Gennadiy Golovkin in vintage form against Kamil Szeremeta in TKO win (video)

Middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin made a successful return to the ring against Kamil Szeremeta, knocking the challenger down a total of four times.

IBF and IBO middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin is 38 years old, but he looked like a younger man against Kamil Szeremeta on Friday, Dec. 18. It was the best Golovkin has looked in some time.

Szeremeta never stood a chance.

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Miami, Florida, hosted the bout. It was Golvkin’s first fight in over a year since defeating Sergiy Derevyanchenko in October of 2019. During Thursday’s weigh-in, Golovkin appeared to be in superb shape, and his performance reflected his physique.

Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) ruled the middleweight division for years, but a draw to Canelo Alvarez in 2017, followed later by a loss to Alvarez in 2018, showed the first signs of vulnerability for Golovkin.

Against Derevyanchenko, Golovkin started hot, knocking Derevyanchenko down in the opening round, but faded badly down the stretch. He won the fight but didn’t look like the Golovkin of old.

It was a different story against Szeremeta.

Gennadiy Golovkin looked phenomenal against Kamil Szeremeta in a completely onesided fight

Szeremeta (21-1, 5 KOs), 31, of Poland, brought an unbeaten record to the fight, but he lacked notable wins and only sported five knockouts. His lack of power made him easy pickings for Golovkin.

Like the Derevyanchenko fight, Golovkin was very active against Szeremeta in round 1. Right before the bell, Golovkin put Szeremeta down for the first time with a left hook. It wouldn’t be the last knockdown for Golovkin.

Szeremeta answered the bell for round 2 but got knocked down again by a Golovkin punch behind the ear with 40 seconds left. Szeremeta got up and survived the round.

Szeremeta hit the canvas again in round 4 after eating a Golovkin right uppercut and again in round 7 from a jab.

After four total knockdowns, the referee saw enough and stopped the fight before round 8. Golovkin was in vintage form.

Szeremeta wasn’t much of an opponent, but Golovking made him look like an amateur. Hopefully, Golovkin can keep this momentum up. His rival Alvarez fights the following day on Dec. 19 against Callum Smith. If Alvarez wins, a trilogy bout between Golovkin and Alvarez could be in the works.