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Home > Match Information > IBF champ GGG stops WBA ruler Murata in 9th round in middleweight title unification fight

IBF champ GGG stops WBA ruler Murata in 9th round in middleweight title unification fight

Apr 10, 2022 9:49 am

International Boxing Federation middleweight champion Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin of Kazakhstan, unleashing a barrage of combinations from various angles, stopped World Boxing Association middleweight ‘’super’’ champion Ryota Murata of Teiken Boxing Gym in the ninth round in their title unification fight at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama Prefecture on Apr. 9.

The technical knockout of the scheduled 12-rounder came 2 minutes and 11 seconds into the round when the 40-year-old Golovkin, nicknamed GGG, sent Murata, 36, rolling down to the canvas with left-right blows to Murata’s head in rapid succession, which prompted his cornerman to throw in the towel to end the fight.

While both boxers got off to a relatively quiet start, Murata, who was fighting for the first time in two years and four months, worked GGG’s body with left hooks and straight rights from the second through the fourth rounds.

Golovkin began to rally from the fifth round with his combination blows, including his typical roundhouse but speedy left hooks to the head and increased his attacks in the ensuing rounds although Murata, who apparently fell into a sluggish pace, landed straight rights to the head and body sporadically.

Since Murata visibly showed an accumulation of damage in the ninth stanza, Golovkin, who was fighting for the first time in a year and four months, pounced on him by landing his vaunted blows almost at will.
After the fight, Golovkin said through an interpreter, ‘’I am happy that I was able to fight with ‘’super’ champion Murata. I will give my heartfelt thanks to all the people concerned to realize the fight as well as to people who watched (saw) the fight.

Murata also said, ‘’I felt Mr. Golovkin was stronger than me in terms of total power. I hope boxing fans were able to enjoy our fight. I have to thank the Gold for us two to end the fight in one piece. Later Golovkin gave his gown to Murata as a token of his thanks.

With the victory, Golovkin improved his record to 42 wins, including 37 KOs, against a loss and a draw, while Murata fell to a 16-3 win-loss tally with 13 KOs.

While the fight was initially planned on Dec. 29 last year, it was cancelled some three weeks before the fight due to the Japanese government’s entry ban on nonresident foreigners, effective from late November to the end of February this year, amid concern over the rapid spread of the highly contagious Omicron virus variant across the world.

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