The future of former unified world middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin could reach greater clarity with the Kazakh star moving away from fighting and into the boardroom of sporting governance in Kazakhstan.
Reporting from Kazakhstan publication Tengrisport indicated that Golovkin has been nominated to replace Timur Kulibayev as president of Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee following a meeting on February 14 in the capital, Astana.
According to the Commission’s official letter to General Assembly members, published by Kazakhstan’s Tengri Sport, “The Olympic sports federations have nominated Gennady Gennadievich Golovkin for the position of CON President.”
Kulibayev has held the position of the NOC presidency since 2015, with the NOC set to undergo structural changes in governance and a new assembly and other constitutional amendments set to be voted upon and approved on February 26.
A former government minister and NOC assembly candidate, Serik Sapiyev, confirmed Golovkin’s nomination to Tengri Sport, citing his profile as a boxer and as one of the sporting faces of Kazakhstan.
“Gennady Golovkin is a good candidate for this position,” Sapiyev said. “There is no doubt that he is a man of sport, the face of the country. Experience is an advantage. He himself [Golovkin] agrees because his candidacy has already been nominated.”
Golovkin has not boxed since his third fight with Canelo Alvarez in 2022, dropping a unanimous decision to his rival following two previous narrow and controversial affairs with the Mexican in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
Golovkin has yet to comment about his future as a fighter, leaving doubt about whether he will continue boxing or retire.
Promoter Tom Loeffler, in recent months, has not been able to clarify the status of the 41-year-old Golovkin but has stated previously that, “Whatever decision he [Golovkin] makes, whether he wants to fight again or decides to hang up the gloves, we will support him 100 per cent.”
