Kazakh says prospect of third fight against Mexican \u2018interesting\u2019 after he bags TKO win
\n SAITAMA
\nGennady Golovkin said the prospect of a third fight against Saul \u2018Canelo\u2019 Alvarez was \u201cinteresting\u201d after the Kazakh star homed in on a long-awaited trilogy by beating Japan\u2019s Ryota Murata on Saturday.
\n\u201cGGG\u201d Golovkin, who turned 40 on Friday, stopped Murata in the ninth round to add the Japanese fighter\u2019s WBA middleweight world title to his own IBF belt in a unification bout in Saitama, north of Tokyo.
\nThe win moved Golovkin a step closer to a third crack at pound-for-pound king Alvarez, having pushed the Mexican all the way in two previous epic encounters.
\nThe all-conquering Alvarez, having last year unified the four super-middleweight belts in just 11 months, will move up to light-heavyweight to challenge undefeated WBA champion Dmitry Bivol on May 7.
\nA September trilogy fight between Alvarez and Golovkin could smash box office and pay-per-view records but the Kazakh refused to look too far ahead after winning his first fight in 16 months.
\n\u201cOf course, when an opportunity presents itself it\u2019s always interesting,\u201d said Golovkin, who ran into early trouble against Murata before taking control and winning by technical knockout.
\n\u201cAt the same time, Canelo\u2019s fight is taking place in May and that is not going to be an easy fight. So I suggest we should wait until we get the result of that fight.\u201d
\nGolovkin\u2019s first fight against Alvarez, in September 2017, saw the Kazakh give an inspired performance, with many believing he had won \u2013 only for the judges to declare the bout a split draw.
\nThe rematch eight months later was postponed after Alvarez tested positive for a banned substance.
\nWhen it eventually took place in September 2018, Alvarez battled to victory by majority decision after a pulsating contest.
\nGolovkin needed to beat Murata to stand a chance of earning another bite at the cherry, but the Japanese fighter came out swinging and landed several big body shots in the opening rounds. Golovkin steadied the ship and gradually began turning the screw, sending Murata\u2019s mouthpiece flying with a ferocious punch early in the sixth round.
\nMurata \u2013 a 2012 London Olympics gold-medallist \u2013 eventually succumbed in the ninth round, with his corner throwing in the towel after Golovkin sent him to the canvas.
\nGolovkin said every round of the intense fight \u201cwas close\u201d, but he was happy with his performance.
\n\u201cMurata is a strong, solid boxer with a lot of stamina and a lot of patience, but at some point I was able to shorten it up and find the right distance,\u201d said Golovkin, who took his record to 42-1-1, with 37 KOs.
\nThe build-up to the fight had been notable for the mutual respect between the two fighters.
\nAfter the final bell, Golovkin presented Murata with his ring gown as the two embraced.
\n\u201cThis is our national tradition,\u201d said Golovkin. \u201cWhen you want to show a lot of respect to a person, you present them with your gown.\u201d
\nMurata, now 16-3, was roared on by the home crowd against an opponent that was hailed as the biggest name to enter a ring in Japan since Mike Tyson in 1990.
\nMurata had no complaints after his team threw in the towel, and said Golovkin\u2019s experience and technique had made the difference.
\n\u201cGolovkin has an image of being strong, that he can just bludgeon you to the ground,\u201d said the 36-year-old Murata, who was fighting for the first time since December 2019.
\n\u201cBut when you fight against him you can see that he\u2019s strong but also really good \u2013 his blocking, his technique, his level of boxing perfection.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kazakh says prospect of third fight against Mexican \u2018interesting\u2019 after he bags TKO win SAITAMA Gennady Golovkin said the prospect of a third fight against Saul \u2018Canelo\u2019 Alvarez was \u201cinteresting\u201d after the Kazakh star homed in on a long-awaited trilogy by beating Japan\u2019s Ryota Murata on Saturday. \u201cGGG\u201d Golovkin, who turned 40 on Friday, stopped […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-254253","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n