NEW YORK -- Gennady Golovkin's big fight with Daniel Geale on Saturday (HBO, 9:30 p.m. ET/PT) is almost here, and his trainer Abel Sanchez is hoping the most decorated opponent of Golovkin's career can test all the skills he has to offer.
Geale [30-2 with 16 knockouts] is expected to be Golovkin's toughest opponent yet, largely because of his movement-heavy style and overwhelming punch output. At the final press conference at Madison Square Garden Golovkin expressed disdain for the July 12 Canelo Alvarez vs. Erislandy Lara bout, and said he didn't appreciate Lara's evasive tactics.
"I want a fight. Like Canelo and Lara? Terrible fight. Running, I don't like that. I like fighting," Golovkin said.
Geale has made it a point to not give Golovkin "an easy target," but Sanchez said his fighter won't be complaining after the fight even if Geale chooses to run.
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"I'll tell you one thing, you won't hear him complain if someone runs because he's just going to cut off the ring. If somebody's running it's for a reason he doesn't want to get hit. He's not going to do what Canelo did in that fight and b***h about he was in a track meet," Sanchez said.
While Golovkin's knockout rate of just under 90 percent is the main selling point for his fights, Sanchez told Sports World News that Golovkin has myriad other skills that simply haven't been brought out of him yet.
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"It's intelligence. Ring intelligence," Sanchez said. "Reading somebody's reaction. Fighters make coaches better coaches. When I see him throw a shot to the right because I see he's setting up his left or moving to the right of somebody to move them to the left that just shows me he's thinking and making you do what he wants you to do.
"I think first of all you have to give credit to the great amateur program in Kazakhstan. He had great amateur coaches and those coaches instilled some of those things we brought out in the pro ranks. Intelligence is he's making you do what he wants you to do, and once you do it he's going to punish you for it."
Both Golovkin and Sanchez denied frustration with the inability to find the big-name opponent that he desperately needs to establish himself as a pay-per-view attraction, but the trainer expressed hope that Geale can draw out some of the skills he hasn't revealed yet.
"I hope so for me as a coach so I can see more what I have, but don't get me wrong, if it's over quickly we're not going to be upset.
"We spend time working on balance, timing, technique every day. Once you step him up to a next level of fighters like Geale this is where it all comes out. It's there, he just hasn't had to bring it out."
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