Boxing icon Gennadiy Golovkin dismisses retirement claims almost two years after Canelo Alvarez loss: "Time will tell what will happen"

Gennadiy Golovkin has finally broken his silence regarding his career plans, insisting that he will not retire. The legendary boxer was quoted by one of the sport's most renowned reporters, Michael Benson, who took to X/Twitter to share 'GGG's' thoughts on the matter of his retirement.

While he didn't outright rule out retirement, he spoke about the manner in which he was raised, stating that it gave him an aversion to making grand announcements to the public. He would rather not make a spectacle of his retirement, which he has not committed to, as he continues to train, even claiming to be in great condition.

"I continue to train, I'm in good shape, I don't live with the thought that I retired. Some people are happy to announce for the whole world to see they retired, then they come back. Maybe it's my upbringing, I've never been a fan of PR and talking about myself. I'm extremely happy with what I'm doing now. Time will tell what will happen."

It's a telling statement. It is not unheard of for fighters to announce their retirement, occasionally as a negotiation tactic against a promoter, only to return to the squared circle. In fact, such a tactic is even common in MMA. In boxing, though, no fighter is better known for retiring and returning than Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Golovkin, however, thinks he is different. The Kazakhstani phenom spent the majority of his career undefeated, but shied away from PR stunts. Instead, he built his reputation in the ring, off the back of his two-time unified middleweight champion status and devastating knockout power.

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Gennady Golovkin has not fought since 2022

Despite refusing to commit to retirement, Gennadiy Golokvin hasn't fought in two years, having last appeared in the boxing ring against Canelo Alvarez, with whom he had a controversial trilogy, drawing once, and losing twice. After their final bout, 'GGG' began sitting on the sidelines.

He vacated several titles, including his IBF, WBA (Super), and IBO middleweight titles after being told to take part in the mandatory championship defenses of each sanctioning body.