Message got, Gennadiy Golovkin.
On the off chance that the 38-year-old needed to show he stays equipped for showing probably the most astonishing exhibitions in boxing, he did that Friday night. Golovkin’s specialized ability was on full showcase in a seventh-round stoppage triumph over Kamil Szeremeta in Hollywood, Florida, to safeguard his IBF middleweight title.
Golovkin set the precedent for the most title safeguards by a middleweight in boxing history (21). Yet, more critically for his vocation, he had the sort of excursion that demonstrated he is deserving of confronting a portion of the game’s top names, including an expected third battle against Canelo Alvarez.
“He’s got plenty more gas in the tank,” Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn told DAZN in the postfight interview. “The most exciting boxer in world boxing, still. Devastating power in both hands. We want to see him in the megafights next year.”
In his first battle in quite a while, Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) thumped Szeremeta down multiple times in an assault that began at the battle’s beginning. The victor sent Szeremeta to the canvas toward the finish of the first round with an uppercut followed by a left hand over the top.
From that point, Golovkin overpowered Szeremeta (21-2-0, 5 KOs), the required challenger who was battling in the United States for just the second time in his vocation. Golovkin’s last knockdown fell off a poke in the seventh, a demonstration of his strength for the duration of the evening.
The middleweight champ scored two knockdowns in the initial three adjusts unexpectedly since April 2016, when he took out Dominic Wade in the second round, as per ESPN Stats and Information research.
In five of the seven rounds, Golovkin landed more force punches than pokes, as per CompuBox numbers. He associated on 56.5% of those shots.
Punch Stats
| PUNCHES | GOLOVKIN | SZEREMETA |
|---|---|---|
| Total landed | 228 | 59 |
| Total thrown | 554 | 327 |
| Percent | 41% | 18% |
| Jabs landed | 94 | 10 |
| Jabs thrown | 317 | 192 |
| Percent | 30% | 5% |
| Power landed | 134 | 49 |
| Power thrown | 237 | 135 |
| Percent | 57% | 36% |
Notwithstanding, the punch set up Golovkin’s hotshots for the duration of the evening and was a state of accentuation in his third battle with mentor Johnathon Banks. For the majority of Golovkin’s rule as a middleweight, he was known as a savage force puncher who looked for knockouts. Banks looked to change that.
“They turned him into a one-trick pony,” Banks told ESPN before the fight regarding Golovkin’s previous trainer. “That’s all he was known for, is just the knockout power. But he’s a beautiful boxer. He’s got beautiful movements. That’s what I wanted to go. I wanted to open back Pandora’s box.”
After knockdowns in the first and second adjusts, Golovkin stayed estimated with his punches. In the middle of the seventh and eighth rounds, official Telis Assimenios strolled over to Szeremeta’s corner and halted the session.
During his postfight meet with DAZN, Golovkin said the late completion was by design.
“I feel my jab,” Golovkin said. “I feel my power. I feel my timing, my distance. I needed a little bit more time. OK, if I’m finishing [in the] second round, maybe too early. I want to bring more people to TV.”
Golovkin ventured into the ring approximately 24 hours before Alvarez battles Callum Smith in San Antonio for the WBC and WBA super middleweight titles. Since the time Golovkin began battling on DAZN, there has been widespread theory about a possible third battle between the two men.
The initial two sessions settled little between them. A 2017 session was considered a disputable draw, while Alvarez squeaked out a lion’s share choice in 2018 by two consolidated focuses.
Hearn said Golovkin will direct what’s next for his profession. Golovkin guaranteed something important after his stoppage win against an overmatched Szeremeta.
“Trust me, guys,” Golovkin said. “We [will] bring the best fight for next time.”