By Jake Donovan

Gennady Golovkin was formally presented with the WBC Interim middleweight title during a press conference held Tuesday in Mexico City, Mexico, where the sanctioning body is based.

The event was the fourth stop of a five-city worldwide press tour to both commemorate his status as the leading contender for World middleweight champion Miguel Cotto and to promote his upcoming showdown with Martin Murray, which takes place February 21 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Golovkin (31-0, 28KOs) is coming off of a 2nd round knockout win over Marco Antonio Rubio this past October in Carson, California. The bout marked the 11th defense of the WBA title that Golovkin has held dating back to 2010, but was treated as a unification bout given Rubio’s stance at the time as the interim titlist.

The significance in both belts being at stake is that it allowed Golovkin to move into position for a mandatory title fight versus Cotto without having to vacate his WBA title.

Rubio win the interim title earlier in the year, scoring a highlight reel 10th round knockout of Domenico Spada in a bout that served as his consolation prize for allowing Cotto to jump the line and face Sergio Martinez for the World middleweight crown (and full version of the WBC title). Cotto of course went on to shock the world, dominating Martinez and forcing him to quit after nine one-sided rounds in June.

With the knockout win over Rubio, Golovkin has now stopped each of his last 18 opponents, dating back to Nov. ’08. The past two-plus years have seen the Kazakhstani—who captured a Silver medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics—emerge as one of the sport’s brightest stars, developing a dedicated fan base on both sides of the United States in addition to his overwhelming popularity in Europe.

The upcoming defense versus Murray will air live on HBO, with whom Golovkin is under exclusive contract. Each of his six network appearances have taken place in the United States, with the two non-televised bouts over that stretch both taking place in Monte Carlo. His showdown with Murray marks the first time HBO will air Golovkin outside of the United States.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox