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WBA middleweight champion Ryota Murata 16-2 (13) believes IBF counterpart Gennadiy Golovkin 41-1-1 (36) deserved the decision in both fights against Mexican superstar and undisputed super middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez 57-1-2 (39).
The 36-year-old Murata will face Kazakh Golovkin, who will turn 40 tomorrow, in a unification bout in his native Japan at the Super Arena in Saitama this Saturday night.
Golovkin, who had to settle for a split draw and majority decision loss to Alvarez in 2017 and 2018 respectively, is expected to face Alvarez for a third time in September if victorious against the 2012 Olympic gold medalist.
“Yes, the decision on both fights with Canelo were questionable to me. But whether GGG is unbeaten or not does not matter. I think he is past his prime. How I perform my strong points in the ring will be important,” Murata told The Sun.
Golovkin, who will be having his first fight in 16 months, said: “I’m always excited to get back in the ring and it’s great that boxing is coming back. The entire approach, the entire tradition of boxing is still alive. I’m also excited that I have enough strength to continue to demonstrate quality boxing to my fans. So you’ll continue to see me in the ring.
“Of course, there are certain emotions, due to age for example, but I’m not frustrated personally, because it’s not my fault I did not have a chance to get in the ring for quite a while. But you will not see any emotions in the ring. In the ring, it will be a completely professional approach.”
British promoter Eddie Hearn sees the fight as a dangerous proposition for Golovkin.
“I think this is a really, dangerous, tough fight on so many different levels. We talked about [Claressa] Shields going to the UK [to face Savannah Marshall], this is Gennadiy going to Japan, but this is a very inactive Gennadiy Golovkin. If you’re ever going to fight Gennadiy Golovkin, this is the time to do it,” Hearn told The DAZN Boxing Show.
“I remember when Gennadiy Golovkin came to fight Kell Brook, he was terrifying. One of the nicest guys you could ever meet, but when that bell goes and you see him dip the head with those eyes and come forward, and you hear the sound of those punches up close, this is one of the most terrifying power punchers I’ve ever seen live.
“Is the fear factor evaporating from Gennadiy Golovkin? I think the mindset of Murata now compared to the mindset of Murata three or four years ago is ‘I can win this fight and I’m not afraid to mix it up’.
“What does Gennadiy Golovkin have left? Power is the last thing to go, are the feet going to start slowing down, is he going to get hit more because he used to get hit quite a lot. If we see a prime Gennadiy Golovkin, then the trilogy for the undisputed super middleweight championship between Canelo and GGG is a monster.”
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