Gennady Golovkin v Ryoto Murata

[ykdadamaja]

Canelo can't roid down back to MW anymore. GGG may as well forget it unless he wants to follow Canelo to Cruiserweight.

[TIC]

postponed

[Master]

Gennadiy Golovkin has been forced to postpone his world title fight, which could influence Chris Eubank Jr's plans to challenge the Kazakh star in 2022.

Golovkin was preparing for an IBF and WBA middleweight unification clash against Ryota Murata, but the fight scheduled in Saitama on December 29 has been delayed amid stricter travel restrictions relating to Covid-19 in Japan.

'GGG' confirmed the postponement on Twitter, stating: "I am deeply disappointed that fight in Japan has been postponed but the health and safety of the public must always be the priority.

"I look forward to returning to the ring against Ryota as soon as possible."

Chris Eubank Jr will face Liam Williams in a rescheduled British battle in Cardiff on January 29, live on Sky Sports.

If he emerges victorious, Eubank Jr expects to become mandatory challenger for the WBA belt, and has voiced his desire for a fight against Golovkin next year.

"I'm the most exciting fighter in the weight division," Eubank Jr has told Sky Sports. "I'm the fighter that the fans want to see in with these guys, so it has to happen.

"I've been visualising it for years and I know how to beat him. I've just got to get the opportunity and it's coming.

"The styles that me and him have, it can't be anything short of an epic war.

"He doesn't know how to fight going backwards and I don't know how to stop throwing punches.

"You put those two styles together and you're in for a legendary boxing match."

Murata's promoter Bob Arum had even suggested that the Japanese fighter could face Eubank Jr next, if he produces a shock win over Golovkin.

"If GGG is successful, I'm sure that the Eubank Jr fight is very attractive to him," Arum told Sky Sports.

"But I think that Murata, on home ground, could pull off an upset.

"In which case I'd love nothing more than for Murata to fight Eubank Jr. It would be a big fight in the US, Japan and the UK."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...cid=entnewsntp

[Master]

New Golovkin-Murata date confirmed after postponement

Gennadiy Golovkin's middleweight title unification bout against Ryota Murata has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 9 in the latter's home country of Japan.

The contest is officially back on having originally been set for December 29 before being postponed as a result of the Omicron outbreak.

Golovkin will put his IBF and IBO world title belts on the line against two-time WBA middleweight champion Murata, knowing a potential third meeting with Canelo Alvarez awaits should be come out on top.

The fight is due to take place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama.

"I am glad that the date has finally been set. I would like to express my gratitude to the organisers from Japan for their hard work and full support of the upcoming unification fight," said Golovkin.

"Ryōta Murata is an outstanding champion. I believe that boxing fans from this beautiful country and around the world will see an exciting event. I look forward to getting back in the ring and bringing the Big Drama Show to Japan."

Golovkin has not fought since December 2020 when he stopped Kamil Szeremeta with an emphatic performance including four knockdowns.

Prior to that he beat Sergiy Derevyanchenko and Steve Rolls on the back of suffering the first loss of his professional career to Alvarez in September 2018.

Murata himself has been out of the ring since December 2019, at which time he retained he belt with a stoppage victory against Canada's Steven Butler.

"I feel that my entire amateur and professional boxing career has been a preparation for this fight against Gennadiy Golovkin," said Murata. "This fight will determine my place in the middleweight division and boxing history.

"Gennadiy Golovkin has long been the standard-bearer of the middleweight division. To me, he is still undefeated. I have the highest respect for him.

"It has been a long time since my last fight, because of the pandemic, but I have put that time to good use, working very hard with my trainers on improving my physical conditioning and adding more power to my punches. I am so proud Japan is hosting this fight. It is a great honor for me."

The two-time world champions and Olympic medalists enter with a combined record of 57-3-1, including 49 knockouts.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...cid=entnewsntp