Via Jim Calfa: Gennadiy Golovkin will not take WBA middleweight champion Ryota Murata lightly in next month’s matchup on April 9 in Japan. Both 160 lb champions haven’t fought in ages, making this matchup unpredictable.
Golovkin-Murata will meet in the main event on DAZN on April 9 at Super Arena, Saitama, Japan.
It was a unified fight at 160, but it didn’t make much sense as Murata wasn’t considered the same level of talent as middleweight champions Jermall Charlo and Demetrius Andrade. Those are the people Golovkin should fight if he wants to impress his fans.
American boxing fans want to see Golovkin fight one of the famous middleweights like Demetrius Andrade and Jermall Charlo, but GGG will make good money fighting a Japanese boxer in his homeland.
Other than that, it’s a battle that Golovkin can win, as long as he has something left in his tank at the age of 40. Besides, Murata brought in a score that didn’t attract interest from Chinese fans. Strange because this is NOT a fight they want to see, not even close.
IBF middleweight champion Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) will see action for the first time since 2020. He needs a win over 35-year-old Murata (16-2, 13 KOs) to potentially put himself against Canelo Alvarez on September 17.
As for 2012 Olympic gold medalist Murata, it’s unbelievable he hasn’t fought since 2019, and we don’t know what we’ll get from him almost three years out of the ring.
We see how bad Amir Khan has been looking lately after three years out of the ring, and he’s the same age as Murata. I think you take the picture.
Murata and Golovkin probably won’t be near their best. However, GGG’s punching prowess, pro-level experience, and overall talent were enough for him to claim victory on April 9.
Team Murata will take an in-depth note on Golovkin’s fight against Sergiy Derevyanchenko and his second clash with Canelo Alvarez and will feature a game plan that includes lots of tackles, pressure, and alternating attack angles. interstitial.
Murata looked like a completely different boxer in his rematch with Rob Brant in July 2019, stopping the Americans for two rounds by unleashing relentless power from the opening bell.
“He is the pride and star of his country,” Gennadiy Golovkin told Ariel Helwani about Japan’s Ryota Murata. “I know the people who organize this event. Everything will be top class and I am delighted to be a part of this amazing event. He’s an Olympic champion, and he’s a current world champion holding the WBA belt,” said Golovkin.
Too bad Golovkin didn’t use the past two years to get busy fighting the candidates instead of waiting for the fight with Murata to unfold all this time.
There are plenty of different fights that Golovkin can take that will resonate more than his fight with Murata, but of course, they’ll be riskier for him and likely won’t cost him either.
“It happened, but that was a long time ago. That’s not the pure approach he came to piss me off. I learned during those sessions that Murata is a very serious boxer with a high boxing IQ,” Golovkin said of the bout he did against Murata earlier in his career when he came out of the Olympics. .
Whatever took place years ago in the Golovkin vs Murata showdown has nothing to do with what will happen inside the ring on April 9. Both are older, inactive boxers. active and nearing the end of their careers.
This could be the end of his career for Murata if he loses because he’s not active enough, and he has struggled with lesser fighters in his losses to Hassan N’ Dam and Rob Brant.
The only reason Murata has the world title is that he beat Brant in their rematch to win the strap back after losing to him in his first match in 2018.
During the loss to Brant, Murata was in awe as the Americans threw more than 1,000 punches in that fight, many of which landed. Zhanibek Alimkhanuly recently stopped Brant in his final battle.
A fight between Golovkin and Zhanibek would be much more appealing to heavyweight boxing fans than seeing Gennady face off against Murata. The amount of money that Golovkin earns fighting Japanese boxers is the main attraction.
If Golovkin loses to Murata, he will probably hang up his gloves as that will be a signal that he is done. Gennadiy won’t get a three-part match against Canelo if Murata beats him, and that’s the biggest paycheck out there for him.
Unless Golovkin wants to stay and fight WBC middleweight champions Jermall Charlo or Andrade, it won’t do him any good to continue his career if he loses to Murata. It would be a signal that he would be swept away if he couldn’t beat a fighter like Murata.
In theory, Golovkin should destroy Murata within six rounds, but his inactivity and age could play a role in this fight.
Golovkin didn’t look all that great in his final game against Kamil Szemereta in 2020, and it was a fight that fans weren’t eager to watch.
One of the criticisms Golovkin has received from fans over the past four years is that he has resisted weak opposition when he is active and not involved with the boxers that would make him famous. and sharp.
In Golovkin’s three games since losing to Canelo in 2018, he’s beaten these easy points:
- Steve Rolls
- Kamil Szeremeta
- Sergiy Derevyanchenko
