By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

The press conference for the WBA middleweight title bout between Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam and Ryota Murata took place on Friday in Tokyo, Japan. Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, who holds Murata under his promotional agreement, was in attendance, mentioning his great expectation to the sensational rematch at the Ryogoku Sumo Arena (Kokugikan) on Sunday.

N’Dam said, “I’m 1,000% well-prepared. I’ll demonstrate a great performance. I’m eager to fight Murata.”

Murata said, “With Mr. Bob Arum and Mr. Jimmy Lennon Jr. besides me, it’s like a dream of a kid boxing mania. What I want is the championship belt. I’ll overcome mental pressure and win this fight.”

The WBA officials are as follows:
Referee Kenny Bayless (US); judges Robert Hoyle (US), Raul Caiz Jr. (US), Pinit Prayadsab (Thailand); supervisor George Martinez (Canada).

The show presented by Teiken Promotions will be shown live by Fuji TV in Japan and by ESPN in the US.