Golovkin Overpowers Szeremeta, Attention Shifts To Alvarez And Possible Trilogy

Gennady Golovkin proved to be too much for previously unbeaten challenger Kamil Szeremeta, stopping the polish in the 7th round. This came after the side of Szeremeta asked referee Telis Assimenios to stop the fight at that point, with the 31-year-old already taking more than enough punishment in the scheduled 12-round bout Friday in Hollywood, Florida.

It was an overpowering performance for the 38-year-old boxer, who knocked down Szeremeta four times in the fight. This came in the first, second, fourth and seventh rounds before the Polish boxer’s side decided not to continue, ESPN reported.

The win improved Golovkin’s record to 41-36-1-1. It was Triple G’s third-straight win since losing to Canelo Alvarez back in 2018. It was also the 36th knockout of his boxing career. The win allowed him to retain the IBF and IBO middleweight titles.

Golovkin also set a record for most title defenses at 21. Lauded for putting his technical prowess in full display, GGG proved that even at 38, he remains a worthy adversary for top names in the sport. And of course, most are now eager to find out if that long-awaited trilogy fight with Canelo Alvarez would be next.

“[It was] not a big surprise because, you know, it’s [a] high level,” Golovkin said to DAZN’s Todd Grisham via Boxingscene. “Kamil Szeremeta, he's a great boxer. You know, come on, guys. I’m not surprised. I just – I feel very comfortable because, you know, like, I work hard, I had a lot of time, I have a lot of good people with me, you know, [to] support me. I’m very proud of my team.”

Before facing Szeremeta, Golovkin was not too high on a third fight since nothing has progressed in the past years. The COVID-19 pandemic complicated matters, and the Kazakh admitted he is not giving it much thought. However, all that could change soon.

Alvarez is set to face Callum Smith on Saturday in what pundits feel was purposely set up. Golovkin is likely to watch that encounter, and most will be riddling him with more questions about a potential third fight.

For his part, Alvarez said he is open to seeing that happen. However, he admitted that he also has several other goals – including winning all the titles in the 168-pound weight class.