For the first time in almost two years, Gennadiy Golovkin will return to the ring as he faces the WBA World Middleweight Champion Ryan Murata. This will be a fight with the WBA, IBF, and IBO Middleweight Championships all being on the line here. The fight will be on Saturday night in Japan. Golovkin is 41-1-1 (36 KO) heading into this fight, while Ryota Murata has a record of 16-2-0, 13 KO.
Last Fight’s Records
Golovkin has an awe-inspiring record with just a single loss to his name in 43 fights but has not fought since December 2020, where he defeated Kamil Szeremeta via corner stoppage to extend his current winning streak to three fights.
Murata has a very impressive record as well, with 13 of his 16 victories coming via knockout. He also is coming off a long layoff as he fought against Steven Butler back in December 2019 and won via TKO to extend his winning streak to two fights.
Matchup Information
- Time/Day: Saturday, April 9/ 8:00 am EST
- Location of the fight: 8 Shintoshin, Chuo Ward, Saitama, 330-9111, Japan
- Stadium: Saitama Super Arena
Golovkin vs Murata Betting Analysis
Gennady Golovkin Betting Analysis
Gennady Golovkin is not a spring chicken as he will be 40 years old when he enters the ring, with his birthday being on Friday. He still can end the fight with a single punch, as he has a career knockout percentage of 88 percent. If you exclude the two fights against Canelo Alvarez, he is undefeated. One thing is his ability to take punches, as he has never been dropped to a knee or knocked down completely during a fight.
Ryota Murata Betting Analysis
Murata should have the home crowd behind him as he is from Japan, but this crowd could be split with the star power that GGG has behind his brand. Murata has an 81.3 knockout percentage to his credit as13 of his 16 victories have come via knockout, including each of his previous three wins. Having the crowd behind him in a marquee championship fight could be a huge underlying factor.
Updates
Both fighters are coming into this fight as healthy as they can as neither man has any injuries that have pushed back this fight. These two fighters are ready to compete and try to pull out a win here to add another championship to their collection as Golovkin is the IBF and IBO Champion while Murata is the WBA Super Middleweight Champion.
Golovkin vs Murata Betting Preview
Looking at the main sportsbooks, Murata is currently listed as a +410 underdog while Golovkin is listed as a favorite as “GGG” is listed at –650. A draw is also being listed at +2000 if you want to get a little risky and think they will not be able to knock out one another, and the judges cannot come to a decision.
Golovkin vs Murata Betting Prediction
This fight is expected to be a close matchup in terms of the betting odds as Felix Jr is sitting at +100 as the favorite while Martin is sitting as an underdog at +100, despite being in his home country. This could be a great fight between two different fighting styles.
How to Bet on Golovkin vs Murata
This should be an intriguing fight, but these two fighters are coming off long layoffs. Murata has potentially become a victim of the strict restrictions put into action by Japan due to the coronavirus, while Golovkin has been selecting his fights more strategically after a disputed loss against Canelo Alvarez.
GGG will be 40 when he makes his ring walk, but the age does not bother me here as he has not been knocked down throughout his entire career. Murata has a two-inch height advantage and a remarkable five-inch reach advantage that can play into his favor. Golovkin has a lot on the line for this fight as he has an agreement with Canelo Alvarez for their third fight in September if he wins this fight. Murata has never fought somebody at the level of Golovkin, so go with GGG to win this fight via knockout and walk out with two more championships.
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.