Hearn: Golovkin Has Been Very Inactive, Murata is Really Dangerous Fight

Promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom believes IBF, IBO middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin is taking a very risky fight when he goes up against WBA champion Ryota Murata in a high stakes unification.

The bout takes place on Saturday night in Japan.

Golovkin is facing Murata on home soil – with the Japanese boxer being a superstar in the country.

There is a lot riding on the fight for Golovkin – as a victory would allow him to move forward with a trilogy fight against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez on a date in September, for the undisputed super middleweight championship.

“I think this is a really, dangerous, tough fight on so many different levels. We talked about [Claressa] Shields going to the UK [to face Savannah Marshall], this is Gennadiy going to Japan, but this is a very inactive Gennadiy Golovkin. If you’re ever going to fight Gennadiy Golovkin, this is the time to do it,” Hearn told The DAZN Boxing Show.

“I remember when Gennadiy Golovkin came to fight Kell Brook, he was terrifying. One of the nicest guys you could ever meet, but when that bell goes and you see him dip the head with those eyes and come forward, and you hear the sound of those punches up close, this is one of the most terrifying power punchers I’ve ever seen live.”

Golovkin has been inactive since 2019 – and some observers believe that he doesn’t look like the same fighter based on his recent performances.

Hearn expects Murata, an Olympic gold medal winner, to be more confident of victory than he would have been a few years ago.

“Is the fear factor evaporating from Gennadiy Golovkin? I think the mindset of Murata now compared to the mindset of Murata three or four years ago is ‘I can win this fight and I’m not afraid to mix it up,’” Hearn said.

“What does Gennadiy Golovkin have left? Power is the last thing to go, are the feet going to start slowing down, is he going to get hit more because he used to get hit quite a lot. If we see a prime Gennadiy Golovkin, then the trilogy for the undisputed super middleweight championship between Canelo and GGG is a monster.”