BoxRec

margaret thatcher wrote: ↑25 Nov 2020, 12:03 never saw that coming lol!

eo is a relentless maniac

Press Release | Undercard Information

Two world title fights will be featured on the undercard of the historic Gennadiy "GGG" Golovkin - Kamil Szeremeta IBF/IBO World Middleweight Championship. Undefeated super middleweight contenders Ali Akhmedov (16-0, 12 KOs), from Almaty, Kazakhstan and Carlos Gongora (18-0, 13 KOs), from Esmeraldas, Ecuador, will rumble for the vacant IBO super middleweight world title and unbeaten WBA super featherweight world champion Hyun Mi Choi (17-0-1, 4 KOs), from Seoul, South Korea, will be looking to extend her 12-year title reign against Calista Silgado (19-11-3 14 KOs) from Tolu, Colombia.

Presented by GGG Promotions and Matchroom Boxing with Warriors Boxing, the Golovkin - Szeremeta world championship event will take place Friday, Dec. 18, behind closed doors at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL. It will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN beginning at 5pm ET in over 200 countries and territories.

"Title fights have always been my goal, and together with the team we became one step closer to the world title. I am confident in myself, my strength, and can’t wait to step into the ring. The training camp was held at the highest level as always, and I am ready for the fight," Akhmedov said.

"We have been training together for several years and I have seen his progress with every fight and training camp. He is ready to fight for the world title and I am glad that Ali represents GGGP at the turning point of his career. I am sure he will succeed," Golovkin said.

"I know I will be in tough with Akhmedov and I am ready for anything he wants to offer. We will see if he can do the same against me. Boston is about to see the start of its newest championship dynasty -- mine," Góngora said.

Akhmedov, who has won 75% of his fights by stoppage, returns to the ring having won five of his last six bout by knockout. He captured the WBC International Silver super middleweight title on June 8, 2019 by knocking out undefeated Marcus McDaniel in the third round. He followed that up with his first title defense, a first-round stoppage of Andrew Hernandez, Oct. 5, 2019. Promoted by GGG Promotions, he has been in the same training camp of his mentor Gennadiy Golovkin for several years.

Góngora, who represented Ecuador in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals in the 2008 summer games, has been training out of the Boston area throughout his professional career. The Ecuadorian bomber's skill set as a boxer puncher and his victory by knockout ratio of 72% has made him one of the most avoided fighters. Now, in his first opportunity to fight on the international stage, he has vowed to make the most of this opportunity.

Choi’s 19th pro outing is her 18th World title fight, and on her American debut, the two-weight World ruler will look to make a big statement to her star-studded rivals at Super-Featherweight, while Calista is looking to break her curse in World title outings, having challenged for elite belts on six previous fights.

“From the time I started boxing, it was my dream to fight in the United States,” said Choi. “Now, it’s time to realize that dream. I am ready to show everyone a great boxing match. Through this match I hope to gain respect and support from the world. I’m looking forward to my first match in the United States.”

Also added to the card is British Super-Middleweight World title contender John Ryder (28-5 16 KOs) who takes on Michael Guy (12-5-1 5 KOs) over ten rounds. Ryder is back in action for the first time since taking on Callum Smith for the WBA and WBC Diamond titles, running the champion close on his Liverpool home turf. The Londoner will be looking to shake the rust off as he prepares for a big fight in the first quarter of 2021.

Reshat Mati (8-0 6 KOs) has been an exciting addition to the paid ranks, and the Albanian Bear fights for the ninth time as a pro and unbeaten Californian 18 year old Jalan Walker (6-0 6 KOs) fights on US soil for the first time against Rafael Reyes (18-11 14 KO's) having boxed in Mexico six times since his debut in November 2019.

Akhmedov - Gongora is actually more interesting than main event

Cent0089 wrote: ↑12 Dec 2020, 09:47 Akhmedov - Gongora is actually more interesting than main event

ya that one looks good

Cent0089 wrote: ↑12 Dec 2020, 09:47 Akhmedov - Gongora is actually more interesting than main event

Indeed.

Gennadiy Golovkin makes 21st defense this Friday against Kamil Szeremeta

Gennadiy Golovkin will be looking to make his record-breaking 21st title defense this Friday night on December 18th when he defends his IBF middleweight title against Kamil Szeremeta on DAZN.

Golovkin is still on the verge of breaking the record for title defenses despite the fact that he lost to Canelo Alvarez in 2018. In other words, these aren’t 21 consecutive title defenses. It’s just 21 defenses.

That takes away the shine of the record, if you ask me. Still, Golovkin needs to create interest in his fight against the little known Szeremeta because the boxing public has paid very little attention to it for obvious reasons.

Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 KOs) will be facing his IBF mandatory Szeremeta (21-0, 5 KOs) in the headliner position at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, in Hollywood, Florida.

Szeremeta is one of those fighters that the International Boxing Federation has discovered and given a high ranking. None of the other sanctioning bodies have Szeremeta ranked, which is understandable given the low-level opposition he’s faced during his career.

It’s still hard to understand what the IBF saw in Szeremeta to give him such a high ranking.

Szeremeta’s last eight fights:

• Oscar Cortes
• Edwin Palacios
• Andrew Francillette
• Ruben Diaz
• Alessandro Goddi
• Sebastian Skrzypczynski
• Jose Antonio Villalobos
• Kassim Ouma

It’s been 14 months since GGG, 38, last fought in defeating Sergiy Derevyanchenko by a close 12 round unanimous decision on October 5th, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York.



That fight was one of the worst of Golovkin’s career with him being given what many boxing fans viewed as a gift decision by the judges in picking up the vacant IBF 160-lb title.

It was such a bad performance by Golovkin that the fans booed him out of the ring afterward, which had to be a surprise for him because New York has always been one of GGG’s best places to fight.

But the fans didn’t agree that Golovkin had done enough to rate the win over Derevyanchenko.



This Friday, Golovkin should be fine because he’s facing a guy that never fought a world contender before in 31-year-old Polish fighter Szeremeta, and he arguably has no business fighting for a world title.

We could see a similar outcome as Golovkin’s fourth-round knockout over little known Steve Rolls in June of last year.

DAZN perhaps didn’t realize what type of fights they would get out of Golovkin when they signed him in 2019. They probably thought they were going to see repeated fights between GGG and Canelo Alvarez.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened. Instead of getting fights between Golovkin and Canelo, we’re about to see GGG face Steve Rolls and Derevyanchenko.

Now we’re about to see Golovkin defend against Szeremeta, which is every bit a mismatch against the Golovkin-Rolls fight.

Golovkin got some bad news a couple of weeks ago when Canelo Alvarez revealed that he’s not going to be fighting Golovkin soon, as he’s looking to capture all the titles at 168 first.

It could take Canelo a couple of years to accomplish that goal, so we probably won’t see the third match between him and GGG until 2022 or 2023. Golovkin will be 40 or 41 by that point.

As long as Golovkin keeps himself in shape, it should be too much of a farce in a fight between him and Canelo. Until then, Golovkin must keep winning because if he gets beaten, he can forget about Canelo.

The Mexican star probably won’t be too bummed out if Golovkin gets beaten because he doesn’t seem all that motivated to fight him again.

You have to remember that Canelo believes he’s already beaten GGG twice, so it’s less important to him to face him again than it is for the fans.

It’ll be interesting to see who Golovkin faces next after the Szeremeta fight. Will GGG continue to fight guys like Szermeta and Steve Rolls, or will DAZN put his feet to the fire and insist that he start fighting quality opposition?

It would be helpful for Golovkin to vacate his IBF title and move up to 168 to face Canelo in two or three years eventually. It’s pointless for GGG to stay at 160 because he’s obviously never going to fight Jermall Charlo or Demetrius Andrade.

Hopefully Golovkin is declined enough for this bout to be a really competetive big drama show.

Hopefully GGG knocks Szeremeta out in style to remind everyone why, even at 38, he remains amongst the most feared names in all of boxing.

As for the elusive Clenelo, remember when his fans were arguing that he was disadvantaged as a small MW?

You no longer hear those arguments now that he skips opponents in his search for easy pickings in different divisions.

Or could it simply be that his supply of the fat burning clenbuterol has become more difficult to source in these times of the global Covid scamdemic?

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑14 Dec 2020, 05:22Gennadiy Golovkin will be looking to make his record-breaking 21st title defense this Friday night on December 18th when he defends his IBF middleweight title against Kamil Szeremeta on DAZN.

Golovkin is still on the verge of breaking the record for title defenses despite the fact that he lost to Canelo Alvarez in 2018. In other words, these aren’t 21 consecutive title defenses. It’s just 21 defenses.

I disagree with the content of your article.

If GGG beats Szeremeta, which he should do very easily, since this is a mismatch, then he would have only performed TEN successful title defences.

The IBO and WBA interim and regular titles aren’t legitimate championships, they’re only meaningless secondary trinkets.

At this point in time, GGG has captured the vacant IBF championship when he defeated Derevyanchenko and only successfully defended his titles once against nine foes (since the Canelo rematch was an unsuccessful title defence):

• Daniel Geale
• Rubio
• Murray
• Monroe Jr
• Lemieux
• Wade
• Jacobs
• Canelo
• Martirosyan

GGG’s title status was elevated twice by the WBA outside the ring (i.e. from interim to regular; and then from regular to super).

And the WBC handed over their title to Golovkin (outside the ring, without needing to fight for the vacant strap) after they stripped it from Canelo (due to the Mexican engaged in a lawsuit against his former promoter).

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑14 Dec 2020, 05:22 It’s still hard to understand what the IBF saw in Szeremeta to give him such a high ranking.

The EBU belt + influential (for Polish standards) promoter.

Trainer Banks: Golovkin Ready to Kick-Start Second Dominant Decade

Just like that, it’s been a decade at the top for Gennady Golovkin.

The middleweight division’s Kazakh-born boogeyman fought for his first title belt – a second-tier WBA trinket – exactly 10 years ago this Wednesday, and he isn’t quite ready to cede his status.

In fact, now 38, he’ll celebrate the supremacy milestone Friday by returning to the ring for the first time in 14 months and defending two more straps against unheralded Polish challenger Kamil Szeremeta.

The bout will take place behind closed doors at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla., and it’ll mark the third time the decorated fighter – now in possession of the IBF and IBO 160-pound titles – emerges from the locker room with Kronk-reared trainer Johnathon Banks.

The two got together in the spring of 2019, shortly after Golovkin split with longtime corner boss Abel Sanchez in the aftermath of a majority decision loss to Canelo Alvarez in their second meeting.

The defeat, his first after starting his career 38-0-1, came after a draw with Alvarez a year earlier.

Banks was at the helm for Golovkin’s fourth-round steamrolling of anonymous Canadian stand-in Steve Rolls at Madison Square Garden in June 2019, and was back in midtown Manhattan when his charge returned to the belted class with a narrow decision over Sergiy Derevyanchenko that October.

Plans for a trilogy bout with Alvarez have run hot and cold throughout the subsequent stretch of inactivity, though it’s no coincidence the Mexican will appear 24 hours later this weekend when he challenges for the WBA and WBC 168-pound titles against Callum Smith.

As for Golovkin and Banks, the time away from action has brought them closer.

“If there was a silver lining to be found in Gennady's ring hiatus it was that he and I had a lot of time together, over six months, training and staying in condition,” Banks said.

“This allowed us to get to know each other better and exchange ideas about boxing and even discuss life. There were days in Big Bear where we would take a hike or go for ice cream.”

It’s the sort of camaraderie in which the trainer, who’s actually two months younger than Golovkin, was immersed during his own fighting career under the tutelage of Emanuel Steward.

Banks turned pro in 2004 and won his first 19 fights before capturing the IBO cruiserweight title in fight No. 20 in 2008. He relinquished the belt to challenge Tomasz Adamek for the IBF championship the following year and was stopped in the eighth round.

He rebounded with nine wins and a draw in his next 10 fights while trying his luck at heavyweight, including a devastating second-round KO of then-unbeaten prospect Seth Mitchell in 2012.

Mitchell won a decision in a rematch seven months later and Banks was stopped in seven rounds in his final fight, against two-division champ Antonio Tarver in 2013.

He became Wladimir Klitschko’s trainer after Steward died, and has also worked with Dillian Whyte.

Golovkin had been on his radar long before they worked together, dating back to a prolific amateur career in which Golovkin won gold at the 2003 world championships and silver at the 2004 Olympics.

“He was a really good boxer with good movement. He had a beautiful rhythm, boxing and punching,” Banks said. “As his professional career evolved he became known as a knockout artist, stalking his opponent and loading up for the knockout.

“Now don't get me wrong, I love knockouts, (but) there is more than one way to get one.

“Gennady worked a lot more on his elite style of combining boxing, punching and rhythm in training camp, and he looks tremendous. Rhythm, rhythm, rhythm – speed and power – that is what we worked on a lot in camp. Training Gennady is always an education because he has a good boxing mind.”

And a commitment to the craft as well, which makes the trainer’s job easier.

“He always comes into camp in good shape,” Banks said.

“I think he weighed 168 when we opened this camp. It's 100 percent training camp, where with other fighters you need to also have to dedicate time to losing a lot of weight. Throughout his career, Gennady has fought at middleweight. (He) is a testament to consistency and discipline. He has been a champion every year since 2010. Who else can say that?”

Not Szeremeta, who’s perfect after 21 fights but hasn’t moved the needle in terms of opposition.

A second-round stoppage of Alessandro Goddi netted him European Boxing Union middleweight honors in 2018 and accounts for his best victory according to the Independent World Boxing Rankings, which had Goddi slotted 44th in the world entering their fight.

Eighteen months earlier, Szeremeta outpointed 37-year-old former 154-pound champ Kassim Ouma, whom Golovkin stopped in 10 rounds in 2011.

Szeremeta, too, last fought on the Golovkin-Derevyanchenko show in October 2019, when he TKO’d Oscar Cortes in two rounds.

“(His) style reminds me a lot of Derevyanchenko. They are almost twins,” Banks said. “Both like to fight close-in. While Derevyanchenko believed he was a puncher and had confidence in his power, Szeremeta moves around the ring more and seems busier.

“(He’s) a dangerous fighter for several reasons. He's getting better and stronger with each fight. He's won three of his last five by knockout. He also has nothing to lose and everything to gain. He's very busy in the ring. I expect him to come right at Gennady like Derevyanchenko did.”

(His) style reminds me a lot of Derevyanchenko. They are almost twins,” Banks said. “Both like to fight close-in. While Derevyanchenko believed he was a puncher and had confidence in his power, Szeremeta moves around the ring more and seems busier.

“(He’s) a dangerous fighter for several reasons. He's getting better and stronger with each fight. He's won three of his last five by knockout. He also has nothing to lose and everything to gain. He's very busy in the ring. I expect him to come right at Gennady like Derevyanchenko did.”



I'm glad that Bank's isn't underestimating Kamil Szeremeta. He's got very fast hands and an awkward style to boot.

Just the kind of things an ageing fighter like Golovkin would not want to face.

This will be interesting.

Looking forward to this one. GGG in a record breaking title defence against an awkward, unbeaten opponent who's ranked at #6 by the bible of boxing, The Ring.

Will an ageing champion suddenly grow old in the ring? Or will he defy his critics and continue to break records? Could be a cracker.

Ya, Ring top 10 rated, all the way up at 6, add another top 10 contender to ggg's resume

Thomastearns wrote: ↑15 Dec 2020, 05:26 (His) style reminds me a lot of Derevyanchenko. They are almost twins,” Banks said. “Both like to fight close-in. While Derevyanchenko believed he was a puncher and had confidence in his power, Szeremeta moves around the ring more and seems busier.

“(He’s) a dangerous fighter for several reasons. He's getting better and stronger with each fight. He's won three of his last five by knockout. He also has nothing to lose and everything to gain. He's very busy in the ring. I expect him to come right at Gennady like Derevyanchenko did.”



I'm glad that Bank's isn't underestimating Kamil Szeremeta. He's got very fast hands and an awkward style to boot.

Just the kind of things an ageing fighter like Golovkin would not want to face.

This will be interesting.

Intriguing is the last description I'd use. I'll watch since I'm a GGG fan, it's on Friday and I have to watch something on dazn here and there, but this is sewage.

Kammy is actually a pretty solid technician with a nice inside game, problem is he's featherfisted and has foght nowhere even close to this level

I expect he'll do better than many expect but still get beaten up handily

Honestly have never seen him fight.

Onetimeonly wrote: ↑15 Dec 2020, 06:27 Honestly have never seen him fight.

I'm surprised at that. He fought a couple of crackers against p4p #1 Canelo Alvarez.

The Gratest wrote: ↑15 Dec 2020, 06:40

Onetimeonly wrote: ↑15 Dec 2020, 06:27 Honestly have never seen him fight.

I'm surprised at that. He fought a couple of crackers against p4p #1 Canelo Alvarez.

Never heard of him.

Onetimeonly wrote: ↑15 Dec 2020, 06:43

The Gratest wrote: ↑15 Dec 2020, 06:40

Onetimeonly wrote: ↑15 Dec 2020, 06:27 Honestly have never seen him fight.

I'm surprised at that. He fought a couple of crackers against p4p #1 Canelo Alvarez.

Never heard of him.