Gennadiy Golovkin vs. Kamil Szeremeta: start time, how to watch, analysis

Gennady Golovkin returns to the ring for the first time since his closer-than-expected victory over Sergiy Derevyanchenko last year.

GENNADIY GOLOVKIN (40-1-1, 35 KOs)
VS. KAMIL SZEREMETA (21-0, 5 KOs)

Gennady Golovkin (right) defends his title against Kamil Szerementa on Friday night.  Al Bello / Getty Images

When: Friday, Dec. 18 Start time: 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT (main event as early as 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT) Where: Seminole Hard Rock, Hollywood, Fla. TV/Stream: DAZN Division: Middleweight At stake: Golovkin’s IBF title Pound-for-pound ranking: Golovkin No. 9 Odds: Golovkin 17½-1 (BetMGM) Also on the card: Ali Akhmedov vs. Carlos Gongora, 12 rounds, super middleweights; John Ryder vs. Mike Guy, 10 rounds, super middleweights; Hyun Mi Choi vs. Calista Silgado, 10 rounds, junior lightweights Prediction: Golovkin KO 5 Background: On one hand, the decline of Triple-G might be exaggerated. After all, the only blemishes on the powerful Kazakhstani’s record are a disputed draw and a close loss against a fighter some believe is No. 1 pound for pound, Canelo Alvarez. On the other hand, he’s 38 and looked his age in a hard-fought unanimous-decision victory over Sergiy Derevyanchenko to win the vacant IBF 160-pound title in October of last year. That was his most-recent fight. Has Golovkin lost a step? We should get a better feel for that on Friday. Szeremeta, a 31-year-old Pole, doesn’t have much power but he’s a solid, experienced boxer. At the same time, one could ask: What did he do to earn a shot at a title? He has had some good results at the European level but Triple-G represents a significant step up in opposition for him. It’s easy to imagine Golovkin, hungry for a strong performance, walking through Szeremeta’s relatively weak punches and knocking him out. Hence the wide odds in the titleholder’s favor. Golvkin could get his long-awaited third shot at Alvarez in May if he wins on Friday.