Gennady Golovkin faces Ryota Murata on Saturday in a middleweight unification bout that could set the stage for an even bigger fight later in the year.
There has been so much talk of a potential trilogy fight against Canelo Alvarez in September, but both fighters have jobs to do before then.
That starts in Japan, where Golovkin defends his IBF and IBO belts against the WBA super champion Murata, a gold medalist at the 2012 Olympics in London.
Golovkin has not fought since December 2020, when he beat Kamil Szeremeta inside eight rounds, and that bout was his first for more than a year. Inactivity certainly does not help the cause of the man who turns 40 on Friday.
Just five of Golovkin’s 41 professional wins have come on points, while 13 of Murata’s 16 victories have been by stoppage. That would suggest it’s unlikely Saturday’s fight sees the final bell.
Murata fighter has home advantage on his side and the Kazakh fighter knows he cannot allow himself to give any thought to another boxing mega-fight against Canelo, which looks almost certain to take place should he win this weekend and the Mexican then beat Dmitry Bivol on May 7.
He said: “Murata’s the pride and star of his country. I know the organizers of this event. Everything will be top class, and I’m very excited to be part of this amazing event.
“He’s an Olympic champion and he’s the current world champion holding the WBA title.”
Golovkin vs Murata takes place on Saturday April 9, 2022 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
The main televised undercard is due to begin at 11am BST, with ring walks for the main event expected at around 2.10pm.
As ever, those times are subject to change.
Gennady Golovkin vs Ryota Murata
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