Olovkin vs. Murata – LIVE!
Gennady Golovkin will hope to tee up a trilogy showdown with Canelo Alvarez as he battles Japan’s Ryota Murata in Saitama today.
The two great rivals are on a collision course for a third lucrative clash later in 2022, but only if they both come through their respective next tests unscathed.
While Canelo fights WBA light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol in Las Vegas next month, Golovkin will hope to get past Murata in a world middleweight unification showdown.
One of the greatest campaigners at 160lbs in boxing history, ‘GGG’ has only fought once since regaining the IBF and IBO belts against Sergiy Derevyanchenko in 2019, stopping Kamil Szeremeta 16 months ago.
And Golovkin will be out to prove here that he remains among the most formidable fighters on the planet despite that recent inactivity and the fact that he turned 40 on Friday.
But he could face a tough examination against Murata, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist who is the current WBA ‘super’ champion but has not stepped into the ring since beating Steven Butler in December 2019.
On Saturday’s undercard, Junto Nakatani defends his WBO flyweight title against Ryota Yamauchi and former WBO super-featherweight world champion Masayuki Ito was outpointed by Shuichiro Yoshino in a bloody battle.
Boxing schedule and results
Gennady Golovkin vs Ryota Murata
Together Nakatani vs Ryota Yamauchi
Shuichiro Yoshino bt Masayuki Ito
Kazuki Anaguchi bt Ryuji Yamamoto
Taiga Kato bt Hiroka Amaki
Follow Golovkin vs Murata LIVE with Standard Sport’s blog below!
live updates
Nakatani vs. Yamauchi
Poor Yamauchi has eaten so many thundering uppercuts through five rounds here.
Nakatani is landing it at will and so goes back to it time and time and time again. What a formidable shot.
That was probably Yamauchi’s best round of the fight so far, but that isn’t saying much.
5-0 Nakatani, without any doubt whatsoever. He’ll be wanting to stop this sooner rather than later.
Nakatani vs. Yamauchi
Not quite as explosive from the more methodical Nakatani in the fourth, but this remains complete and utter dominance in Saitama.
Yamauchi is having some success with the odd shot here and there, but I’m not sure how much more damage that face is going to be able to take.
It’s horribly swollen all over.
Nakatani vs. Yamauchi
This is an absolute clinic from Nakatani at the moment.
He’s the most talented fighter by an absolute country mile and continues to dole out some serious punishment.
There’s lots of eye-catching variety and fabulous (some unconventional) combinations, but the fearsome right uppercut has been his shot of choice so far today.
Yamauchi just cannot avoid it and looks like he’s done the full 12 rounds already, by the worsening damage to his face.
Slightly better from Yamauchi at times in the third, but not much. He’s completely out of his depth here.
Watch: Nakatani inflicts punishment early on
Nakatani vs. Yamauchi
Nakatani is picking the vastly overmatched Yamauchi off at will here, sending him scrambling early in the second with a looping right hand before detonating a series of punishing uppercuts.
He also has more success with the straight one-two down the middle.
Everything is landing as he thunders in some serious shots with both hands, with Yamauchi’s face already completely battered and bruised.
His nose looks broken and his left eye is badly, badly swollen as he rises off his stool for round three.
Sublime accuracy and variety from Nakatani, who carries a lot of power and boxes wonderfully at range, picking his moments to get in and out and inflict maximum damage.
Nakatani vs. Yamauchi
A confident start from Nakatani and Yamauchi is in deep trouble already at the end of round one.
First he’s rocked by a peach of a straight left hand straight down the middle that was beautifully set up with the lead right.
He’s left clinging on and is then smashed with a right uppercut.
The ultra-talented Nakatani starting as he means to go on. 17 of his 22 pro wins to date have come via knockout… is a swift stoppage on the cards here?
Nakatani vs. Yamauchi
We are off and running in the co-main event of the night!
Can Nakatani live up to his reputation as one of the hottest young prospects in world boxing?
Nakatani vs. Yamauchi
Nakatani was initially supposed to be facing Mexico’s Cristian Gonzalez, but the postponement of this card – originally due to take place in December – led to a change in opponent, with the latter knocking out former world title challenger Juan Alejo in the first round last month instead.
Rather the challenge is now from fellow Japanese fighter Yamauchi, the WBO Asia Pacific flyweight champion who has made The Ring’s top-10 ranking at 112lbs inside nine pro fights.
The 27-year-old’s only pro loss to date came while challenging Wulan Tuolehazi for the vacant WBA International title in March 2019.
Nakatani vs Yamauchi next
Only one fight left before the main event in Saitama!
Together Nakatani provides the second defense of his WBO flyweight world title against compatriot Ryota Yamauchi.
Nakatani – the highly-rated and undefeated former Japanese national champion – claimed the vacant belt against Giemel Magramo in Tokyo back in November 2020, having previously stopped Milan Melindo.
He then successfully retained it in a defeat of Puerto Rico’s Angel Acosta in Tuscon, Arizona last September.
That bout was stopped by the ringside doctor in the fourth after Acosta busted his nose early.
The tall, well-built and rangy Nakatani is only 24 and has huge, huge potential.
Yoshino beats Ito on points after bloody battle
Yoshino takes it!
Not sure of the official scores just yet, but he’s announced the winner in the middle of the ring and has his hand triumphantly raised.
The undefeated 30-year-old moves to 15-0 as a professional and successfully defends his WBO Asia Pacific and OPBF lightweight titles.
Is that the last we see of former WBO super-featherweight world champion Masayuki Ito? He’s hinted at retirement before and has now lost three of his last five fights, having also been beaten by Jamel Herring and Hironori Mishiro.
He’s now 27-4-1 and will surely need time to recover from that brutal battle in which he sustained a lot of facial damage.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism