Gennady Golovkin No Longer Focused On Canelo Ahead Of Vanes Martirosyan Fight

Gennady Golovkin (37-0-1) is not thinking about Canelo Alvarez at least for the near future with his next title defense approaching this week.

Golovkin was supposed to defend his World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxing Federation (IBF), and International Boxing Organization (IBO) middleweight titles against Canelo on May 5 in a highly-anticipated rematch in Las Vegas after their first encounter ended in a controversial split-decision draw.

However, the fight was called off after Canelo withdrew earlier this month following a formal complaint filed against him by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) after two failed drug tests for clenbuterol in February.

"GGG" though, still wanted to fight as he will now face short-notice opponent Vanes Martirosyan instead, with the IBF recently granting him an exception to face the 31-year-old for the same date.

Should the unbeaten Kazakh retain his titles, he will notably equal former champion Bernard Hopkins' record of 20 middleweight title defenses.

"I would like to fight four or five times every year. Cinco De Mayo is a big night for a fight and for a Mexican-style fighter like me," Golovkin said, as per World Boxing News. "It is very important to me to be fighting again, to be fighting on Cinco De Mayo.

"I didn't want to disappoint the fans who wanted a fight on a Mexican holiday. I am grateful to the Mexican fans who support me and who supported me after the fight with Canelo and during the past two months," he added. "When my fight with Canelo was canceled I never stopped training. I wanted a fight on Cinco De Mayo. I stayed in Big Bear working hard with Abel [Sanchez] hoping I would still be able to have a fight."

Golovkin adds that a rematch with Canelo is something that depends on the Mexican, however, he is fine with redoing it for September this year. But for now, he is solely focused on Martirosyan.

"Canelo? Right now he is over," Golovkin added. "Do I want to have the rematch in September? We'll see. It's a different deal. The boxing business is crazy. I'll fight Canelo again. Ask him if he wants to fight me."

"I no longer think about Canelo. I am only focused on this fight. I just want to fight Vanes. I remember him from the 2004 Olympics," he said. "I know he is not easy. Vanes is a strong and active fighter in the ring. He is a good fighter. Vanes is a real guy. A real fighter. He is tall and strong. In 2004, I thought Vanes was the best boxer on the U.S. Olympic team."

Golovkin vs. Martirosyan will take place on May 5 at the StubHub Center in Carson, California and will be broadcast on regular HBO. Martirosyan holds a 36-3-1 record but will be moving up from light-middleweight to take on Golovkin and has notably not fought since a unanimous decision loss to Erislandy Lara back in May 2016.