IBF middleweight champion Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin 41-1-1 (36) will meet WBA counterpart Ryota Murata 16-2 (14) at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on December 29.
The fight had been a long time in the making and will mark the first time the 39-year-old Kazakh bomber has boxed in a year.
Murata, 35, has been even less active. By the time his climbs in the ring it will be a full two years since his last bout.
Despite the potential for ring rust, the matchup promises to produce fireworks two days out from New Years Eve with the pair boasting a combined record of 57-3-1 (49) – a winning percentage of over 93% – with 86% of their victories coming by way of knockout.
“I am really excited to be bringing the Big Drama Show to Japan, a country where boxing is very popular,” said Golovkin.
“Ryota Murata has been an outstanding champion. It is going to be a special night when we meet in the ring to unify our titles. We are going to give the fans a great fight.”
Murata might be little-known in America but he is a superstar in Japan. The 2012 Olympic gold medallist has just two losses on his ledger to Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam and Rob Brant, both on points. He stopped both opponent in immediate rematches.
Murata also revealed that he has had one eye on Golovkin since their amateur days.
“I feel that my entire amateur and professional boxing career has been a preparation for this fight against Gennadiy Golovkin,” Murata said. “This fight will determine my place in the middleweight division and boxing history.”
The only blemishes on Golovkin’s record are his draw and loss to Mexican superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez 57-1-2 (39).
“Gennadiy Golovkin has long been the standard-bearer of the middleweight division,” Murata said. “To me, he is still undefeated. I have the highest respect for him.
“It has been almost two years 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.”
“What a way to close out a fantastic 2021 of boxing, with one of the best to ever step in the ring Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin facing off against Ryota Murata for the WBA, IBF, and IBO middleweight world titles,” said Ed Breeze, EVP Rights at DAZN.
“Ryota Murata takes a big step up against the middleweight king GGG, who looks to continue his reign in the division after dismantling [Kamil] Szeremeta last time out. This is set to be a middleweight war and we’re thrilled to have the fight live on DAZN on December 29.”
