Gennady Golovkin will return to the ring for the first time in sixteen months when he faces a unification clash with Ryota Murata.
The Kazakh star has not fought since December 2020 when he defeated Kamil Szeremeta with a routine stoppage to retain his IBF middleweight title.
He will now face dangerous Japanese world champion Murata with an eye on unifying the division with his rival holding an undefeated record and the WBA strap.
The fight was cancelled in December last year due the coronavirus restrictions, but Golovkin will now get the chance to seize his glory behind enemy lines.
A victory for Golovkin would see him move a vital step closer to a long-awaited trilogy contest with Canelo Alvarez providing the Mexican can defeat Dmitry Bivol next month.
Check out all you need to know ahead of the middleweight unification clash below...
When does Golovkin v Murata start in the UK?
Golovkin will take on Murata at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Saturday April 9.
The action will get underway at around 8:30am UK time with the main event ring walks expected to take place at around 11:30am UK time.
Start times for the card will depend on the duration of the undercard fights from Japan.
How to watch via live stream and on TV
The event will be shown live on DAZN, with the main broadcast starting at 8:30am in the UK.
A subscription to DAZN costs £7.99 a month and you can purchase one here.
You can watch DAZN on multiple devices including laptop, smart TV and through the mobile app.
Golovkin v Murata fight card
Gennady Golovkin vs Ryota Murata – IBF, IBO and WBA middleweight titles
Junto Nakatani vs Ryota Yamauchi – WBO flyweight title
Shuichiro Yoshino vs Masayuki Ito
Kazuki Anaguchi vs Ryuji Yamamoto
Hiroka Amaki vs Taiga Kato
Odds
Golovkin 2/9
Murata 7/2
Draw 33/1
Who do you think will win - Gennady Golovkin or Ryota Murata? Let us know in the comments section below
Quotes corner
Golovkin: "I am really excited to be bringing the Big Drama Show to Japan, a country where boxing is very popular. Ryōta Murata has been an outstanding champion. It is going to be a special night when we meet in the ring to unify our titles. We are going to give the fans a great fight.
"He is a former Olympic champion, he is the current WBA super champion, he is the hero of his country, he represents Japanese values, Japanese traditions and he is working with an outstanding promoter. The fights in Japan are always unpredictable - another reason that makes the fight more interesting."
Murata: “I feel that my entire amateur and professional boxing career has been a preparation for this fight against Gennady Golovkin. This fight will determine my place in the middleweight division and boxing history…to me, he is still undefeated.
