open for a punch. You don't want to go toe-to-toe with a puncher unless you're ignorant about his punching power like I was against Ron Lyle [in 1976]. I didn't think he was punching, I thought it was a build-up thing. So I went in there and tried to box him, dropping my hands and next thing you know, I almost got killed.
"That's not going to happen with these two fighters. They're both aware of the power of one another. Certain guys can avoid being knocked by you and I think Canelo knows that for a fact that he needs to keep his reserve and land hard punches when he can. Wait for a good opening. He may land three shots but that doesn't mean it will be the end of the fight. He didn't know that before the Mayweather bout. He is a wise fighter now. Golovkin, that's all he knows. Land those good hard body shots and to the head. He doesn't seem to know anything else."
