Via Sean Jones: Matthew Macklin believes Gennadiy Golovkin has enough strength left in the tank at the age of 40 to defeat Ryota Murata on April 9 in their middleweight unification match on DAZN at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Golovkin’s punching power and technical boxing prowess is still very much there, which will become a formidable obstacle for 36-year-old boxer Murata to overcome next month.
To be sure, Murata will have the crowd behind him on April 9 in Saitama, Japan; It probably won’t be enough for him to defeat Golovkin. Macklin knew firsthand how hard Golovkin punches, being stopped by him in the third round on June 29, 2013.
2012 Olympic gold medalist Murata has never shown the kind of talent Golovkin possessed during his nine-year professional career.
Macklin notes that Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) has aged somewhat over the past four years as he approaches 40; he still thinks he has enough to beat WBA 160-lb champion Murata (16-2, 13 KOs).
Given the lack of elite-level opposition that Golovkin has faced over the past four years, it’s not easy to tell whether he’s down or no longer motivated.
Golovkin’s three most recent opponents:
- Kamil Szeremeta – RTD 7 in 2020
- Sergiy Derevyanchenko – 12 UD in October 2019
- Steve Rolls – KO 4 – in June 2019
Macklin chose Golovkin over Murata
“It just depends on what Golovkin has left, right? ‘ Matthew Macklin said to Social boxing when asked who would win the April 9 middleweight unification match between Gennadiy Golovkin and Ryota Murata.
“I think he slipped for quite a while, I think, a long time, but it wasn’t so dramatic. It just gets gradual decline“Macklin talks about Golovkin.
Again, Golovkin’s objections have been lacking in his last three games. It’s hard to know how motivated he is.
For the most part, it seems that Golovkin never came out of first gear in his fights against Kamil Szeremeta and Steve Rolls. Those are the main event skirmishes on DAZN, though they’re terrifyingly lousy opponents.
Golovkin gave his time to both, showing no rush to end the contest as they were the main match. When fighting mid lane opponents like Rolls and Szeremeta, it must be difficult for Golovkin to fight at 100% capacity.
Boxing fans will blame him for fighting against his opponents if he kills these guys in the first few rounds.
True, Golovkin received a lot of criticism from everyone for choosing Rolls and the little-known Szeremeta to fight over Demetrius Andrade or Jermall Charlo. Both of those boxers were interested in fighting Golovkin at the time.
“But I think he’s 40 in a few months [on April 8th], or maybe he’s my age now,” Mackin said of Gennadiy. “Can that determination be more dramatic, and I imagine it could, and if it does, youth can win it for Murata. ”
Macklin may not know about the age of 36-year-old Murata, but he is not young. If Macklin is going to discuss the possibility of Murata winning this match against GGG, it’s not because of his youth.
36 is relatively old-fashioned for most fighters, and Murata hasn’t fought in two and a half years since his fifth round TKO win over Steven Butler on December 23, 2019.
Three years is a long time for anyone outside the ring, especially an older fighter like Murata. A lot is going against Murata winning this match against Golovkin.
The only thing that Murata has for him is home advantage, and that may not be enough.
“I don’t know, but I still think he [Golovkin] enough left By the way, to beat someone like Murata, who was a solid boxer, but at his peak, Golovkin was special, wasn’t he? ” said Macklin when he picked GGG to beat Ryota Murata on April 9.
Macklin sees Canelo as too good for Golovkin
“Yes, I think so,” Macklin said when told that Golovkin’s main request was to beat Canelo Alvarez in their three-piece match on September 17. Golovkin, for me, Canelo, they don’t want to fight. with him for a long time.
“Surname [Team Canelo dragged it out, dragged it out, and dragged it out. When they did fight him, I thought he [Golovkin] Robbed; I think he was cornered in the first fight.
“Second letter [Canelo vs. Golovkin] the fight is fair, close, can go either way. It was a while ago. You can see that Canelo has improved, and Golovkin has fallen from two fights, and so has he,” Macklin said of the two boxers’ changes in the past four years since the Canelo-Golovkin fight. second time in 2018.
“I think it’s difficult. I don’t think anyone can really pick anyone against Canelo given his recent form and Golovkin is not the fighter he used to be; I think quite a lot, he will be stuck.
“I think you are struggling to find someone to pick Golovkin in the third game [with Canelo]’ said Macklin.
