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Three months after COVID restrictions in Japan forced a postponement, we may finally have a new date for the middleweight unification between Gennadiy Golovkin and Ryota Murata. ESPN’s Mike Coppinger reports the fight will happen in Saitama, Japan on April 9th.
Sources: The Gennadiy Golovkin-Ryota Murata middleweight title unification is set for April 9 in Saitama, Japan on DAZN. If GGG wins and Canelo Alvarez defeats Dmitriy Bivol on May 7, they’ll meet in a trilogy bout for the undisputed super middleweight title on Sept. 17.
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) March 2, 2022
IBF champion Golovkin (41-1, 36 KO) and WBA champion Murata (16-2, 13 KO) have been slated to unify their belts for quite a while now. If the reported April 9th date confirms, Golovkin will enter the ring at the age of 40 years and one day. He’ll fight for the first time in 16 months, having last been seen knocking out Kamil Szeremeta in December of 2020.
The 36 year old Murata has been out of the ring even longer than GGG. Murata last fought in December of 2019, stopping Steven Butler in five rounds.
Coppinger also says the fight will happen in prime time in Japan. For our American readers, that means you’ll get to see it sometime between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m., depending on what time zone you call home.
Personally, I don’t care if Golovkin is 40 years old, and I don’t care if I have to wake up at sunrise to see him fight. I’ve already shared why I enjoy watching GGG do his thing, and I just hope nothing gets in the way of his return to the ring next month.
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