Tokyo, Japan: Japanese boxer Ryota Murata, who was named an OCA Sports Star for 2012 after winning gold in the 75kg division at the London Olympics, has turned professional by signing with promoter Bob Arum’s Top Rank organisation. Murata, 27, won Japan’s first boxing gold medal at the Olympics in 48 years - and Japan’s 100th gold medal in Olympic history - with his narrow victory over Brazil’s Esquiva Falcao last August.

Murata also finished second in the 2011 world amateur championships at Baku, Azerbaijan. More details will be revealed next week at a formal announcement of the deal, including plans for the middleweight fighter’s professional debut, expected to be later this year, according to a report by AFP from Los Angeles.