Jason Quigley is closing in on a massive Las Vegas headliner to challenge for the WBA middleweight title.
NABF middleweight champion Quigley (14-0, 11KOs) could face Ryōta Murata (14-1, 11KOs) in the Japanese fighter’s next defence of the WBA middleweight belt in October.
Murata is slated for a fight in Vegas on October 20, with an opponent yet to be confirmed, though the respective promoters and management are in talks to get a bout with Quigley.
Murata’s bout is already listed for ESPN and is expected to take place at Mandalay Bay.
All he needs now is a challenger for his belt – and Quigley has emerged as the leading candidate.
Murata won the middleweight gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and on his way to winning silver at the 2011 World Championships in Baku he defeated Quigley’s nemesis, Darren O’Neill.
Quigley returned from a year out of action as he floored Daniel Rosario in Boston in March and the 32-year-old Murata, promoted by Top Rank, may be next in line.
Murata has a mandatory challenger in Rob Brant for the belt he won against Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam in May 2017 and successfully defended against Emanuele Felice Blandamura in April of this year.
With that in mind, Murata would require an exception from the WBC to take on Quigley, who had a planned August bout in Fantasy Springs, Indio, recently shelved.
