By Jake Donovan
News of Ryota Murata’s potential next fight certainly caught many by surprise.
Chief among them were the boxer and his team who believed to still be next in line.
In a development reported by ESPN’s Steve Kim, Hall of Fame promoter mapped out a scenario where Murata would make the first defense of his second run as a middleweight titlist in a December showdown versus Australia’s Jeff Horn. The proposed bout would take place in Murata’s native Japan, provided that Horn—a former welterweight titlist now competing at 160—survives an Aug. 31 domestic clash with countryman Michael Zerafa.
Murata (15-2, 12KOs) regained his secondary middleweight title in July after scoring a 2nd round knockout of Rob Brant, who scored an upset 12-round decision win in their first fight last October. Both fights contained a rematch clause, which Murata exercised after Brant’s lone successful title defense this past February.
Brant, in turn, opted for a third fight with Murata shortly after suffering the shocking knockout loss earlier this summer. It still remains on the table, despite Arum’s recent claims of attempting to change up the order.
“Rob Brant has a rematch clause with Ryota Murata, which he enforced and still expects Murata to honor,” Greg Cohen, Brant’s co-promoter told BoxingScene.com on Thursday evening. “We are partners with Top Rank in promoting Rob’s career, and have a wonderful relationship through that arrangement. But that conversation (of Horn bypassing Brant) has not yet taken place.”
The proposed Murata-Horn matchup proposed by Arum is interesting, as Brant (25-2, 17KOs) was once in line for a similar fight. Had the St. Paul (Minn.)-bred middleweight successfully defended his title in his rematch with Murata, he was in line for a showdown versus Horn, who is a major draw in his native Australia and represents a lucrative middleweight option for those in the division not aligned with sports streaming service DAZN.
Horn’s last four fights have been carried by an ESPN platform, under which Brant and Murata fight through their association with Top Rank. Horn rose to prominence in a disputed 12-round welterweight title win over Manny Pacquiao in July 2017, the bout headlining the first show under Top Rank’s new deal with ESPN. His lone successful defense also came on ESPN, scoring an 11th round knockout of Gary Corcoran later that December before suffering a one-sided knockout loss to Terence Crawford last June on ESPN+.
The streaming service also carried Horn’s most recent fight, a 1st round stoppage of faded legend Anthony Mundine last November. The bout was his first above the welterweight limit, announcing soon thereafter his intentions to compete at middleweight. There was an offer to challenge Brant for the middleweight title earlier this summer, only for Horn to pass due to wanting to be home with his for the birth of their second child.
It cleared a path for Brant and Murata to fight a second time. Murata rose to the occasion, with the 2008 Olympic Gold medalist neutralizing Brant’s high-octane offense with pure punching power, overwhelming the American in scoring a knockdown en route to the early stoppage for his second title reign.
Possession of the secondary title is a significant bargaining chip, as at some point the claimant will be named as the overdue mandatory challenger for World middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
Barring a phone call containing a significant update, Brant and his team fully expect for their next fight to at least be for the right to compete for that honor.
“We have been in constant communication with (Top Rank VP of Business and Legal Affairs) Harrison Whitman ever since Rob enforced his rematch clause,” noted Cohen. “We enjoy our relationship with Top Rank very much, it’s provided tremendous opportunities for (Brant’s) career. We look forward to continuing with discussion regarding the trilogy fight with Ryota Murata and anything else Bob Arum and the Top Rank team have in mind.
”So far, every conversation we’ve had has been about the third fight between Rob Brant and Ryota Murata.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
