Ryota Murata wants the best fights possible at middleweight!
On August 1 in Tokyo WBA “Regular” Middleweight champion Ryota Murata (15-2, 12KO) held a press conference, followed by a public workout for local media. Accompanied by Tsuyoshi Hamada, a representative for Teiken Promotions (who co-promotes Murata), Murata gave some insight on his future goal.
Of note, they include a strong desire to fight either Canelo Alvarez or Gennady Golovkin
Last time boxing fans saw Murata in the ring was on July 12 in Osaka, Japan. He dismantled Rob Brant in two rounds of their rematch to regain the WBA title. Following, he took some time to rest and go on vacation. Now back from from his period of relaxation, Murata announced that he has resumed training.
Goals and Roadblocks
During the sit-down with the media, it was Hamada who originally mentioned a fight with either the two biggest names in the division. Later during the press conference, Murata himself reiterated that’s indeed his goal.
His rationale is he simply want to engage in the most exciting fights possible. Finally, Hamada said there are plans for Murata to fight before the end of 2019.
In spite of both, Hamada and Murata’s wish to fight the likes of Canelo or Golovkin, the reality is there are issues thwarting those possible match-ups. First and foremost, as 3KingsBoxing previously reported, both men are in negotiations for fights later this year.
Moreover, Canelo nor Golovkin have publicly expressed they want to fight Murata.
Also, there could be business/promotional issues preventing Murata fighting either man. While he currently has promotional ties to Teiken, as well as Top Rank/ESPN, both the two middleweight giants have promotional deals with DAZN.
There would be a serious battle at the negotiating table between Top Rank/ESPN and DAZN when it comes to US television rights and other issues behind the scenes. However do not forget, the two networks came together to make a deal for the Jose Ramirez vs Maurice Hooker unification. Therefore, they are willing to make fights that have a certain “prestige.”
Murata’s rematch win over Brant was a career best performance. Coming off such a terrific outing, it looks like the time is now for the 33 year-old from Tokyo to engage in fights against the elite of the middleweight division.
Sadly, however, it will be some time (as well as some roadblocks to overcome) in order for the Japanese champion to engage in the fights he truly wants.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
