Message received, Gennadiy Golovkin.
If the 38-year-old fighter wanted to prove that he can still get some of the most masterful performances of boxing, he did it on Friday. Golovkin’s technical skills were fully displayed in a seventh-round knockout victory over Kamil Szeremeta to defend his IBF middleweight title in Hollywood, Florida.
Golovkin set the record for most defenses in the title by a middleweight in boxing history (21). But more importantly for his career, he had the kind of exit that proved worthy of facing some of the biggest names in the sport, including rival Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez.
Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) threw Szeremeta four times in an attack that began early in the fight. The champion sent Szeremeta on the canvas at the end of the first round, with an uppercut, followed by a left head.
From there, Golovkin eliminated Szeremeta (21-1-0, 5 KOs), the obligatory challenger fighting in America for the second time in his career. Golovkin’s signature came with a shot in the seventh, a testament to his dominance throughout the night, to seal the elimination.