Gennadiy Golovkin Vs. Ryota Murata Reportedly Agree For December Title Unification In Japan

Gennadiy Golovkin is returning to the ring after a year, but he’s not fighting in the U.S.

Gennadiy Golovkin, better known as GGG or Triple G, has agreed to a deal with Ryota Murata for a December 29 middleweight title unification showdown in Saitama, Japan, sources told ESPN Wednesday afternoon.

The matchup will happen just outside of Tokyo, Murata’s hometown, where he is a boxing sensation and big show attraction.

Both parties had an agreement for months, but Golovkin needed to strike a deal with DAZN. He has a six-fight pact with the streaming service worth about $100 million.

GGG (41-1-1, 36 KOs) last fought in December 2020 where he earned a TKO win over Kamil Szeremeta.

The 39-year-old has been one of the biggest names in boxing for years. He is most known for locking horns with fellow middleweight sensation Canelo Alvarez twice, which included a majority decision loss and split draw.

He is a two-time middleweight world champion, holding the IBF and IBO titles since 2019.

Meanwhile, Murata (16-2, 13 KOs) is on his way to elite status. He’s coming off two TKO victories over Steven Butler and Rob Brant.

He has held the WBA (Super) middleweight title since January and previously had the WBA (Regular) title twice between 2017 and January 2021. He won gold at the 2012 Olympics.

Golovkin is ranked as the world’s best active middleweight by BoxRec, The Ring and TBRB. Murata is ranked No. 5 by The Ring.

A formal announcement is expected next week.