Gennady Golovkin has sparked concern among boxing fans who fear age has caught up with the ring legend.
Golovkin, 40, takes on fellow world champion Ryota Murata in Japan on Saturday in what will be his first fight for 16 months. Victory woud secure the him a third fight with Canelo Alvarez assuming the Mexican beats Dmitry Bivol next month.
The fight had been due to take place last December but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. And as Golovkin and Murata came face to face at a press conference on Wednesday, fans were quick to notice the Kazakh looked older than his years.
"Golovkin looks old, man," said one while another was more forthright, tweeting: "Golovkin looks old as f*** in the press conference pics man." Another added: "Golovkin looks weathered and old. There's that saying that a fighter can age overnight. Could this be the case here?"
Earlier this week, however, Golovkin insisted his age will be an advantage in Japan. “There are advantages and drawbacks that come with age,” Golovkin told the PA news agency. “I see all the changes as positive. I get smarter, I get more experienced and age gives me an additional edge.
“Time flies and the older you get the faster it goes. I continue to stick to my traditional training approach and when we get in the ring, we’ll see the results. I wouldn’t point out any particular goal that I’m still trying to achieve.
"I’ve achieved a lot and learned a lot during my career. I feel very comfortable in my current position. I’ve been in boxing pretty much throughout my entire life. I feel in top form and if there is demand, if there are interesting offers, you’ll continue to see me in the ring."
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At the press conference, Golovkin said: "It’s my honour to fight Murata here in Japan. I deeply appreciate this fight finally realised with best efforts of people concerned under the coronavirus pandemic. I respect Murata as a person. I have studied Murata deeply and our fight will be really worth watching."
Murata added: "I would like to repeat what Golovkin said. After our fight scheduled in December was postponed, I truly thank people participating in this event for their great contributions to reschedule it. With the postponement, I could have more sparring sessions and I hope what I have shown in training will be shown in the ring."
