Ryota Murata will get a shot at redemption when he faces WBA middleweight champion Rob Brant in a rematch on July 12 in Osaka, Teiken gym announced Thursday.
Murata lost the middleweight crown to Brant of the United States by unanimous decision in his second defense last October. The bout at the Park Theater in Las Vegas was so one-sided that Murata considered hanging up his gloves in the wake of the loss.
Despite admitting he had never before "taken such a beating," the 33-year-old said in December he was determined to end his career on a higher note and would continue in the ring.
The bout at Edion Arena Osaka will be Murata's first fight in nearly nine months.
Murata, the 2012 Olympic middleweight gold medalist, has compiled a 14-2 record with 11 knockouts since turning pro in 2013. In 2017, he became the first Japanese to win both an Olympic and world title when he claimed the WBA middleweight crown.
The 28-year-old Brant, who will be making his second defense, is 25-1 with 17 KOs.
