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Message received, Gennadiy Golovkin.
If the 38-year-old wanted to show that he is still capable of putting on some of boxing’s most masterful performances, he did so that Friday night. Golovkin’s technical prowess was on full display in a seventh-round knockout victory over Kamil Szeremeta in Hollywood, Florida to defend his IBF middleweight title.
Golovkin set the record for the most title defenses by a middleweight in boxing history (21). But more important to his career, he had the kind of outing that proved he’s worthy of facing some of the biggest names in the sport, including a possible third fight against Canelo Alvarez.
“He has a lot more gas in the tank,” Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn told DAZN in the post-fight interview. “The most exciting fighter in world boxing, yet. A devastating power in both hands. We want to see him in the mega fights next year.”
In his first fight in 14 months, Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) dropped Szeremeta four times in an attack that began early in the fight. The champion sent Szeremeta to the mat late in the first round with an uppercut followed by a left hand overhead.
From there, Golovkin edged out Szeremeta (21-2-0, 5 KOs), the mandatory challenger from Poland who was fighting in the United States for the second time in his career. Golovkin’s final knockdown came with a jab in the seventh, a testament to his dominance throughout the night.
The middleweight champion, originally from Kazakhstan, scored two knockdowns in the first three rounds for the first time since April 2016, when he knocked out Dominic Wade in the second round, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
In five of the seven rounds, Golovkin landed more power shots than jabs, according to CompuBox numbers. He connected 56.5% of those shots.
However, the jab prepared Golovkin’s bigwigs all night long and was an emphasis point in his third fight with trainer Johnathon Banks. For most of Golovkin’s reign as a middleweight, he was known as a violent puncher looking for knockouts. Banks sought to change that.
“They turned him into a one-trick pony,” Banks told ESPN before the fight of Golovkin’s former trainer. “That’s all he was known for, it’s just the knockout power. But he’s a beautiful boxer. He has beautiful movements. That’s what he wanted to do. He wanted to open Pandora’s box.”
After knockdowns in the first and second rounds, Golovkin remained measured with his punches. Between the seventh and eighth rounds, referee Telis Assimenios approached Szeremeta’s corner and stopped the fight.
During his post-fight interview with DAZN, Golovkin said the late ending was by design.
“I feel my jab,” Golovkin said. “I feel my power. I feel my time, my distance. I needed a little more time. Okay, if I’m finishing [in the] second round, perhaps too soon. I want to attract more people to television. “
Golovkin stepped into the ring approximately 24 hours before Alvarez fought Callum Smith in San Antonio for the WBC and WBA super middleweight titles. Ever since Golovkin began fighting on DAZN, there has been rampant speculation about a possible third fight between the two men.
The first two fights were little settled between them. A 2017 fight was considered a controversial draw, while Alvarez achieved a majority decision in 2018 by two points combined.
Hearn said Golovkin will dictate what’s next in his career. Golovkin promised something big after his stoppage win against a bested Szeremeta.
“Trust me guys,” Golovkin said. “U.S [will] bring the best fight for the next one. “
