WBA Middleweight champion Hassan N’Dam will fight Ryota Murata for the WBA Middleweight title on May 20th in Tokyo, Japan, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.
“I’ve started sparring already in training and it is going well,” Murata said at the news conference in translated comments. “I originally started boxing to see how good of fighter I was. If I am able to defeat this opponent, I can confidently say that I am a good fighter. I am looking forward to this fight.”
“Because I am a gold medalist, I have had so much support from so many people,” Murata said. “I want to win this fight for all them as my gratitude for their support and kindness. The key for me to win is to fight with what I do well.
“I believe what makes my boxing style exciting is moving forward and throwing punches. We will see if this style will prevail. I expect this fight to be a tough fight. The opponent is type of fighter who can be knocked down four or six times in a fight, but take the remaining rounds on points.”
“I think that Ryota Murata is a very effective fighter and he proved it as an amateur when he became Olympic champion,” N’Dam said. “I think he’s going to be a great opponent but I will be — and I’ve always been — ready for great outings, so this fight will be a war because I’m not ready to let my title go anywhere.”
“I am a fan of Felix Trinidad and Bernard Hopkins and the belt I will be fighting for is the same belt that they had,” Murata said. “This does not make me a boxing great like they are if I win this belt, but I am fortunate to be able to fight for the belt they held.”
