Junkie Drawer: Conor Benn has been cleared by the WBC after his failed drug test. Meanwhile, Ryota Murata has announced his retirement.
Editor’s note: This new version of Junkie Drawer will be a vehicle to report the news of the day in bite sized portions.
Did Conor Benn simply eat tainted eggs?
The British welterweight has been reinstated by the WBC, which ruled that the consumption of eggs might’ve caused his failed drug test before his scheduled fight against rival Chris Eubank Jr. last October.
Benn had trace amounts of the fertility drug Clomiphene in his system. Clomiphene, which can raise testosterone levels, evidently is sometimes used to increase egg production in hens.
The WBC said in a statement: “Mr. Benn’s documented and highly-elevated consumption of eggs during the times relevant to the sample collection raised a reasonable explanation for the adverse finding.”
The Benn-Eubank fight was canceled and Benn was removed from the WBC rankings. The son of former champion Nigel Benn was reinstated as a result of the sanctioning body’s latest ruling.
“The WBC shall include Mr. Benn in its ratings during the period immediately following the issuance of its ruling,” the statement read. “Mr. Benn’s position in the WBC Ratings shall be based solely on his merit and the customary factors the WBC Ratings Committee apply to rating boxers.”
Benn also lost his boxing license in the U.K. after his failed test. He reportedly has yet to regain it pending further investigation.
***
Ryota Murata, the 2012 Olympic champion from Japan, said he’s retiring from boxing at 37 years old.
Murata won the middleweight gold medal in the London Games to cap a long amateur career in which he reportedly had a record of 119-18, making him a star in his native country.
He went on to have a successful professional career, becoming a contender only a few years after making his debut.
Murata hit his peak when the WBA elevated him from “regular” to “super” champion after Canelo Alvarez vacated the sanctioning body’s actual championship.
The Tokyo resident tried to unify but was stopped in nine rounds by Gennadiy Golovkin last April in Saitama. That was his most recent fight.
“Inside my head I’m thinking, ‘That was my last [fight],’” Murata said, according to Kyodo News. “I just haven’t been able to announce it [until now], but that’s how I’m thinking personally.”
Junkie Drawer: Conor Benn has been cleared by the WBC after his failed drug test. Meanwhile, Ryota Murata has announced his retirement.
Editor’s note: This new version of Junkie Drawer will be a vehicle to report the news of the day in bite sized portions.
Did Conor Benn simply eat tainted eggs?
The British welterweight has been reinstated by the WBC, which ruled that the consumption of eggs might’ve caused his failed drug test before his scheduled fight against rival Chris Eubank Jr. last October.
Benn had trace amounts of the fertility drug Clomiphene in his system. Clomiphene, which can raise testosterone levels, evidently is sometimes used to increase egg production in hens.
The WBC said in a statement: “Mr. Benn’s documented and highly-elevated consumption of eggs during the times relevant to the sample collection raised a reasonable explanation for the adverse finding.”
The Benn-Eubank fight was canceled and Benn was removed from the WBC rankings. The son of former champion Nigel Benn was reinstated as a result of the sanctioning body’s latest ruling.
“The WBC shall include Mr. Benn in its ratings during the period immediately following the issuance of its ruling,” the statement read. “Mr. Benn’s position in the WBC Ratings shall be based solely on his merit and the customary factors the WBC Ratings Committee apply to rating boxers.”
Benn also lost his boxing license in the U.K. after his failed test. He reportedly has yet to regain it pending further investigation.
***
Ryota Murata, the 2012 Olympic champion from Japan, said he’s retiring from boxing at 37 years old.
Murata won the middleweight gold medal in the London Games to cap a long amateur career in which he reportedly had a record of 119-18, making him a star in his native country.
He went on to have a successful professional career, becoming a contender only a few years after making his debut.
Murata hit his peak when the WBA elevated him from “regular” to “super” champion after Canelo Alvarez vacated the sanctioning body’s actual championship.
The Tokyo resident tried to unify but was stopped in nine rounds by Gennadiy Golovkin last April in Saitama. That was his most recent fight.
“Inside my head I’m thinking, ‘That was my last [fight],’” Murata said, according to Kyodo News. “I just haven’t been able to announce it [until now], but that’s how I’m thinking personally.”
A critical look at the past week in boxing GOOD The biggest winner on a busy Saturday was Gennadiy Golovkin. The best performance was turned in by Sebastian Fundora. And Ryan Garcia did about all he could against a reluctant opponent. Golovkin’s …
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
The biggest winner on a busy Saturday was Gennadiy Golovkin. The best performance was turned in by Sebastian Fundora. And Ryan Garcia did about all he could against a reluctant opponent.
Golovkin’s speed and reflexes probably aren’t what they were in his youth but he didn’t perform against Ryota Murata like a man who had just turned 40. He took some heavy punches early in the fight – hasn’t he always? – but he absorbed them and methodically broke down his opponent, finally stopping him in the ninth round to unify two middleweight titles in Japan.
The power is still there, which makes him a threat to any 160-pounder and perhaps even bigger men.
I never understood how Murata rose to prominence because of his limitations but he’s a solid fighter who is unusually strong both physically and mentally. Triple-G deserves credit for the victory.
The big question now: Can he compete with a prime Canelo Alvarez?
Golovkin’s victory sets up a third fight with his rival in September, assuming nothing unforeseen happens in Alvarez’s May 7 fight against Dmitry Bivol to prevent the showdown. No deal is in place but both sides want it.
I would never pick a 40-year-old to beat a prime Alvarez but Golovkin demonstrated enough against Murata to indicate that he can still give the Mexican star problems, maybe even push him as hard as he did in the first two fights.
One concern is Golovkin’s apparent vulnerability to the body. Murata hurt him more than once with well placed shots to the midsection, drawing a whence at least one time. Alvarez is one of the most-effective body punchers in the world.
On the positive side for Golovkin might be weight. The fight almost certainly would take place above 160 pounds, which would make it easier on Triple-G during camp. We’d have to see whether he can carry his power to super middleweight but he probably would feel stronger, which would be a plus.
Bottom line for me: Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) deserved a third, lucrative shot at Alvarez even before he fought Murata in light of the controversial outcomes in 2017 and 2018. He then gave a strong performance at 40, after a 16-month layoff and in his opponent’s backyard.
He has earned the superfight.
GOOD (CONT.)
I have to acknowledge that I was among those who thought at one time that the 6-foot-6 Fundora was more of a novelty than a genuine title contender. He was too big of a target, too skinny. I was convinced that his body would break under pressure.
Well, not only has his body held up, he’s the one that has been doing the breaking. We saw that again against Erickson Lubin in a Fight of the Year candidate in Las Vegas.
Fundora (19-0-1, 13 KOs) did what he typically does, which is to drown his opponent in a wave of never-ending power shots. The talented Lubin had many good moments – including one in which he forced Fundora to take a knee – but he couldn’t avoid the onslaught with any consistency.
And we saw the end result, Lubin’s disfigured face and inability to fight back in the ninth and final round. Trainer Kevin Cunningham’s decision to stop the fight was mercifully appropriate.
Fundora’s ability to walk through fire to overwhelm good opponents with his inhuman work rate (706 punches thrown in nine rounds in this fight, according to CompuBox) and sheer determination is awesome in the literal sense of the word. He simply buried Lubin, a former amateur star who had entered the fight on a hot streak.
Fundora said afterward that it was the finest performance of his career. I concur with that. It was a defining victory given the respect Lubin had going into the fight, one that will be remembered even Fundora never wins a major title.
Of course, the opportunity to fight for a title is around the corner. Fundora is now the WBC’s mandatory challenger, leaving him and Tim Tszyu at the head of the line to fight the winner of the Jermell Charlo-Brian Castano rematch for the undisputed championship or for a vacant title if the winner vacates.
I won’t predict that Fundora would beat Charlo, who I favor against Castano, but I’ll never underestimate him again.
BAD
The only thing bad about Garcia’s performance against Emmanuel Tagoe in San Antonio is that he failed to deliver a knockout. And is that really bad?
A good, experienced boxer who is more concerned about getting hurt than he is about winning the fight is extremely difficult to knock out, which is what we saw in the fight at The Alamodome.
As it was, Garcia put Tagoe down once, hurt him badly in late in the fight and won by a near-shutout decision in the 12-round bout. Two judges gave Tagoe one round while third gave him two. I gave the Ghanaian none.
And remember: Garcia was returning from a long layoff (as was Tagoe) and fighting for the first time with a new coach, Joe Goossen. It takes time to get back into a groove and get accustomed to an unfamiliar cornerman.
I thought Garcia could’ve jabbed more than he did, which might’ve led to more damaging power shots. I thought he could’ve thrown more combinations. And he admitted afterward that he could’ve done a better job of cutting off the ring, which he attributed to a lack of experience against a runner.
Still, all in all, I thought it was a solid comeback performance. He dominated the fight, which is the main objective.
I can’t imagine he’ll want to waste time fighting another Emmanuel Tagoe. One potential opponent for later this year is Joseph Diaz Jr., who was critical of Garcia’s performance on the DAZN broadcast Saturday.
I like that matchup for Garcia, who probably needs one more transition fight with Goossen before he takes on the biggest dogs at 135 pounds, gifted fighters like Gervonta Davis, George Kambosos, Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko.
I think Garcia would beat Diaz. And he might end up as the cream of the 135-pound crop. Just give him time.
WORSE
Emmanuel Tagoe (left) was reluctant to engage with Ryan Garcia. Golden Boy Promotions
I’ll always admire men and women with the courage to step through the ropes and do hand-to-hand battle with an opponent intent on hurting them. No other sport requires the same degree of mettle.
That’s why I don’t understand when a fighter behaves as Tagoe did in his fight with Garcia.
Tagoe talked a good game leading up to the fight, exuding confidence that he would shock the world. “I know what I’m capable of doing,” he said. And then he fought as if he were terrified, which deprived him of a chance to win the fight, Garcia a chance to truly show what he can do and the fans a chance to see a competitive battle.
I thought of Manny Pacquiao’s fight against Joshua Clottey in 2010 at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas. The boxing world was abuzz over Pacquiao, who was at the peak of his abilities at the time. Everyone was primed for another great performance from the Filipino star.
What did Clottey do? He covered his face and essentially refused to fight, which resulted in a near-shutout decision for Pacquiao and a lot of disappointed fans.
I get why Clottey and Tagoe were afraid. They undoubtedly realized early on that they were out of their depths, that Pacquiao and Garcia were too quick, too powerful, just too good to overcome. So they shifted into survival mode.
I would ask them: Is that why you’re in boxing? To survive?
I can see a fighter shutting down after they realize somewhere in the middle of the fight that they have no hope, although even then it’s difficult to stomach. Clottey and Tagoe shut down before the opening bell, which makes me think that it was all about the money for them.
RABBIT PUNCHES
Tony Harrison (29-3-1, 21 KOs) is back. The former 154-pound titleholder, coming off a knockout loss in his rematch with Charlo and then a draw with Bryant Perrella not long after the death of his father-trainer Ali Salaam, outclassed Sergio Garcia (33-2, 14 KOs) to win a wide decision in a 10-round bout on the Fundora-Lubin card and re-establish himself as a legitimate contender. Garcia was the aggressor but Harrison countered beautifully and consistently beat Garcia to the punch to win easily. Dad would’ve been proud. … Perrella (17-3-2, 14 KOs) and Kevin Salgado (14-0-1, 9 KOs) fought to a draw on the Fundora-Lubin card. Bad decision, in my opinion. The only effective weapon in the uneventful fight was Perrella’s stiff jab, which he landed consistently. That’s the main reason I gave Perrella seven of the 10 rounds. Somehow one judge scored it for Salgado, who did almost nothing. And another had it 95-95. I don’t get it. I’ll add this, though: Perrella can’t rely on his jab to win fights. He needs to pick up his overall work rate. That same can be said for Salgado. …
I have to admit that I didn’t think early in the career of Shane Mosley Jr. (18-4, 10 KOs) that he would amount to much. He has proved me wrong. The son of the Hall of Famer by the same name recorded the biggest victory of his career on the Garcia-Tagoe card, defeating veteran Gabriel Rosado (26-15-1, 15 KOs) by a majority decision that should’ve been unanimous. That was his first fight since he lost a majority decision to Jason Quigley, which might be a sign of inconsistency. I don’t know whether Mosley is good enough to win a world title but he has a lot of ability, maybe enough to challenge for a major belt. Rosado is now 5-10-1 (with one no-contest) in his last 17 fights yet is still getting high-profile opportunities. That speaks to his fighting spirit, which has never waned. … Mikaela Mayer (17-0, 5 KOs) outclassed veteran Jennifer Han (18-5-1, 1 KO) en route to a one-sided decision to retain her two junior lightweight belts Saturday in Costa Mesa, California. Mayer has said her first priority is to unify more titles at 130 pounds. I’d rather see her move up to 135 and face the winner of the April 30 Amanda Serrano–Katie Taylor for the undisputed lightweight championship. The best versus the best. …
Kudos to Naoko Fujioka (19-3-1, 7 KOs) on her Bernard Hopkins-esque performance in a flyweight title-unification bout against Marlen Esparza (12-1, 1 KO) on the Garcia-Tagoe card. Fujioka fought Esparza on roughly even terms even though the Japanese fighter is 46 years old, a testament to her fitness and ability. The judges gave Esparza a wide decision (100-90, 100-90 and 97-93) but it was closer than that. Fujioka is a marvel.
A critical look at the past week in boxing GOOD The biggest winner on a busy Saturday was Gennadiy Golovkin. The best performance was turned in by Sebastian Fundora. And Ryan Garcia did about all he could against a reluctant opponent. Golovkin’s …
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
The biggest winner on a busy Saturday was Gennadiy Golovkin. The best performance was turned in by Sebastian Fundora. And Ryan Garcia did about all he could against a reluctant opponent.
Golovkin’s speed and reflexes probably aren’t what they were in his youth but he didn’t perform against Ryota Murata like a man who had just turned 40. He took some heavy punches early in the fight – hasn’t he always? – but he absorbed them and methodically broke down his opponent, finally stopping him in the ninth round to unify two middleweight titles in Japan.
The power is still there, which makes him a threat to any 160-pounder and perhaps even bigger men.
I never understood how Murata rose to prominence because of his limitations but he’s a solid fighter who is unusually strong both physically and mentally. Triple-G deserves credit for the victory.
The big question now: Can he compete with a prime Canelo Alvarez?
Golovkin’s victory sets up a third fight with his rival in September, assuming nothing unforeseen happens in Alvarez’s May 7 fight against Dmitry Bivol to prevent the showdown. No deal is in place but both sides want it.
I would never pick a 40-year-old to beat a prime Alvarez but Golovkin demonstrated enough against Murata to indicate that he can still give the Mexican star problems, maybe even push him as hard as he did in the first two fights.
One concern is Golovkin’s apparent vulnerability to the body. Murata hurt him more than once with well placed shots to the midsection, drawing a whence at least one time. Alvarez is one of the most-effective body punchers in the world.
On the positive side for Golovkin might be weight. The fight almost certainly would take place above 160 pounds, which would make it easier on Triple-G during camp. We’d have to see whether he can carry his power to super middleweight but he probably would feel stronger, which would be a plus.
Bottom line for me: Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) deserved a third, lucrative shot at Alvarez even before he fought Murata in light of the controversial outcomes in 2017 and 2018. He then gave a strong performance at 40, after a 16-month layoff and in his opponent’s backyard.
He has earned the superfight.
GOOD (CONT.)
I have to acknowledge that I was among those who thought at one time that the 6-foot-6 Fundora was more of a novelty than a genuine title contender. He was too big of a target, too skinny. I was convinced that his body would break under pressure.
Well, not only has his body held up, he’s the one that has been doing the breaking. We saw that again against Erickson Lubin in a Fight of the Year candidate in Las Vegas.
Fundora (19-0-1, 13 KOs) did what he typically does, which is to drown his opponent in a wave of never-ending power shots. The talented Lubin had many good moments – including one in which he forced Fundora to take a knee – but he couldn’t avoid the onslaught with any consistency.
And we saw the end result, Lubin’s disfigured face and inability to fight back in the ninth and final round. Trainer Kevin Cunningham’s decision to stop the fight was mercifully appropriate.
Fundora’s ability to walk through fire to overwhelm good opponents with his inhuman work rate (706 punches thrown in nine rounds in this fight, according to CompuBox) and sheer determination is awesome in the literal sense of the word. He simply buried Lubin, a former amateur star who had entered the fight on a hot streak.
Fundora said afterward that it was the finest performance of his career. I concur with that. It was a defining victory given the respect Lubin had going into the fight, one that will be remembered even Fundora never wins a major title.
Of course, the opportunity to fight for a title is around the corner. Fundora is now the WBC’s mandatory challenger, leaving him and Tim Tszyu at the head of the line to fight the winner of the Jermell Charlo-Brian Castano rematch for the undisputed championship or for a vacant title if the winner vacates.
I won’t predict that Fundora would beat Charlo, who I favor against Castano, but I’ll never underestimate him again.
BAD
The only thing bad about Garcia’s performance against Emmanuel Tagoe in San Antonio is that he failed to deliver a knockout. And is that really bad?
A good, experienced boxer who is more concerned about getting hurt than he is about winning the fight is extremely difficult to knock out, which is what we saw in the fight at The Alamodome.
As it was, Garcia put Tagoe down once, hurt him badly in late in the fight and won by a near-shutout decision in the 12-round bout. Two judges gave Tagoe one round while third gave him two. I gave the Ghanaian none.
And remember: Garcia was returning from a long layoff (as was Tagoe) and fighting for the first time with a new coach, Joe Goossen. It takes time to get back into a groove and get accustomed to an unfamiliar cornerman.
I thought Garcia could’ve jabbed more than he did, which might’ve led to more damaging power shots. I thought he could’ve thrown more combinations. And he admitted afterward that he could’ve done a better job of cutting off the ring, which he attributed to a lack of experience against a runner.
Still, all in all, I thought it was a solid comeback performance. He dominated the fight, which is the main objective.
I can’t imagine he’ll want to waste time fighting another Emmanuel Tagoe. One potential opponent for later this year is Joseph Diaz Jr., who was critical of Garcia’s performance on the DAZN broadcast Saturday.
I like that matchup for Garcia, who probably needs one more transition fight with Goossen before he takes on the biggest dogs at 135 pounds, gifted fighters like Gervonta Davis, George Kambosos, Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko.
I think Garcia would beat Diaz. And he might end up as the cream of the 135-pound crop. Just give him time.
WORSE
Emmanuel Tagoe (left) was reluctant to engage with Ryan Garcia. Golden Boy Promotions
I’ll always admire men and women with the courage to step through the ropes and do hand-to-hand battle with an opponent intent on hurting them. No other sport requires the same degree of mettle.
That’s why I don’t understand when a fighter behaves as Tagoe did in his fight with Garcia.
Tagoe talked a good game leading up to the fight, exuding confidence that he would shock the world. “I know what I’m capable of doing,” he said. And then he fought as if he were terrified, which deprived him of a chance to win the fight, Garcia a chance to truly show what he can do and the fans a chance to see a competitive battle.
I thought of Manny Pacquiao’s fight against Joshua Clottey in 2010 at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas. The boxing world was abuzz over Pacquiao, who was at the peak of his abilities at the time. Everyone was primed for another great performance from the Filipino star.
What did Clottey do? He covered his face and essentially refused to fight, which resulted in a near-shutout decision for Pacquiao and a lot of disappointed fans.
I get why Clottey and Tagoe were afraid. They undoubtedly realized early on that they were out of their depths, that Pacquiao and Garcia were too quick, too powerful, just too good to overcome. So they shifted into survival mode.
I would ask them: Is that why you’re in boxing? To survive?
I can see a fighter shutting down after they realize somewhere in the middle of the fight that they have no hope, although even then it’s difficult to stomach. Clottey and Tagoe shut down before the opening bell, which makes me think that it was all about the money for them.
RABBIT PUNCHES
Tony Harrison (29-3-1, 21 KOs) is back. The former 154-pound titleholder, coming off a knockout loss in his rematch with Charlo and then a draw with Bryant Perrella not long after the death of his father-trainer Ali Salaam, outclassed Sergio Garcia (33-2, 14 KOs) to win a wide decision in a 10-round bout on the Fundora-Lubin card and re-establish himself as a legitimate contender. Garcia was the aggressor but Harrison countered beautifully and consistently beat Garcia to the punch to win easily. Dad would’ve been proud. … Perrella (17-3-2, 14 KOs) and Kevin Salgado (14-0-1, 9 KOs) fought to a draw on the Fundora-Lubin card. Bad decision, in my opinion. The only effective weapon in the uneventful fight was Perrella’s stiff jab, which he landed consistently. That’s the main reason I gave Perrella seven of the 10 rounds. Somehow one judge scored it for Salgado, who did almost nothing. And another had it 95-95. I don’t get it. I’ll add this, though: Perrella can’t rely on his jab to win fights. He needs to pick up his overall work rate. That same can be said for Salgado. …
I have to admit that I didn’t think early in the career of Shane Mosley Jr. (18-4, 10 KOs) that he would amount to much. He has proved me wrong. The son of the Hall of Famer by the same name recorded the biggest victory of his career on the Garcia-Tagoe card, defeating veteran Gabriel Rosado (26-15-1, 15 KOs) by a majority decision that should’ve been unanimous. That was his first fight since he lost a majority decision to Jason Quigley, which might be a sign of inconsistency. I don’t know whether Mosley is good enough to win a world title but he has a lot of ability, maybe enough to challenge for a major belt. Rosado is now 5-10-1 (with one no-contest) in his last 17 fights yet is still getting high-profile opportunities. That speaks to his fighting spirit, which has never waned. … Mikaela Mayer (17-0, 5 KOs) outclassed veteran Jennifer Han (18-5-1, 1 KO) en route to a one-sided decision to retain her two junior lightweight belts Saturday in Costa Mesa, California. Mayer has said her first priority is to unify more titles at 130 pounds. I’d rather see her move up to 135 and face the winner of the April 30 Amanda Serrano–Katie Taylor for the undisputed lightweight championship. The best versus the best. …
Kudos to Naoko Fujioka (19-3-1, 7 KOs) on her Bernard Hopkins-esque performance in a flyweight title-unification bout against Marlen Esparza (12-1, 1 KO) on the Garcia-Tagoe card. Fujioka fought Esparza on roughly even terms even though the Japanese fighter is 46 years old, a testament to her fitness and ability. The judges gave Esparza a wide decision (100-90, 100-90 and 97-93) but it was closer than that. Fujioka is a marvel.
Gennadiy Golovkin stopped Ryota Murata on Saturday to set up a third fight with Canelo Alvarez.
Gennadiy Golovkin can still bring it at 40.
Triple-G endured some difficult moments but gradually broke down and then stopped Ryota Murata in nine rounds to unify two middleweight titles Saturday in Saitama, Japan.
The victory sets up a third fight with rival Canelo Alvarez in September, although we’ll have to see what happens when the Mexican star fights light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol on May 7.
Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) had several challenges to overcome going into the fight. He turned the big 4-0 on Friday, he hadn’t fought in 16 months (Murata was out for 28) and he was fighting on Murata’s home turf.
And it looked in the early rounds as if Golovkin might not prevail. Both fighters had success in back-and-forth action but the aggressive Murata (16-3, 13 KOs) had Golovkin backing up, a strange sight for those who have followed Triple-G’s career.
The Japanese fighter’s body work also got the attention of Golovkin, who seemed to wince several times when Murata landed shots to the gut.
However, early in Round 6 Golovkin connected on a right hand that knocked the mouthguard out of Murata’s mouth. He wasn’t hurt significantly but that seemed to initiate his downfall, as Golovkin began to land hard punches at a higher rate.
Murata never gave up and had some effective flurries but he couldn’t keep Golovkin off of him and his body could no longer take the punishment.
Finally, Golovkin hurt Murata with the first punch in Round 9 – a straight right hand – and, sensing an opportunity to end the fight, followed with a barrage of accurate shots. Murata fought back bravely but a huge right hand knocked him to all fours and a cornerman threw in the towel, ending the fight.
The official time of the stoppage was 2:11 of Round 9.
Golovkin should now get his long-awaited third fight with Alvarez, against whom he fought to a disputed draw in 2017 and lost a close decision in 2018.
No deal is in place but the sides have made it known they want the fight to happen. It’s not clear how a loss or injury against Bivol might affect Alvarez-Golovkin III.
But Golovkin certainly did his part to make the showdown happen.
Gennadiy Golovkin stopped Ryota Murata on Saturday to set up a third fight with Canelo Alvarez.
Gennadiy Golovkin can still bring it at 40.
Triple-G endured some difficult moments but gradually broke down and then stopped Ryota Murata in nine rounds to unify two middleweight titles Saturday in Saitama, Japan.
The victory sets up a third fight with rival Canelo Alvarez in September, although we’ll have to see what happens when the Mexican star fights light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol on May 7.
Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) had several challenges to overcome going into the fight. He turned the big 4-0 on Friday, he hadn’t fought in 16 months (Murata was out for 28) and he was fighting on Murata’s home turf.
And it looked in the early rounds as if Golovkin might not prevail. Both fighters had success in back-and-forth action but the aggressive Murata (16-3, 13 KOs) had Golovkin backing up, a strange sight for those who have followed Triple-G’s career.
The Japanese fighter’s body work also got the attention of Golovkin, who seemed to wince several times when Murata landed shots to the gut.
However, early in Round 6 Golovkin connected on a right hand that knocked the mouthguard out of Murata’s mouth. He wasn’t hurt significantly but that seemed to initiate his downfall, as Golovkin began to land hard punches at a higher rate.
Murata never gave up and had some effective flurries but he couldn’t keep Golovkin off of him and his body could no longer take the punishment.
Finally, Golovkin hurt Murata with the first punch in Round 9 – a straight right hand – and, sensing an opportunity to end the fight, followed with a barrage of accurate shots. Murata fought back bravely but a huge right hand knocked him to all fours and a cornerman threw in the towel, ending the fight.
The official time of the stoppage was 2:11 of Round 9.
Golovkin should now get his long-awaited third fight with Alvarez, against whom he fought to a disputed draw in 2017 and lost a close decision in 2018.
No deal is in place but the sides have made it known they want the fight to happen. It’s not clear how a loss or injury against Bivol might affect Alvarez-Golovkin III.
But Golovkin certainly did his part to make the showdown happen.
Gennadiy Golovkin, who turned 40 on Friday, looked ripped at the weigh-in for his title-unification bout with Ryota Murata on Saturday.
Gennadiy Golovkin made weight on his birthday Friday.
The now-40-year-old, looking fit and strong, came in at the middleweight limit of 160 pounds for his title-unification bout with Ryota Murata on Saturday in Saitama, Japan (DAZN).
Murata also weighed 160.
Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) has fought only once in 2½ years, a seventh-round knockout of Kamil Szeremeta in the first defense of his IBF title in December 2020.
Triple-G had won the vacant title by narrowly outpointing Sergey Derevyanchenko in October 2019.
If Golovkin beats Murata (16-2, 13 KOs), he’s expected to face Canelo Alvarez for a third time in September. Alvarez is scheduled to challenge 175-pound champ Dmitry Bivol on May 7.
Murata, a resident of Tokyo, had held a secondary WBA title but was elevated to “super” champion last year. He also hasn’t been active. His most-recent fight was in December 2019, when stopped Steven Butler in five rounds.
Golovkin has been fighting professionally for 16 years.
Gennadiy Golovkin, who turned 40 on Friday, looked ripped at the weigh-in for his title-unification bout with Ryota Murata on Saturday.
Gennadiy Golovkin made weight on his birthday Friday.
The now-40-year-old, looking fit and strong, came in at the middleweight limit of 160 pounds for his title-unification bout with Ryota Murata on Saturday in Saitama, Japan (DAZN).
Murata also weighed 160.
Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) has fought only once in 2½ years, a seventh-round knockout of Kamil Szeremeta in the first defense of his IBF title in December 2020.
Triple-G had won the vacant title by narrowly outpointing Sergey Derevyanchenko in October 2019.
If Golovkin beats Murata (16-2, 13 KOs), he’s expected to face Canelo Alvarez for a third time in September. Alvarez is scheduled to challenge 175-pound champ Dmitry Bivol on May 7.
Murata, a resident of Tokyo, had held a secondary WBA title but was elevated to “super” champion last year. He also hasn’t been active. His most-recent fight was in December 2019, when stopped Steven Butler in five rounds.
Golovkin has been fighting professionally for 16 years.
Odds: Golovkin 5-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Shuichiro Yoshino vs. Masayuki Ito, lightweights; Junto Nakatani vs. Ryota Yamauchi, flyweights (for Nakatani’s WBO title)
Prediction: Golovkin KO 8
Background: Golovkin turns 40 on the day before he meets Murata but remains a major player in the sport. The showdown on Murata’s home turf will unify two of the four major middleweight titles. And if Triple-G wins, as he’s expected to do, a third bout with rival Canelo Alvarez could come on September 17. Golovkin began this, his second reign as a 160-pound champion by outpointing Sergey Derevyanchenko for the vacant title in October 2019 and successfully defended it by stopping Kamil Szeremeta in December 2020, his most-recent fight. Alvarez is scheduled to challenge light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol on May 7. The outcome of that fight might not have a bearing on whether the Mexican star faces Golovkin next. Triple-G and Alvarez fought to a disputed draw in their first fight (2017) and Alvarez won a close decision in the rematch (2018). Of course, if Murata wins on Saturday, he would join the long list of potential opponents for Alvarez. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist was elevated to WBA “super” champion after Alvarez vacated the title. He last fought in December 2019, when he stopped Steven Butler in five rounds. He will have been out of the ring for more than two years.
Odds: Golovkin 5-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Shuichiro Yoshino vs. Masayuki Ito, lightweights; Junto Nakatani vs. Ryota Yamauchi, flyweights (for Nakatani’s WBO title)
Prediction: Golovkin KO 8
Background: Golovkin turns 40 on the day before he meets Murata but remains a major player in the sport. The showdown on Murata’s home turf will unify two of the four major middleweight titles. And if Triple-G wins, as he’s expected to do, a third bout with rival Canelo Alvarez could come on September 17. Golovkin began this, his second reign as a 160-pound champion by outpointing Sergey Derevyanchenko for the vacant title in October 2019 and successfully defended it by stopping Kamil Szeremeta in December 2020, his most-recent fight. Alvarez is scheduled to challenge light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol on May 7. The outcome of that fight might not have a bearing on whether the Mexican star faces Golovkin next. Triple-G and Alvarez fought to a disputed draw in their first fight (2017) and Alvarez won a close decision in the rematch (2018). Of course, if Murata wins on Saturday, he would join the long list of potential opponents for Alvarez. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist was elevated to WBA “super” champion after Alvarez vacated the title. He last fought in December 2019, when he stopped Steven Butler in five rounds. He will have been out of the ring for more than two years.
