It’s been a year since IBF middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin last fought, and following Thursday’s news, he’ll have to wait a little longer to get back into the ring.
Golovkin was scheduled to face WBA champion Ryota Murata in Murata’s home Japan on December 29, but because of the emerging Omicron variant of the coronavirus and new Japan travel restrictions, the match was closed. postponed.
Source: GGG-Ryota Murata postponed due to new COVID restrictions in Japan banning foreign visitors after the introduction of the omicron variant. The unification of the middleweight title was established on December 29 in Saitama on DAZN. The plan will be rescheduled in Japan next year
– Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) December 3, 2021
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Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs), a native of Kazakhstan, is looking to become a two-time unified middleweight champion in a match against Murata (16-2, 13 KOs), a gold medalist at the 2012 Olympics.
Similar to Golovkin, Murata had not fought in a long time; he last competed in December 2019 when he defended his WBA title with a win over Steven Butler.
Here’s everything you need to know about the status of one of the most anticipated games of the year.
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Why GGG vs. Ryota Murata postponed again?
The fight, originally scheduled for December 29 in Saitama, Japan, has been postponed because of new travel restrictions in Japan.
To limit the spread of the recently discovered omicron variant of the coronavirus, the country issued a ban on foreign visitors in Monday.
According to ESPN, the camp of GGG and other officials had hoped to receive waivers and waivers from the Japanese government to allow the fighting to continue, but were refused.
Did GGG and Ryota Murata ever fight?
This is the first meeting between the two. Both were full of praise when leading the match.
“I’m really excited to bring the Big Drama Show to Japan, a country where boxing is very popular,” Golovkin said. said last month. “Ryota Murata has been an outstanding champion.”
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Murata is the WBA middleweight champion while GGG is the IBF and IBO champion. Before the postponement, the fight was for the unified middleweight title, which Golovkin held from 2014 to 2018.
“I feel that my entire amateur and professional boxing career has been a preparation for this fight against Gennadiy Golovkin,” says Murata said in November. “This fight will define my place in middleweight and boxing history.”
When will GGG and Ryota Murata fight?
Currently, there is no date for a rescheduled fight other than sometime in 2022. The fight will take place in Japan.
The postponement means that 2021 will be the first year since GGG turned pro in 2006 that he hasn’t entered a fight. His last battle was December 18, 2020, against Kamil Szeremeta, whom he brutally defeated.
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Depending on when the match is rescheduled, Golovkin could be 40 years old when he returns to the ring. He turns 40 on April 8.
Murata was fired even longer. His last bout was against Steven Butler of Canada, whom he defeated by TKO, on December 23, 2019. Murata has beaten every boxer he has ever faced; he avenged two losses in his career by defeating Rob Brant and Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam. Murata will turn 36 on January 12.
