Gennady Golovkin vs. Ryōta Murata
Big Drama in Japan: Gennady Golovkin vs. Ryōta Murata
Gennady Golovkin and Ryōta Murata met in a middleweight unification bout on April 9, 2022, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The fight was for the WBA (Super), IBF, and IBO middleweight titles, with Golovkin defending the IBF and IBO belts and Murata defending the WBA (Super) title.
The showdown was originally planned for December 29, 2021, but it was postponed because of COVID-19 border closures and later moved to April 9, 2022.
Golovkin, from Kazakhstan, is a former unified middleweight champion and a long-time top contender. Murata, a Japanese Olympic gold medalist, had won a string of bouts and avenged earlier losses on the way to this title shot.
Murata started fast and had some success early, but Golovkin took control in the middle rounds. In round eight, Golovkin delivered heavy punishment. The end came in round nine when Murata’s corner threw in the towel, giving Golovkin a ninth-round technical knockout.
With the win, Golovkin unified the WBA (Super), IBF, and IBO middleweight titles.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 21:18 (CET).