By: Hector Franco
The return of one of boxing’s most prominent stars Gennadiy “GGG” Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs), will finally take place this coming December 29 at the Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
The former unified and current IBF middleweight champion will face WBA middleweight champion Ryota Murata (16-2, 13 KOs) in a united bout in his first bout in 2021.
In Golovkin’s previous game, he stopped obligatory opponent Kamil Szeremeta in seven rounds, in which he scored four kills.
When Murata entered the ring with Golovkin, it had been two years since he last fought, scoring a fifth-round goal against Steven Butler.
While Golovkin-Murata is an intriguing bout that will take place in a unique setting that could end up being action, many fans are wondering what will happen next for the Kazakh power puncher if he surpassed the Japanese tennis player.
For the past half decade, Golovkin’s name has been tied to that of rival Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs).
The two men went head-to-head twice in highly successful box office battles, with each film selling over a million PPV purchases. The two Canelo-GGG fights, second only to Floyd Mayweather’s fights with Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor, are the highest-grossing live fights in Nevada boxing history.
The scores of both matches were controversial, especially their first encounter in September 2017, where referee Adalaide Byrd confusingly gave Alvarez the score 118-110, leading to a decisive draw.
Most fans and observers felt that Golovkin had done enough to decide against Alvarez in their first match.
The second match was less successful against PPV and at the live gate, but resulted in less controversy, with Alvarez claiming a decisive majority victory in a closely contested majority.
There were several members of the media who scored the match for Golovkin, but with the fight so close and so filled with two-way action, it didn’t feel like any foul play occurred.
Of their two matches, the second legit match had more reason to be declared a draw.
After the second meeting, the careers of Golovkin and Alvarez took different paths.
Alvarez has become the top boxer in boxing, the weight class, essentially carrying the sport on his back given his activity level and box office prowess.
Since fighting Golovkin, Alvarez has won titles in the super middle and light heavyweights, becoming a four-division champion.
In 2019, he defended his middleweight belt against Daniel Jacobs and moved up to light heavyweight, preventing Sergey Kovalev from winning the 175-pound WBO title.
Over the past year, Alvarez has fought four times, making his mark at super-middleweight, winning against undefeated boxers Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant en route to becoming undisputed champion weight class controversy.
Saunders’ match in May 2021 set an indoor boxing attendance record with 73, 126 fans at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. Earlier this month, Alvarez’s match against Plant for the undisputed £168 crown sold an estimated 800,000 purchases on PPV.
On the contrary, Golovkin has ceased to be noticed in the boxing world.
In the three fights since taking on Alvarez, Golovkin looks like no other boxer who has crossed the middleweight division for most of 2010. The Kazakh boxer’s bouts against Steve Rolls and Szeremeta were fast-paced. quick and dominant, but not a good measure of how much he has left.
The fight that brought the attention of fans and pundits alike that Golovkin may have passed his prime came in October 2019 with Sergiy Derevyanchenko.
The match against the Ukrainians at Madison Square Garden was a fight that saw Golovkin at times exhausted and in pain from punches to the torso. The Kazakh tennis player was lucky to escape death with a decisive victory. A knockdown in the first round was one of the points of difference on the judges’ scorecards.
At that time, it was reported that Golovkin fell ill while participating in the fight with Derevyanchenko. But it may be because Ukrainians are more motivated and better than expected. Or maybe, Golovkin isn’t the boxer he used to be.
Despite that, Golovkin still presents the most important payday for Alvarez and vice versa. A third fight between the two athletes would still make for a major event for the sport.
For his part, Alvarez has stated that he is ready to take on Golovkin in the third match despite all the past animosity and animosity he has for the IBF middleweight champion.
“I enjoyed the fight with GGG; why not?” Alvarez told ESPN after his battle with Caleb Plant, “If he’s ready to go up to 168, I’m ready. Always.”
It is clear that at this point, Alvarez is not necessarily up against Golovkin.
But does Golovkin need Alvarez to get his career back?
Obviously, from a monetary point of view, Alvarez would be the biggest fight Golovkin could get into, along with a match-fixing against a boxer he might feel he’s best at twice.
In the middleweight division, however, there are plenty of fights for Golovkin that could make him the top middleweight leader of this era.
While Murata holds the middleweight belt, victory over him won’t be a remarkable achievement for Golovkin as the Japanese boxer is tailored for the Kazakh boxer.
Matches against middleweight fighters that Alvarez didn’t face before moving to super middleweight are available like WBO champion Demetrius Andrade (30-0, 18 KOs), which will be a fight to look forward to. and challenging for Golovkin.
Andrade, who defended his WBO title on November 19 against Jason Quigley, has been claiming a remarkable fight for years. He will seize the opportunity to fight Golovkin.
“If you have a belt at 160 or 168 lbs., get started,” Andrade says. “Politics aside, let your people call Eddie. Let’s get to work. Charlo, don’t talk, one reason after another. You are a warrior; let’s fight, man.
“GGG, where are you? Unite against Murata, and then let’s put three belts next year. ”
Andrade, who at times battled with his competitive level, had a disproportionate performance. But if he goes up against Golovkin, he will probably be at his best.
With Andrade promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing and fighting exclusively on DAZN, a Golovkin vs Providence fight, the Rhode Island boxer looks set to be one of the easiest to do.
On the sidelines in the steady stream of Premier Boxing Champions were former pound 154 champion and reigning WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs).
The Texas-born could advance to super-middleweight to face David Benavidez or Alvarez, but if he continues in middle, a fight with Golovkin will be crucial for both.
Similar to the battle with Andrade, Golovkin will face an invincible fighter that many feel deserves a big fight, and Charlo will have the opportunity to prove himself as an elite boxer. .
“I’m going to be in that Triple-G fight,” Charlo said on an episode of “The Last Stand Podcast” earlier this year. I just, you know, if it shows up on its own. The management team makes the right calls and the right decisions; I will fight Triple-G. I want to unify like my brother did in 160. At least let me unify. At least let me capture the division.
“It doesn’t matter who has a belt or nothing, there is no net. Like, we can make it happen. They will make it a reality. “
This past weekend in Tijuana, Mexico’s Jaime Munguia (38-0, 30 KOs), defeated rival Gabriel Rosado in one of the best performances of his career and one of his best. 2021. Munguia is currently the number one contender for both the WBC and the WBO middleweight titles.
Ironically, before Golovkin’s second game against Alvarez, the Nevada State Athletic Commission rejected the incoming Mexican star as a substitute to face the Kazakh technician. At that time, Munguia was only 21 years old and had not yet been scheduled to compete in the 12th round of the competition.
Three years later, Munguia is likely to be the next to take on Golovkin in a fight that is sure to deliver fireworks no matter how long it lasts.
“I enjoyed the match against Gennadiy Golovkin,” Munguia told DAZN’s Chris Mannix. “It will be a great fight, a fight that the public will really enjoy. I’m excited about being able to get the next fight. “
A showdown with former two-time young middleweight champion Erislandy Lara (28-3-3, 16 KOs) would also be something Golovkin could pursue.
Lara moved into middleweight earlier this year, scoring with her first knockout against Thomas Lamanna to win a version of the WBA middleweight title.
Many may recall that when Golovkin was at his best in the middleweight division, Lara asked to play the Kazakh tennis player. Just how serious Lara is about going up against Golovkin without moving to middleweight until 2021 is questionable.
At nearly 40 years old, with more than 300 amateur matches and more than 40 professional matches, the end of Golovkin’s career is near.
Golovkin, whose legal draw on both the east and west coasts of the United States by fighting more than three times a year in 2013, 2014 and 2015 has lost much of the mystery that surrounds him before while fighting Alvarez.
But, Alvarez may just be a chapter in Gennadiy Golovkin’s career.
End of 2021, if he wins over Murata, there are plenty of options available for GGG to continue his career where he left off, whether it’s against Andrade, Charlo, Munguia or Lara.
He can once again prove himself to be the best middleweight in the world and a fight with Alvarez is not needed to make that happen.
