Gennady Golovkin

Demetrius Andrade earned a unanimous decision over Liam Williams on Saturday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, and he already has eyes on his next opponents.

Andrade asked for WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo and IBF and IBO champion Gennady Golovkin after the victory, per Lance Pugmire of The Athletic.

Andrade won 118-109, 118-109 and 116-111, remaining undefeated and hanging on to his WBO middleweight title.

The win was the 30th of his career, a feat he believes makes him deserving of a headline bout.

"At the end of the day, I'm the champion. I'm undefeated," he told DAZN's Chris Mannix. "I shouldn't have to inspire anyone to get into the ring for a belt, an undefeated record and a whole lot of money on the table, so whenever we could sit down at the table and make something happen, I'm willing to do it. I'm willing to risk it all."

Williams, a Wales native, was slotted into the fight as the second-ranked contender after the No. 1 WBO fighter, Jaime Munguia of Mexico, turned down the offer. Williams is now 23-3-1, with the 28-year-old having snapped a seven-fight winning streak that dated back to April 2018.

Andrade, from Providence, Rhode Island, was fighting for the first time since he defeated Luke Keeler in January 2020.

Gennadiy Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) looked sharp in a triumphant return to the ring Friday at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, recording four knockdowns against an overmatched Kamil Szeremeta (21-1, 5 KOs) before the referee stopped the match ahead of the eighth round.

The fight was Golovkin's first since October 2019. The 38-year-old IBF world middleweight champion is looking to extend his relevance, with a potential fight against Canelo Alvarez or a top name at middleweight. The Szeremeta bout was a nice exhibition of his skill set and appeal, although a younger version of Golovkin might have closed out the affair much sooner.

ESPN's Steve Kim liked what he saw from Golovkin but wondered how much of that was due to his opponent:

After the bout, Golovkin was asked about his future, and he simply said he's "looking for the best opponent for me," per the DAZN broadcast.

Golovkin was in complete control right from the start, scoring a knockdown in the last seconds of the first round with a looping left hook. DAZN Boxing has a look at the big punch:

Szeremeta, the mandatory challenger for Golovkin, got up quickly from that blow and went immediately back to fighting in front of Triple G.  His aggression would not pay off, as Golovkin scored another knockdown late in the second round with an overhand right that detonated on Szeremeta's ear. 

DAZN Boxing has the highlight:

Boxing writer David Greisman didn't like what he was seeing from Szeremeta:

The Polish challenger was able to land punches, but Golovkin hardly seemed to notice them for the most part. When he wasn't absorbing the blows, the Kazakhstani champion was ducking punches with great head movement and returning fire with crisp, hard punches to the body. 

The third knockdown came in the fourth round, with Golovkin apologizing for a low blow and then immediately clobbering his opponent with a deftly executed string of power punches.

DAZN's Andreas Hale felt the body work was paying dividends:

A fourth knockdown came in the seventh round, this time with a couple of jabs straight down the middle. Szeremeta certainly had the heart and toughness, just not the ability to keep up with his opponent. 

Golovkin's night at the office finally ended when the referee decided to call off the fight ahead of the eighth round. He never had to get away from the measured pace he set at the outset of the bout, and it was a solid, workmanlike performance overall.

Golovkin did more than enough Friday to earn a big fight in 2021. A trilogy fight against Alvarez, who is responsible for the lone loss and draw on his record, would be a coup, but Alvarez has expressed a desire to stay at super middleweight. If Golovkin hangs around at 160 pounds, he could look for a title unification bout against the likes of Demetrius Andrade (WBO champion) or Jermall Charlo (WBC champion).    

Ten years is a long time in any endeavor.

But in professional sports, it seems far longer.

And when it comes to boxing, the idea of being at or near the top of a given weight class for a full decade—with no prolonged skids or issues with the scale—is particularly remarkable.

Which is why Gennadiy Golovkin is reveling these days.

Now 38 years old, the Kazakhstan-born middleweight has made the 160-pound ranks his personal playpen for all but a few months since he copped his initial championship jewelry—the WBA's second-tier world title belt—with a third-round erasure of one Nilson Julio Tapia on Dec. 16, 2010.

Tapia fought just once more and has long been forgotten.

Golovkin, though, not so much.

He navigated a complex hierarchy to become the division's full-fledged boogeyman by the end of 2017, having held belts proffered by every major sanctioning body but the WBO.

A narrow decision loss to Canelo Alvarez—with whom he'd fought a disputed draw a year earlier—finally ended the run in September 2018, but he's since returned with two wins, regained two championship straps and aims to successfully end a 14-month promotional/pandemic hiatus this week.

Golovkin will face unbeaten Polish export Kamil Szeremeta in Hollywood, Florida, in a fight that officially means a defense of his IBF and IBO titles but for practical purposes is a steppingstone to what figures to be a far more meaningful—provided the world gets back to near normal—2021.

"I'm glad to be able to live through this experience of holding the champion's title for more than 10 years. I'm happy," Golovkin told Bleacher Report. "I believe that there's nothing unexpected in that. I have always believed in myself. I have always believed that I would be able to achieve those results.

"That's the reason I turned pro and proceeded with my career."

Golovkin's promotional hype minions are branding Friday's defense as his 21st, which would break a supposed tie with Bernard Hopkins for the all-time middleweight standard. Of course, such logic conveniently ignores that he didn't hold any organization's top-tier belt until a year after the Tapia win, and he didn't actually become the WBA's premier champion until beating Daniel Geale in 2014.

Still, whether you choose to acknowledge the "record" or not, he's got street cred to spare.

He's 20-0 against post-Tapia foes not named Alvarez, and just two of the 20 have heard a final bell.

And even though most dismiss Szeremeta as a speed bump, Golovkin is steadfast in his reticence to elaborate on the bigger picture until Friday's details are sufficiently—read: violently—handled.

That means no direct talk of nemesis Alvarez, who just happens to fighting Saturday in Texas.

But the intensity in his voice left little doubt as to what will be on his mind come Sunday.

"I'm very focused on my fight (Friday). I hope it will be a great show and we'll see who wins," Golovkin said. "Based on this result, we'll be able to discuss further steps.

"I suggest we talk about the future after the fight."

Eddie Hearn, whose Matchroom Boxing company is working with both Golovkin and Alvarez, said in September that he expected a trilogy fight to be atop the agenda come springtime—presuming Golovkin beats Szeremeta and Alvarez topples WBA 168-pound champ Callum Smith.

"He must take care of (Szeremeta)," Hearn told DAZN.com, "and then hopefully challenge Canelo again at Cinco de Mayo next year when the world returns to normality."

By then, Golovkin would be 39, an age by which most fighters not named Hopkins—still a champ at light heavy at 49—are long gone.

For example, Marvin Hagler, king of the '80s middleweights, was just 32 when he lost to Ray Leonard in 1987 and never returned. Leonard earned the final victory of his career two years later at 33, and Carlos Monzon—whose title-defense record Hagler long chased—retired at 35 after 14 years as a pro.

Golovkin had more than 300 amateur fights and won an Olympic silver medal before going pro at 24.

But if you think he and his team are concerned about shelf life, think again.

The Szeremeta fight will be his third with Kronk-reared trainer Johnathon Banks, who won an IBO title at cruiserweight in his own career and is actually two months younger than Golovkin. The two got together shortly after Golovkin split with longtime corner boss Abel Sanchez following the loss to Alvarez.

"I think he weighed 168 when we opened this camp," Banks told Bleacher Report.

"It's 100 percent training camp, where with other fighters you need to also have to dedicate time to losing a lot of weight. Throughout his career, Gennadiy has fought at middleweight. (He) is a testament to consistency and discipline. He has been a champion every year since 2010. Who else can say that?"

Szeremeta was still two years away from his pro debut in December 2010.

And Alvarez, then 20, won his first belt three months after Golovkin beat Tapia.

"You gain with every fight, and I believe that I'm a much more experienced and smarter fighter than I was in my 20s," Golovkin said. "I use my experience. I use a smart approach to training.

"I listen very carefully to how I feel, and based on that, I work on various aspects of training. There's nothing unusual. It's just all-around training."

And an all-around hunger to not cede the ground he's already conquered.

"I'm a professional. I understand how dangerous this sport is. I train and devote myself 100 percent to every fight," he said. "I feel happy about going out in the ring and fighting."

(NOTE: Unless otherwise specified, all quotes were obtained firsthand.)  

After more than a year of waiting, Gennadiy Golovkin is finally set to defend his middleweight world title when he takes on Kamil Szeremeta on Friday night.

Golovkin holds the IBF belt after defeating Sergiy Derevyanchenko by unanimous decision last October. Fans will be watching closely to see how the 38-year-old's skills are holding up as he ages. If he still has some of the same flash and bite that made him a knockout king in his prime, then maybe a trilogy fight with Canelo Alvarez isn't such an unreasonable scenario in 2021. If he continues to show signs he's declining, like he did against Derevyanchenko, perhaps there won't be an appetite for a third chapter.

Friday's card in Florida will take place without fans in attendance due to coronavirus restrictions, so the only way to catch this one is at home. Here's how to watch.

Golovkin vs. Szeremeta Fight Info

When: Friday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. ET (main card)

Where: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida

Live stream: DAZN (subscription required, US and UK)

Odds: Golovkin -3335, Szeremeta +900 (via Draftkings Sportsbook)

Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 KOs) is an overwhelming favorite against Szeremeta, a 31-year-old from Poland who has an undefeated record but hasn't fought anyone of note yet. He doesn't bring much power to the table, with just five knockouts in his career. He's going to have a very tough time convincing Golovkin not to stalk him all over the ring, and that doesn't leave Szeremeta with much room for error.

Szeremeta (21-0, 5 KOs) will have to hope Golovkin's abilities have eroded greatly in the 14 months since we last saw him in the ring. The Kazakh brawler's last fight was a brutal one. Derevyanchenko pushed him further than any other boxers, save for Alvarez and Danny Jacobs.

Golovkin scored a first-round knockdown in that bout, but "The Technician" was able to recover and had some excellent rounds going toe-to-toe with Golovkin, working combinations to both the head and body. From this pre-fight vantage point, it's hard to say whether it was lingering effects from the flu or age that made Golovkin look eminently beatable that night. Szeremeta will certainly be hoping it was the latter. 

Again, the long layoff forced by the coronavirus pandemic makes Golovkin something of a mystery coming into this bout, but rest assured, he hasn't been slacking off. With a championship to defend, Golovkin has worked hard to remain in top shape, taking trips up to mountains of Big Bear, California, to workout with trainer Johnathon Banks, per BoxingScene.com's Thomas Gerbasi.

"I believe the secret is in your faith in what you do," said Golovkin, per Gerbasi. "And speaking about the discipline, I believe that the discipline is essential to achieve what you're trying to achieve."

A disciplined, in-shape, and sharp Golovkin is a nightmare for Szeremeta. This fight could end up being a quick one, like the bout against Steve Rolls in June 2019, which saw the middleweight slugger rebound from his loss to Alvarez with a brutal fourth-round stoppage. 

It's also in Golovkin's best interest to make quick work of Szeremeta and show that he's still a force at middleweight. It could tempt Alvarez to return from his foray into the super middleweight ranks, where he's currently set to face Callum Smith in a title fight on Saturday night.

Golovkin is running out of time to get a third crack at Alvarez, or set up any other big fight at middleweight for that matter (Jermall Charlo, anyone?). Don't expect him to waste too much of it against Szeremeta on Friday.

Prediction: Golovkin wins via early KO

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Boxing's middleweight titleholder is stepping back into the ring next month for the first time since October 2019.

Gennadiy Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 KOs) is putting his IBF and IBO belts up for grabs against Kamil Szeremeta (21-0, five KOs) on December 18 on DAZN. GGG will be searching for a record-breaking 21st title defense as Szeremeta looks to remain undefeated in his professional career. 

The bout is being held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Szeremeta was set to challenge Golovkin back in February but an injury delayed the event. The rescheduled date in March was later scrapped because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Golovkin last defeated Sergiy Derevyanchenko via unanimous decision to secure the IBF and IBO middleweight titles. It was the continuation of a new win streak for GGG, who knocked out Steve Rolls in four rounds nine months after losing his WBA and WBC middleweight titles to Canelo Alvarez in September 2018. 

The majority decision for Alvarez marked the first loss of Golovkin's career after 38 professional bouts. Golovkin previously battled Alvarez to a split-decision draw in their first matchup a year earlier. 

A victory against Szeremeta could trigger a trilogy fight between Alvarez and Golovkin, according to ESPN's Marc Raimondi.

Alvarez is set to face Callum Smith on December 19, one day after GGG's bout. 

It's already been 552 days.

And if recent suggestions are correct, it will be at least another 176 more.

But regardless of when it occurs, one thing's for certain: Gennady Golovkin is looking forward to getting hands on Canelo Alvarez a third time.

When the consensus middleweight champion left the T-Mobile Arena ring after a bout with his cinnamon-haired contemporary in September 2017, he was happy he had retained his cadre of title belts via split-decision draw but frustrated he had been denied a win most ringsiders felt he earned.

A day short of a year later, in September 2018, it was a familiar feeling for the Kazakh.

The problem was, his post-fight duffel bag was a great deal lighter without the WBA, WBC, IBF and IBO straps he arrived with—thanks to matching 115-113 verdicts for Alvarez (seven rounds to five) provided by Steve Weisfeld and Dave Moretti, which overrode the even score tallied by Glenn Feldman.

Both Weisfeld and Moretti scored the 12th round for the winner, who landed 21 punches to Golovkin's 20 in the final three minutes, according to CompuBox (h/t BoxingScene.com).

If either had leaned the other way, the result may have been a second straight draw.

Instead, the threadbare nod in Alvarez's favor revved the enmity that had already developed between the once-amiable foes. The always accessible Golovkin left the ring without a post-fight interview, and the bitterness symbolized by the exit is precisely the kind of accelerant that has since fueled a promotional hype machine perpetually seeking new angles.

First cordial competitors. Then agreeable rivals. Now dyed-in-the-wool enemies.

A third bout is reportedly on the docket for this September 12, pending success in interim tests for both—Alvarez against Billy Joe Saunders and Golovkin versus Kamil Szeremeta—alongside clearing of a burgeoning logjam of fight cards whose dates have been altered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Two wins would boost Golovkin, who turns 38 next month, to 42-1-1 in a 14-year pro career.

But even more vital than the resume enhancement would be the sanity restoration.

That's the feeling of HBO stalwart Jim Lampley, who called both Alvarez-Golovkin bouts for the premium cable giant and believes exorcising the Mexican ghost carries far more weight for Triple-G than titles or pound-for-pound rankings ever could.

"Life and death for his psyche," Lampley told Bleacher Report. "Not that big for his legacy just because he wouldn't be favored. Great legacy anyway. More important that it be another great fight."

Indeed, opening odds from BetOnline have labeled Golovkin a +200 proposition for meeting No. 3, meaning a $100 wager on him would yield a $200 profit. Meanwhile, Alvarez is listed as a -260 favorite, which means a $260 outlay is required to return a $100 profit if he caps the trilogy with a second win.

Betting aside, public opinion leaned hard in Golovkin's favor after each of the first two bouts.

And given that reality, Lampley said, belief will probably remain on his side later this year, too.

"Fact is, even though Canelo has a draw and a win officially, feedback on the web strongly suggests the public believes GGG won both fights," he said. "Many bad things can happen to a boxing career, but official setbacks in fights fans believe you won is the opposite. The judges have given Gennady a gift: He is a martyr. History shows they only love you more for that.

"I understand why public sentiment registers as it does. Hardest sport to score, and probably 20 of 24 rounds were close. And GGG is one of the most fan-friendly fighters ever. Style, face, garbled English, everything about him. Compelling In the way only the pure attacker can be."

Presuming all goes as planned, Alvarez and Golovkin will enter airspace reserved for the sport's most recognized pairs and ensure a prominent spot for each on one another's Hall of Fame plaques.

Heavyweight legends Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier laid much of their career foundations over 41 rounds between 1971 and 1975, while welterweights Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran did the same across three fights from 1980 to 1989. The careers of Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward were defined by three apocalyptic fights through 13 months in 2002 and 2003, and Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez took it a step further, fighting four times at three weights between 2004 and 2012.

Naturally, there's no guarantee a third encounter will rise to those levels.

But given the finesse of their first encounter and the ferocity of their second, it's close to a lock that Alvarez and Golovkin—who combined to throw more than 1,500 punches in the sequel—will find something worthwhile to offer the paying customers.

"My gut says it's 1-1," Lampley said. "GGG first. Canelo second. A reason the third will sell."

Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin will fight for a third time after Lance Pugmire of The Athletic revealed on Tuesday the two fighters have reached a verbal agreement over a trilogy bout to take place at a future date.

Boxing, like the vast majority of other sports, is currently on hold in response to the outbreak of the coronavirus. However, discussions are still taking place behind the scenes to arrange fights for when mass gatherings are deemed safe again.

Pugmire noted how the rescheduling of Alvarez's intended super middleweight unification fight with Billy Joe Saunders could determine when this trilogy bout takes place: "Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs) still intends to first fight Saunders (29-0, 14 KOs) at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, sources say, followed by Golovkin. The hope is for the trilogy bout to take place on Sept. 12 at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas, though date and site are not finalized at this time."

Pugmire was also told how an alternative would be to skip over Alvarez taking on Saunders and move straight to the matchup against Golovkin.

A third bout would give IBF middleweight Golovkin the chance to score his first victory over Alvarez. The latter won on points in 2018 after the two had scrapped to a draw in September 2017.

Other remaining issues that need to be worked out include choosing the weight class the headline fight will be classified within. Pugmire's sources informed him Alvarez has so far given his consent for the bout to be staged at the 160-pound limit for the middleweight division.

There is no deadline for a decision on the fight weight, though, meaning Alvarez could opt for a limit of 168 pounds. It's the super middleweight level, where Alvarez is the WBA champion.

The 29-year-old's fight with Saunders is supposed to unify the titles in the division, with the latter owning the WBO strap. They were supposed to meet in Las Vegas on May 2, but Saunders is still preparing for a fight Alvarez wants to happen in June, according to ESPN Mexico (h/t Michael Benson of TalkSport):

A fight with Saunders represents an obvious challenge for Alvarez, something the Mexican fighter doesn't believe he would receive from Golovkin.

Alvarez has previously played down the idea of another meeting with his familiar rival, per Marc Williams of TalkSport: "I mentioned it before, it’s really not a challenge for me. I won 24 rounds, it’s really not a challenge for me. But if it’s good business, then why not?"

Golovkin is 38, but the Kazakhstan native proved his enduring toughness and skill when he beat Serhiy Derevyanchenko by unanimous decision to regain the IBF middleweight belt at Madison Square Garden back in October.

Whether Golovkin is still a worthy opponent for Alvarez or not doesn't hide the fact completing the trilogy makes financial sense for both. It would take place under the umbrella of streaming service DAZN, with whom Alvarez has a 10-fight, $350 million deal after negotiating with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions to free himself up to meet Golovkin again, per Pugmire.

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez has said two-time opponent Gennady Golovkin is "not really a challenge" for him, but the Mexican icon won't rule out a trilogy meeting if he considers it good business.

Alvarez moved up two weight classes and took the WBO light heavyweight crown after stopping Sergey Kovalev in the 11th round at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday:

The 29-year-old drew against "GGG" in controversial circumstances in September 2017 before beating his Kazakh rival via majority decision almost one year to the day later.

Canelo was asked about a potential third encounter with Golovkin following his win over Kovalev, per Aragon Garcia of BoxingNews24, and said: "He's not really a challenge for me. I've fought him 24 rounds and he's not a challenge for me, but if it represents business, why not?"

Clinching the WBO light heavyweight title means middleweight regular Alvarez has now won world titles in four weight divisions.

DAZN posted highlights of Saturday's duel, where Kovalev spent much of the bout on the back foot prior to being stopped (U.S. viewers only):

Alvarez has won three times in as many fights since beating Golovkin in their rematch, finishing 36-year-old Kovalev and Rocky Fielding either side of a unanimous-decision win over Daniel Jacobs in May.

Golovkin knocked out Steve Rolls in June 2019—his first bout following his loss to Alvarez—and defeated Sergiy Derevyanchenko via unanimous decision on October 5.

"Cinnamon" was anything but complimentary of his former rival following his most recent display, when he also suggested a third matchup may not be of interest, per ESPN's Dan Rafael:

Golovkin spoke to Sports Illustrated in October and said the trilogy was far from a priority:

One can understand why Alvarez would hold little interest in another clash with Golovkin—against whom he is unbeaten—despite the controversial nature of their draw at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Canelo—who turned professional at 15—is entering what should be the prime of his career, and a gargantuan offer seems the only way in which he will be tempted to enter the ring with Golovkin once more.