By Keith Idec
LAS VEGAS – Gennadiy Golovkin declined to respond Saturday to the harsh words his former trainer delivered last week.
Abel Sanchez painted Golovkin as a greedy, ungrateful fighter once the former middleweight champion announced April 22 that he was parting ways with his longtime trainer. Golovkin announced during a press conference Saturday morning at MGM Grand that Johnathon Banks has replaced Sanchez.
When asked about Sanchez’s provocative comments, Kazakhstan’s Golovkin smiled and replied respectfully.
“I respect his [training regimen],” Golovkin said. “He [taught] me a lot. This is his thoughts, you know, his side. Just watch my Instagram. … I said, ‘Thank you very much. Thank you very much, sir. You teach me.’ It was a huge experience. It was a very nice, good experience. Thanks. That’s it.”
Detroit’s Banks, a disciple of late legendary trainer Emanuel Steward, began training Golovkin two weeks ago at a gym in Big Bear Lake, California. Golovkin is comfortable in Big Bear because that’s where Sanchez trained him since he began boxing in the United States in 2012.
“I want more,” Golovkin said. “I want to learn again and again because, you know, I’m a big boxing fan. I can’t stop. … I am going forward. I need experience. I need more experience.”
The 37-year-old Golovkin (38-1-1, 34 KOs) is scheduled to face Canadian underdog Steve Rolls (19-0, 10 KOs) in a 12-round, 164-pound bou June 8 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Banks believes he can teach the former middleweight champion new wrinkles during their short time together before that fight.
The retired cruiserweight contender, most known for training retired heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko, also steered clear of saying anything negative about Sanchez on Saturday.
“I think that’s obvious, because we’re two totally different people,” Banks said when asked about the differences in their training styles. “It’s almost like you have two people from different walks of life, OK? But they work in the same field. So, me and him, we’re both in the boxing business. If we enter the gym with a fighter, your vision will be different from my vision. Not saying your vision is wrong – not saying my vision is wrong or right. We’ve just got two different visions.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
