Boxings top fighters typically fight twice a year, maybe three if they press the issue, as Gennady Golovkin likes to do.Golovkin, the unified middleweight titleholder and one of boxings most devastating punchers, likes to stay as busy as anyone. He hoped to fight three times this year, but that did not come to pass when talks for his mandatory defense against secondary titlist Daniel Jacobs bogged down.That led both sides to give up on a proposed Dec. 10 date and aim instead for getting it set for early 2017.But Golovkin is not acting like he doesnt have a fight scheduled and is doing something highly unusual for an elite fighter: He returned to training camp in late October, even though he has no fight set. More surprisingly, he did so only a few weeks after having knocked out Kell Brook in the fifth round on Sept. 10 on Brooks turf in London.After Golovkin, 34, retained his title for the 17th time and scored his 23rd?knockout in a row, he, his wife and his son went to visit family in Golovkins native Kazakhstan for two weeks. After they returned home to Santa Monica, California, Golovkin left for Big Bear Lake, California, where he is training at Abel Sanchezs gym.While many are surprised that he would return to training without a fight date, Golovkin said he enjoys himself.Its actually my attitude to keep my physical form and keep in shape, Golovkin told ESPN this week. Its a lot of fun for me to train. I had enough time to relax (after the fight with Brook). I was on vacation with my family. Its now time for me to do what I do best: to train. And its a lot of fun, but nothing special. I had vacation, now its time to get back to the life of a boxer.I take it very seriously as a professional athlete to always be in shape. As long as Im in my active career, I have to do it this way.Said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions, Its a testament to how committed he is to his career and to the sport of boxing that even without a fight, he would go to camp. Ive never known of any fighter to go away to camp to stay in shape and to continue to sharpen his skills without a fight.GGG is doing everything he would normally do in preparation for a fight other than sparring. At this point, there is no need for that wear and tear until the next fight is set.This time, I wanted to do something different without any sparring sessions, but I run and do my physical training, Golovkin said. Its my attitude to keep in the right shape. Its nothing special for me.Sanchez said he admires Golovkins undeniable work ethic.I wasnt surprised, because thats the kind of guy he is, Sanchez said. He knows that we have a couple of important fights coming up for guys in our gym, so even though Gennady doesnt have anything scheduled, he came to camp, and he has been in camp training with the guys and helping them. Hes not sparring. I wont spar him, but hes doing everything else, hitting the mitts, hitting the bag, doing his running.He wants to train. Unfortunately, we dont have enough athletes like that who want to keep themselves in the kind of shape that they should. Gennady does because this is his job. He respects his public, he respects his fans, and he wants to be able to perform at his best.Sanchez said Golovkin usually drives home to his family on Friday night or Saturday morning to see his sons hockey games.But hes here training five days a week, Sanchez said.Sanchez said that GGG has proved to be a tremendous role model to the young men in his gym. Sanchez is preparing 23-year-old cruiserweight Murat Gassiev (23-0, 17 KOs) for his first world title shot against unified titleholder Denis Lebedev on Dec. 3 in Moscow and heavyweight Andy Ruiz Jr. (29-0, 19 KOs), 27, for a vacant world title fight against Joseph Parker on Dec. 10 in Auckland, New Zealand. He also prepared 22-year-old welterweight prospect Alex Saucedo (23-0, 14 KOs) for his UniMas-televised eight-round decision win against Ray Serrano last Friday night.Sanchez said Golovkins work ethic was noticed by the fighters as they got ready for their fights, and Loeffler said his presence was important for the young guys.Hes definitely a leader at the camp, Loeffler said. When the younger fighters see how hard he trains, its hard for them to make an excuse that they dont want to train as hard as the guy already at the top. He sets a great example.Golovkin said he is just doing what comes naturally to him.Maybe I am a role model for these young guys, Golovkin said. What maybe I showed these young guys is that if you want to be the best, if you want to be champion, you have to live your life healthy and keep in shape. They were already in camp for a couple of weeks when I arrived, and I was maybe in better shape than them. So they see that, and its a motivation for them.Loeffler said he is continuing to try to make a deal with Jacobs adviser Al Haymon for the fight. While Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs) would most like to fight Canelo Alvarez, that highly anticipated showdown wont happen until at least September 2017, which is when Alvarezs team is aiming for. So Golovkin said the next-best fight for him is against Jacobs (32-1, 29 KOs), and he hopes a deal is made soon.Jacobs is the fight that I would like to be my next fight, because Jacobs is probably the strongest middleweight contender in the world, Golovkin said. Its a serious challenge for me, and thats why its a very interesting fight. He has a big name, so this is a very interesting and serious fight. I would like to beat Jacobs, and I would like him to be my next opponent. He is maybe the most qualified fighter to fight against.Golovkin said he was somewhat disappointed he did not get to fight three times this year but knows that making fights can be complicated. So he is OK with waiting for the Jacobs deal to be made.Its not a question of disappointment. Its a question of following the WBA rules, Golovkin said. I had no choice because Jacobs is my mandatory, so I have to fight against him and deal with the situation. So be it. I will fight against him when we get everything worked out. Now we need to resolve the situation, and then I will fight against Jacobs.Meanwhile, GGG will continue to train and train and train without his next date being set. Jesus Molina Jersey . Despite dominating possession, Schalke needed an own goal from Nicolas Hoefler for the breakthrough a minute before the interval. 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LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Louisvilles lopsided victories had raised expectations so high for the No. 7 Cardinals that a close victory seemed unlikely against an outmatched opponent.But a second straight defeat looked possible against Duke on Friday night until a late penalty by the Blue Devils allowed quarterback Lamar Jackson to seal a shaky win for the Cardinals.Jackson provided a cushion with a 2-yard touchdown run with 1:32 remaining and Louisville held off Duke 24-14, and the outcome was all that mattered to the Cardinals.We didnt blow them out, but we did win the game, said Louisville coach Bobby Petrino, whose team had averaged a nation-leading 58 points coming in.The Cardinals caught a break after Evan OHaras 46-yard field goal missed wide left as Dukes Breon Borders was called for roughing the kicker. The penalty moved the ball to the 14 and Jackson did the rest with a 12-yard run followed by the short score that Louisville (5-1, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) sorely needed.I wasnt going to let my team down, the Heisman Trophy contender said. We were going down there to score.Jackson accounted for 325 yards of offense and two touchdowns, hitting Jaylen Smith with a 5-yard scoring pass on the opening drive. Jeremy Smith added an 80-yard TD run in the third quarter, and OHara kicked a 22-yard field goal as the Cardinals came off the bye and earned the programs 500th victory.Duke (3-4, 0-3) remained winless in ACC play but gave Louisville more than it expected.The Cardinals sought a big bounce back after losing at Clemson, especially with a week off. The Cardinals offense certainly looked refreshed from the break as they drove 80 yards in 10 plays with Jacksons TD pass capping the drive.Duke wasnt fazed and answered quickly as Daniel Jones hit Erich Schneider for a 9-yard TD to tie it and trail just 10-7 at the half. The Blue Devils later closed within three as Jones hit a 20-yard TD pass to Johnathan Lloyd with 6:34 remaining to cap a 15-play, 75-yard drive that consumed 8:53.I believed our guys had confidence they could win,, said Duke coach David Cutcliffe, whose team controlled the clock for 37:12.dddddddddddd I dont think it surprised anyone that we scored early and matched a team like that.Duke seemed poised to take one final clock-chewing crack at beating Louisville until the penalty quashed that hope. Jackson then took control for Louisville -- as usual.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Cardinals might lose some position after escaping with a close win despite being 35-point favorites. Petrino chose to focus on the bottom line and said, our objective is to go win, keep ourselves in (playoff consideration), and I think we did that. Weve just got to go play better.THE TAKEAWAYDuke: The Blue Devils werent intimidated by Jackson or the Cardinals. Jones was 14 of 21 passing for 129 yards including a 51-yarder. Jela Duncan returned from a leg injury to rush for 44 yards on 12 carries. But they managed just two scoring drives despite controlling the clock and committed a costly penalty that could have provided one last shot to win.Louisville: The Cardinals never trailed and outgained Duke 469-239 but never seemed in full control. Two chances to gain breathing room in the third quarter ended with Brandon Radcliffe fumbling on one possession and OHaras missing from 42 yards on the next.We lost our focus, Jackson said. We were driving the ball, hit a hump. (Well) watch film and get everything fixed. We were down there several times; weve got to get it right.Jackson seemed off on some throws but offset that with his speed and nifty footwork on several key fourth-quarter runs including their final drive. He completed 13 of 26 passes for 181 yards and rushed 21 times for 144. He is responsible for 30 touchdowns, 15 each passing and rushing.UP NEXTDuke: The Blue Devils will have a bye before traveling to Georgia Tech on Oct. 29.Louisville: The Cardinals host North Carolina State next Saturday.---AP College Football: collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '
