Message received, Gennadiy Golovkin.
If the 38-year-old wrestler wanted to prove he could still perform some of boxing’s most masterful performances, he did so this Friday. Golovkin’s technical prowess was on display in a knockout victory in the seventh round over Kamil Szeremeta to defend his FIB middleweight title in Hollywood, Florida.
Golovkin set the record for most title defenses by an average weight in boxing history (21). But more importantly for his career, he had the kind of start that proved to be worthy of facing some of the sport’s top names, including his rival Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) knocked down Szeremeta four times in an attack that started from the start of the fight. The champion sent Szeremeta to the canvas at the end of the first round with an uppercut, followed by a left over.
From there, Golovkin overtook Szeremeta (21-1-0, 5 KOs), the mandatory challenger who was struggling in the United States only for the second time in his career. The Golovkin rubric came with a jab in the seventh, a testament to his dominance throughout the night, to seal the knockout.