Ryusei Matsumoto to return in June!
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On Saturday at Korakuen Hall fight fans got a short cameo appearance from Japanese Minimumweight champion Ryusei Matsumoto (5-0, 3) [松本流星], who wasn’t in action but did make an appearance to announce his next bout. The unbeaten 26 year old Southpaw, who won the Japanese title last September and defended it in February, announced that his next bout would take place on June 7th, as he takes on Filipino fighter John Kevin Jimenez (9-2, 4), in a 10 rounder at 106lbs
The bout, which will be on "DYNAMIC GLOVE on U-NEXT Vol.33" and looks like the likely headline bout for the show, is more about Matsumoto putting down a marker on where his career is, and what potential he has rather than anything else. That’s because Jimenez was last seen in a Japanese ring in September 2024, when he lost a very competitive fight with Takeshi Ishii (10-1, 8) [石井武志], for the OPBF title. The bout is clearly a chance for Matsumoto to measure himself against Ishii, rather than Jimenez.
In the ring on Saturday Matsumoto stated "I want to put on a performance worthy of being the main event of DYNAMIC GLOVE, and put on a match that makes people think, 'I can go on to the world stage.'" He also admitted that the bout is about comparisons to Ishii, stating "I think I will be compared to him, so I want to win in a good way. Please support me on U-NEXT."
It’s clear Matsumoto and his team are looking at the division, and likely seeing where the chips are set to lie in 2026, before moving into world title action. This bout is clearly not a major step forward for Matsumoto, but a good stay busy bout, and one that could see Matsumoto look to move up to 108lbs next year, if he can’t secure a Minimumweight world title bout.
The bout, which will be on "DYNAMIC GLOVE on U-NEXT Vol.33" and looks like the likely headline bout for the show, is more about Matsumoto putting down a marker on where his career is, and what potential he has rather than anything else. That’s because Jimenez was last seen in a Japanese ring in September 2024, when he lost a very competitive fight with Takeshi Ishii (10-1, 8) [石井武志], for the OPBF title. The bout is clearly a chance for Matsumoto to measure himself against Ishii, rather than Jimenez.
In the ring on Saturday Matsumoto stated "I want to put on a performance worthy of being the main event of DYNAMIC GLOVE, and put on a match that makes people think, 'I can go on to the world stage.'" He also admitted that the bout is about comparisons to Ishii, stating "I think I will be compared to him, so I want to win in a good way. Please support me on U-NEXT."
It’s clear Matsumoto and his team are looking at the division, and likely seeing where the chips are set to lie in 2026, before moving into world title action. This bout is clearly not a major step forward for Matsumoto, but a good stay busy bout, and one that could see Matsumoto look to move up to 108lbs next year, if he can’t secure a Minimumweight world title bout.