Gennadiy Golovkin demonstrated that he’s far from finished at 38.
Triple-G overwhelmed Kamil Szeremeta from the opening bell, putting the Pole down four times before the referee stopped the fight after the seventh round Friday at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Fla.
The victory was described as the middleweight champ’s 21st successful title defense, which would break the record of Bernard Hopkins. However, five of his defenses came when he held only a secondary title that Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize.
Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) hadn’t fought since October of last year, when he struggled to outpoint Sergiy Derevyanchenko to win the vacant IBF title.
The so-so performance – which followed a draw and loss against Canelo Alvarez — raised questions about whether Golovkin had begun to decline. He looked as good as ever on Friday.
Golovkin began unleashing his signature punch – his hard, accurate jab – from the outset, which rocked Szeremeta (21-1, 5 KOs) and set up the power shots that gradually broke down the brave, durable but overmatched challenger.
Szeremeta went down from a left hook in the final seconds of the first round. He hit the canvas again in the second, this time from an overhand right. A short left hook accounted for knockdown No. 3 in the fourth.
And, in the seventh, a jab put Szeremeta on his behind about a minute into round.
By then, Szeremeta had taken a significant beating and landed few punches himself as Golovkin – on top of the offensive onslaught – boxed well defensively. In other words, there was no point in letting the fight continue.
Referee Telis Assimenios made the official decision before the start of the eighth round. And no one in Szermeta’s corner complained.
“I told you I come back,” Golovkin said in English afterward.
Alvarez challenges super middleweight titleholder Callum Smith on Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio. If the Mexican star wins, a third fight with Golovkin would be one of his most obvious options.
Golovkin, who last fought Alvarez in September 2018, has grown tired of waiting for another shot at his rival but he made it clear he isn’t ruling anything out.
“I’m absolutely open to anybody,” he said. “The best option for me, the best for business, for DAZN, for people, for the fans … I’m ready.”
Eddie Hearn, Golovkin’s promoter, isn’t demanding a third Alvarez-Golovkin fight either but he too is open to it.
“Listen, Gennadiy is the boss,” Hearn said. “He’s earned the right to fight who he wants to fight. Of course, he had incredible two fights with Canelo Alvarez. If [a third] fight presents itself and he wins [on Saturday] – Callum Smith can win – then we’ll see.
“[Golovkin] will guide his own career. And we’ll be there to support him.”
