Earlier this week it was announced that Daigoro Marumoto [丸元大五郎] would follow in his father's footsteps, announcing that he was beginning his professional boxing career, with the 22 year old set to take part in his pro-test bout on December 14th, at the EDION Arena Osaka.
Matsumoto’s father, Taisei, had a long and successful professional career, which ran between 1999 and 2012, as he ran up a 29-10-1 (15) record, and claimed the OPBF Welterweight title. During his 40 fights Taisei fought the likes of Kazuhiko Hidaka, Rev Santillan. Dae Baira and Charles Bellamy and was a perennial contender in the OPBF title scene right up to his retirement. Following his retirement he became a promoter, and it will actually be on his show that his son will participate in his pro-test bout.
Daigoro began boxing in elementary school, and won a trio of U15 titles, whilst going 30-6 in the amateurs, winning 3rd place in the National Athletic Meet and being awarded the MVP of the Kansai Boxing League. His pro-test bout will see him sharing the ring with a JBC ranked fighter.
At a press conference to announce his move to the pro-ranks Daigoro stated "Thanks to the university and the people who supported me, I was able to gain experience, and now is the best time." He went on to explain that he was inspired to box after seeing his father in action, and was able to hone his skills in the unpaid ranks. Although he has honed his skills, his style was more that of a professional, rather than an amateur, with an aggressive mentality, and that’s something he intends to bring to the pros with him. He explained that he wants to do more than just win, but win in exciting fashion, saying "I'm aiming for a style that knocks people out. Winning is a given, but I want to be a boxer that captivates the audience."
Given he’s a second generation fighter Diagoro knows there’s pressure on his shoulders and hex explained "I want to fight strong opponents. My goal is to be world champion, so I want to keep taking on higher-ranked opponents. I know people are paying attention to me. It's my role to live up to those expectations."
