Eddie Hearn wants to see IBF middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin 41-1 (36) back in the ring in September ahead of a long-rumoured unification bout against Ryota Murata 16-2 (13) in Japan.
The 39-year-old puncher from Kazakhstan has fought just three times since his 12-round majority decision loss to Mexican superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez 56-1-2 (38) in their rematch in Las Vegas, Nevada almost three years ago.
Golovkin rolled through Steve Rolls in four rounds in June 2019, edged out Sergiy Derevyanchenko on points in October of the same year and destroyed Kamil Szeremeta in seven rounds last December.
The 35-year-old Murata is a superstar in Japan after winning gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
The fight that Hearn would like to see Golovkin take next ahead of the Murata bout is against WBO middleweight champion Demetrius ‘Boo Boo’ Andrade 30-0 (18).
“The next step for him is to go and have a fight in Japan against Murata in a unification fight,” the Matchroom Boxing boss said to Boxing Social.
“I think one of the issues behind the whole Golovkin stuff is that he was linked to the original Canelo and Golden Boy problems.
“Now he’s clearly looking to fight. I would like to see him fight in September because it would be a year from the Szeremeta fight to the Murata fight and probably a year before that or more than a year from that from his previous fight against Derevyanchenko.
“I still love the Demetrius Andrade fight [for Golovkin].”
A potential third fight with Alvarez seems unlikely with the top pound-for-pound boxer now campaigning at super middleweight where he owns the WBC, WBA and WBO titles. He is in negotiations for face IBF counterpart Caleb ‘Sweethands’ Plant 21-0 (12) in September and has no intention of dropping back down to 160-pound.
If the Plant fight does not come to fruition, there is some talk of Alvarez heading to light heavyweight to face either fearsome puncher Artur Beterbiev 16-0 (16) for the WBC and IBF belts or skilful boxer Dmitry Bivol 18-0 (11), the WBA champion.
Regardless of which direction Alvarez chooses to go, a trilogy fight against Golovkin seems as far away as ever.
“Is there a Canelo-Golovkin III? Who knows? I mean at some point in his career, but for me, he will want to fight before Murata,” Hearn said.
“It’s just a case of that negotiation between a fighter and the platform [DAZN] about dates, opponent and so forth.
“Obviously he wants the fight and DAZN would like him to fight on the platform. It’s a question for them.
“It’s a case of agreeing to a date and opponent and if that fight happens before the Murata fight.
“Gennadiy has got in his head that Japan fight [against Murata] is something he wants to do and it’s a great fight for him as well. So it’s just a case of if a fight can be made in September before that.”
