Gennady Golovkin call with Kazakhstan president revealed after defeat to Canelo Alvarez

Gennady Golovkin’s compelling trilogy with Canelo Alvarez has now been wrapped up, but it might not have been the fairy tale ending that Golovkin had been hoping for.

Having moved up to 168lbs to contest Alvarez for the WBC, WBO, WBA, and IBF super-middleweight titles, it was Alvarez who won by unanimous decision at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Despite a galling defeat at the hands of his great rival, Golovkin still appeared to be in good spirits as he took a surprise phone call moments after the final bell went.

And it has now transpired that Golovkin received a phone call from the Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev inside the ring.

Supposedly, the Kazakh President provided some encouraging words to Golovkin, as he said: “For the fans, you were and will remain the national champion and the best in the world. We are proud of you.”

While Golovkin was left disappointed by his loss to Alvarez, he has admitted he’s far from finished even though it was thought this defeat could trigger his retirement.

When pressed over his plans for the future, Golovkin is adamant he’s far from over.

He said: “I still have this fire burning within me. I have [more] passion for boxing. And don’t forget I have three belts [at 160]. I feel good like I said.

“And I’m not tired. I’m fresh. I feel the strength. I feel the power within me… if the right opportunity comes, I’ll be looking to continue to return to the ring.”

Among those that have called out Golovkin, is Chris Eubank Jr, who is preparing to face Conor Benn next month. This bout will reprise the famous rivalry between the fathers of these two boxers which captivated the attention of British fans in the early 1990s. Of course, there will be a lot of interest in this contest, and from a betting perspective, there is already a flurry of lines available.

At many of the top online betting sites, such as FanDuel, you can get odds for Eubank Jr v Benn, and this will cover everything from the Moneyline to the Method of Victory. Currently, FanDuel is leaning towards Eubank Jr to win as they have valued him at a short price of -230, and this in turn, could put him on a collision course to face Golovkin.

Prior to the loss to Alvarez, Golovkin had embarked on a four-fight winning streak, and he was the undisputed middleweight champion during his career.

Whether his team and Eubank’s representatives can thrash out a deal in the future remains to be seen, but whatever happens, it seems unlikely that Golovkin will set off quietly into the sunset anytime soon.