Gennadiy Golovkin, 40, overcame an early challenge from Ryota Murata to break down and finish the younger fighter in the ninth round.
On April 9, the day after Gennadiy Golovkin turned 40, he showed his strength in a long fight with Ryota Murata in Saitama, Japan.
In Murata’s backyard, Golovkin (42-1-1, 36 KOs) halted the 36-year-old via TKO in round 9, although it wasn’t easy for him.
It was a classic Golovkin ending. He kept Murata down the whole time and hit him with a right punch that knocked him out and made him fall to the ground.
Murata’s (16-3, 13 KOs) corner threw in the towel after realizing their fighter was too wounded to continue. Murata’s WBA belt was added to Golovkin’s claim to the middleweight title, which already included the IBF and IBO belts.
Golovkin put on a show-stopping performance at the conclusion, but Murata gave him trouble right away.
Murata, unlike most of Golovkin’s opponents, came out swinging in the first round. Murata, who stands at 6-foot, took advantage of his height and 5-inch reach advantage.
In order to become the unified middleweight champion, Gennadiy Golovkin dropped and stopped Ryota Murata in the ninth round.
On the judges’ scorecards, Murata certainly won several of the early rounds, but round 6 proved to be the turning moment in the fight.
Murata’s mouthpiece flew out of his mouth after Golovkin struck him with the right hand. The referee stopped the fight right away, but when the fight started again, Golovkin kept going.
Murata’s punch production decreased, while Golovkin’s energy level increased. Golovkin systematically broke Murata down by applying constant pressure.
For Golovkin, it was a case of bend but don’t break. Early on, he received Murata’s best punches but used his energy to wear him down.
Golovkin is in perfect position for a trilogy fight with Canelo Alvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion. Alvarez has a two-fight contract with Matchroom Boxing, which begins on May 7 against Dmitry Bivol.
In 2017, Golovkin fought Alvarez to a draw, then lost the rematch by majority decision in 2018. Both fights were tight, but a trilogy showdown would be one of boxing’s most important bouts.
Golovkin performed admirably. Now it’s up to Alvarez to follow suit.
