Ryota Murata: record, next fight and profile →
Eddie Hearn will not tone down his desire to secure a fight between unbeaten middleweight titlists Demetrius Andrade and Jermall Charlo.
IBF middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin feels confident that he holds the key to defeating Mexican superstar Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Golovkin fought Canelo to a controversial twelve round split draw in 2017.
IBF middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin is preparing for a high-stakes unification coming up next month with WBA champion Ryota Murata.
Gennadiy "GGG" Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs), from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, boxing's most dominant middleweight of his era, is bringing the Big Drama Show and his IBF and IBO world title belts to his opponent's backyard, Japan, where he will rumble with two-time WBA middleweight kingpin Ryota Murata (16-2, 13 KOs), in a long-awaited title unification fight.
Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum, who co-promotes WBA middleweight champion Ryota Murata, is backing his fighter to become a unified titleholder when he faces IBF champion Gennadiy Golovkin in late December.
Twice-beaten Chris Eubank Jr has told William Hill that he’s aiming to win a world title by the end of the year, and then hopes to secure a unification fight against Gennady Golovkin.
Erislandy Lara has given up one title in pursuit of another. BoxingScene.com has learned that Lara will no longer retain the World Boxing Association (WBA) “World” junior middleweight title, having officially relinquished the belt according to sources familiar with the development. The decision came as the Cuban boxer was on the clock to inform the WBA whether he plans to retain his secondary status at junior middleweight or at middleweight.
Eddie Hearn doesn’t consider Gennadiy Golovkin a potential opponent for Canelo Alvarez’s next fight. While negotiations for the fight Alvarez really wants with Caleb Plant have stalled, Hearn believes Golovkin is fully focused on boxing Ryota Murata in December. Published reports last month indicated Golovkin would’ve been willing to square off against Alvarez a third time September 18 if that opportunity presented itself, but Hearn noted during a recent appearance on “The SI Boxing Podcast” that Dmitry Bivol is the frontrunner to replace Plant as Alvarez’s opponent.
Eddie Hearn, who works with both Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin, says a trilogy fight is not likely to happen in 2021 - because Canelo is focused on unifying the entire super middleweight division. Canelo and Golovkin fought to a controversial twelve round split draw in 2017. A year later, Canelo won a twelve round majority decision over Golovkin.
Former two division world champion Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez has continued to train hard for his next fight, which is being targeted for a date near the end of April. Last year, Martinez, nearly 46-years-old, returned to the sport after being retired since 2014. The goal for Martinez is a showdown with WBA middleweight champion Ryota Murata of Japan.