Gennady Golovkin stops Ryoto Murata in a brutal ninth-round finish to become unified super middleweight world champion at the age of 40... as Eddie Hearn teases potential trilogy fight with Canelo Alvarez this year
- Gennady Golovkin stopped Ryota Murata in the ninth-round of their boxing bout
- Win means 40-year-old is now the unified super middleweight world champion
- Kazakhstani veteran added WBA middleweight title to his IBO and IBF belts
- Murata's team threw in the towel after an impressive showing from Golovkin
Gennady Golovkin became the unified world middleweight champion with a ninth-round stoppage of Japanese fighter Ryota Murata on Saturday.
Kazakh boxer Golovkin, who turned 40 on Friday, sent his opponent to the canvas with a big right hand and Murata's corner threw in a towel.
Golovkin added Murata's WBA title to his IBF and IBO belts after his first fight since December 2020.
Golovkin pictured with his IBO, IBF and WBA belts after becoming unified world champion
40-year-old became unified super middleweight world champion for second time in his career
A third bout against Canelo Alvarez could be next for Golovkin, whose only defeat in his 44-fight professional career came at the hands of the Mexican boxer.
Golovkin was shaken in the early rounds but a right hook, which saw Murata's mouthguard fly across the ring, in the fifth changed the course of the fight.
Eddie Hearn then teased a potential trilogy fight, saying: 'What a fight!!! After 400 days out of the ring and a slow start @GGGBoxing brutalises Murata in Japan to unify the division..all eyes on #CaneloBivol.'
Golovkin was shaken in the early rounds but a right hook, which saw Murata's mouthguard fly
'Murata was a true warrior and he fought to the very end,' said Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 knockouts) during his post-fight interview with DAZN.
'He's an Olympic champion, he was the WBA champion, and we're extremely happy to have organized this event.
'I'd like to thank my fans from Kazakhstan, especially those who travelled here to Japan.'
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