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HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 18: Gennadiy Golovkin slams Kamil Szeremeta in their fight for the IBF middleweight title at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on December 18, 2020 in Hollywood, Florida. Cliff Hawkins / Getty Images / AFP
MIAMI – Gennady Golovkin made boxing history on Friday by knocking down Kamil Szeremeta four times en route to a seventh-round TKO over the outgunned Polish rival to retain his IBF world middleweight title.
The 38-year-old Golovkin dropped the Szeremeta with soft punches in the first, second, fourth and seventh rounds in a one-sided bout to outscore Bernard Hopkins for the most defenses at 160 pounds with 21.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Golovkin from Kazakhstan. “I’ll be back later. I told you I’d come back after the Canelo (Álvarez) fight.
“I felt very comfortable because I worked hard. I had a lot of time to prepare and I am very proud of my team ”.
Szeremeta survived the seventh round, but the referee stopped the bout between rounds in the closed-door contest at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
The previously undefeated 31-year-old Szeremeta was completely outmatched from the opening bell by being knocked down for the first time late in the first round when Golovkin nailed him with a left hook.
Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) dropped him again late in the second round with a direct hit to the ear, and in the fourth with a hook to the chin.
The constant beating left Szeremeta (21-1, five knockouts) kicking Golovkin after the fourth round. There was no snap to his blows, as it became alarmingly obvious that he had never faced anyone of Golovkin’s caliber before.
The final brutal knockdown came in the middle of the seventh when Golovkin dropped the Pole with a short Bruce Lee-style jab that sent Szeremeta stumbling backward across the ring.
Golovkin was far ahead on the judges’ scorecard, winning three of the first four rounds by a score of 10-8.
Friday’s impressive victory rekindles the possibility of a third fight between Golovkin and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, who defeated Golovkin with a controversial majority decision in Las Vegas in 2018.
On Saturday, Alvarez will face Callum Smith for a pair of super middleweight belts. An Alvarez win could bring the boxing world one step closer to that great money trilogy fight.
“I’m absolutely open to fighting anyone,” Golovkin said. “Whatever the best opportunity for me, for business.
“We will wait until tomorrow to see who wins. I hope it’s a great fight, but I’m open to anyone. “
The victory also silences critics who claim Golovkin was on the decline after an unimpressive unanimous decision win over Sergiy Derevyanchenko in their most recent fight in October 2019.
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