ASTANA – A museum commemorating beloved Kazakh boxer Gennady “GGG” Golovkin opened in the sports complex also named after him in Maikuduk, the district in Karaganda where he was born. The museum showcases trophies, diplomas, boxing gloves, sneakers and other belongings of the undefeated champion.
“It has been planned for a long time to open a hall of fame or a corner for the achievements of our superhero. After all, the sports complex is named after Gennady Golovkin, so our students should see Gennady’s achievements – his diplomas, cups, the letters of thanks he received in different years,” said Ruslan Saifimilyukov, the head of the Gennady Golovkin Physical Culture and Recreation Complex, according to inform.kz. “The younger generation will strive to become stronger, better. Our plans were realised: now this beautiful place has appeared in the hall of the sports complex.”
Golovkin’s personal items, including sneakers, the shorts he wore in the Olympic Games and the chapan (the traditional Kazakh robe) emblazoned with “GGG” that he wears to enter the ring, are displayed on shelves, and posters announce the boxer’s fights in different cities and countries.
Every visitor and student of the sports facility can freely visit the boxer’s archive.
The announcement of the planned museum was made during the opening of the Golovkin sport complex in June, a ceremony the famous boxer himself took part in. Approximately 10,000 Karaganda residents came to the opening, mostly from Golovkin’s home district of Maikuduk.
The facility was built by the city administration mainly for the residents of the Oktyabr district. Some 874 million tenge (US$2.67 million) was spent on the construction of the complex.
“While you were fighting in America, we weren’t just sitting around here. I think it will be a good gift for all the residents,” Akim (governor) of the Karaganda region Yerlan Koshanov told Golovkin during the public ceremony presenting the sports facility.
The complex employs 14 coaches in six sports, including weightlifting, boxing, swimming, synchronised swimming, basketball and volleyball, and has a capacity of more than 550 children. All activities for children are free of charge.
