Tony Bellew believes that Gennadiy Golovkin can only secure a third fight with Canelo Alvarez by looking impressive against Ryota Murata on December 29th. The middleweight unification clash, live on DAZN, will see the hard-hitting Kazakh aim to prove that he’s still worthy of a clash with his old nemesis as he returns to the ring after a year’s inactivity.
Since enduring the sole defeat of his career against Canelo in 2018, Golovin has rebuilt quietly with solid wins over Steve Rolls, Sergiy Derevyanchenko, and Kamil Szeremeta. Despite still possessing the qualities to enjoy another world title reign, some within the sport are unsure whether ‘GGG’ is capable of reaching the level of 2017 and the following year when he pushed Canelo to the limit in two close encounters.
Closing in on his 40th birthday, Golovkin faces Murata knowing full well that any hopes of a trilogy battle with Canelo are resting on him turning in a devastating performance. Bellew, who has watched Golovkin’s rise closely, thinks time is running out for a fighter he admires and that he has no choice but to take Murata out in brutal fashion.
“It has to be the old, nasty Gennadiy Golovkin against Murata,” said Bellew when speaking to DAZN.
“He’ll feel hard done by in his two fights with Canelo because they were both fights that could've went his way but I do think by the end of the second fight, Canelo had him worked out. Canelo has gone onto great things since then and Golovkin needs one of the biggest nights of his career to show he’s ready for another fight with Canelo.”
Bellew added, “If Golovkin does do a big job on Murata then that’s a win that shows he’s still very much at the highest level and I think the demand could be there for a third fight in 2022. If he makes hard work of it then probably spells the end of the rivalry. It’s a good fight for Golovkin and I’ll be watching closely as it’ll be some story if he turns the clock back and shows people he’s ready for another fight with Canelo.”