Golovkin vs Szeremeta: When is the fight, UK start time, plus TV channel information

The Kazakh fighter is looking to shake off any rust to set up another super fight in 2021

Gennady Golovkin is back in the ring this week with the Kazakh superstar looking to shake off some ring rust after more than a year out due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The world middleweight champion defends his IBF title against Kamil Szeremeta, with the Polish fighter taking an enormous step up in quality to challenge the former pound-for-pound superstar.

Golovkin, now 38, and looking to rebound from a close and disputed points victory over Sergiy Derevyanchenko, will be eager to expend as little energy as possible ahead of another big fight in 2021, with hope of a trilogy against Canelo Alvarez, should the Mexican superstar prevail against Callum Smith a day after his bout - in what is a massive week for the future of the middleweight and super-middleweight divisions.

The appetite for that third fight is not as high as it once was, with some claiming Smith is a tougher, or at least more interesting opponent for Canelo, but there are more big fights out there for Golovkin should his rival resist the temptation to give the former Olympic silver medallist a chance at redemption after his disputed draw and then win from their two fights in 2017 and 2018.

ANALYSIS: New and improved Anthony Joshua starts journey towards perfect fight against Tyson Fury

WBO champion Demetrius Andrade, Billy Joe Saunders, who is currently the WBO champion at 168 pounds, Jermall Charlo, IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant and even Smith off a potential loss against Canelo, could all be discussed as potential opponents in 2021.

Pound-for-pound top 10 rankings: Canelo Alvarez, Tyson Fury, Errol Spence Jr and more

Here is everything you need to know about the fight and our prediction:

When and where is the fight?

Golovkin v Szeremeta is on Friday, 18 December and will take place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel in Florida.

Golovkin is looking to get back on form after a year out (Getty)

What time will the ring walks be?

The ring walks are estimated to be at around 4am GMT, though the undercard results could affect this. 

Look out for Ali Akhmedov vs Carlos Gongora, which is the chief support to the main event, which will follow on from the super middleweight contest for the vacant IBO title.

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content.

What TV channel is it on and is there a live stream?

You can watch the fight on DAZN, with coverage starting at 10pm GMT. You can watch on the DAZN app through smart TVs, game consoles, connected devices, mobile, tablets and computers. The monthly subscription cost is just £1.99 per month currently, with no commitment beyond a month - more information here.

Golovkin vs Szeremeta full card

• Gennadiy Golovkin vs Kamil Szeremeta – for the IBF middleweight title
• Ali Akhmedov vs Carlos Gongora – for the IBO Super-Middleweight title
• Hyun Mi Choi vs Calista Silgado – for the WBA Super-Featherweight title
• John Ryder vs Michael Guy – Super-Middleweight bout
• Reshat Mati vs. Dennis Okoth – Welterweight bout
• Jalen Walker vs. Rafael Reyes – Featherweight bout

Prediction

We expect GGG to win well and look good against an opponent in deep water after no test or bridge to this elite level. There is no opponent remotely close to the quality of Golovkin, even at this stage of his career, and the year out for the Kazakh off a punishing 12 rounds with Derevyanchenko will have done him the world of good. We’re going for GGG to stop Szeremeta in the fourth round and move on to perhaps the final ‘peak’ year left in his career in 2021 at the highest level.

Odds

Golovkin: 1 /33

Draw: 25/1

Szeremeta: 9 / 1