Gennady Golovkin will return to the ring on December 18th defending the IBF middleweight title against Kamil Szeremeta and it will take place at the Seminole Hard Rock and Casino in Hollywood Florida.

Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 KOs) wanted to have a fight this year and got his request answered. It will be against a fighter in Szeremeta (21-0, 5 KOs) who worked his way up the IBF rankings and now has a shot to win the world title. The 31 year old fighter from Poland is grateful for the opportunity, but wants to return home as the champion.

“GGG is a great champion, one of the best in history, but it is time for a replacement,” Szeremeta said. “I want this title for Poland and my family. I thank (Golovkin) for the great chance, but I must take my opportunity to be the first world middleweight champion from Poland.”

Golovkin has held a version of a middleweight title since 2010, and on December 18th he has a shot to defend a world title for the 21st time.

“This is a fight with great meaning,” Golovkin said. “I always have the greatest respect for all of my opponents.  I have really missed boxing and I wanted to fight this year.  My goal is to fight for a record twenty-first successful world title defense.”

Golovkin was able to win the IBF title last year in a very competitive fight against Sergiy Derevyanchenko in Madison Square Garden, and that matchup had fans in the venue on their feet due to the amount of action. Because of that, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing is looking forward to Golovkin fighting on December 18th.

“GGG has been providing explosive entertainment for many years now and we can expect a war on December 18 against Szeremeta,” said Hearn. “The Pole is the unbeaten mandatory challenger and I know the team really fancy their chances of an upset during these crazy times. As we have seen through Golovkin’s career — don’t blink and certainly don’t miss it.”