Where's GGG and what could be next?
Gennady Golovkin was once among the biggest stars in boxing, a menacing puncher whose catchphrases endeared him to fans. But inactivity is the great momentum killer. And not just inactivity, but lack of big-time fights since he was narrowly defeated by Canelo Alvarez in their September 2018 rematch.
Since signing an exclusive deal with DAZN in 2018, he's competed just three times. His bout with Sergiy Dervyanchenko wasn't anticipated, yet ended up being one of the best action fights of 2019. Since that October scrap, GGG has fought only once, a stay-busy bout against Kamil Szeremeta in December 2020.
The long layoff could end soon, though. Golovkin is slated to fight Ryota Murata in a middleweight championship unification bout on Dec. 28 in Kobe, Japan, sources tell ESPN. Both sides agreed to the deal and are simply waiting for DAZN to sign off on the bout.
That's a big reason why GGG has been so inactive: a dispute with the streaming service. After Alvarez sued DAZN last year, GGG became embroiled in a battle with the platform connected to its expectation that Alvarez and Golovkin would fight a third time.
While Golovkin-Murata isn't a major fight -- and a far cry from Canelo-GGG 3 -- it is compelling. GGG, who turns 40 in April, was pushed to the brink against Derevyanchenko. It's hard to know just how much he has left. Murata, a plodding fighter, is a superstar in Japan and an Olympic gold medalist but has proven to be below the top level in the pros. GGG is ESPN's No. 2 160 pounder while Murata is No. 4. The winner will be primed for a big fight in 2022.
And speaking of inactivity, this will be Murata's first fight since a fifth-round TKO of Steven Butler in December 2019.
