By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Italian challenger against Japanese national hero, 2012 Olympic gold medalist and WBA middleweight champ Ryota Murata, Emanuele Blandamura (27-2, 5 KOs) arrived in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday and engaged in a public workout today (Monday) at the Teiken Gym.

Blandamura, 38, might feel like a foreign challenger having come to Italy to challenge national hero, 1960 Olympic gold medalist and world champ Nino Benvenuti. The Italian said, “I wish to fight with intelligence. Murata is powerful, but I am faster. I’ll do my best.” His first crack at the world championship will take place at the Yokohama Arena on this coming Sunday.