Earlier this week, Dan Rafael revealed that IBF middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin and WBA “super”champion Ryota Murata were on course to share a summer card before facing each other in a New Year’s Eve unification match. One of those goals appears to have reached fruition, as Mike Coppinger reports that the pair “have an agreement in principle” to meet on December 28th in Tokyo.
The fight “will happen on a Tuesday evening in Japan, which will be morning in North America.” As Coppinger points out, Murata (16-2, 13 KO) is a massive star in his home country, so it’s not surprising that Top Rank and Teiken would prioritize the local market instead of making the timing more America-friendly.
Those of you willing to shake off the post-Christmas fugue and get up bright and early are likely in for quite the show, as both men are hugely entertaining finishers. Murata’s unproven ability to handle top-flight competition and Golovkin’s (41-1-1, 36 KO) visible decline add some nice intrigue as well.
