Junto Nakatani is set to kick off his campaign to become a four-division crownholder Saturday against Sebastian Hernandez.

The junior featherweight matchup takes place as part of "The Ring V: Night of the Samurai" card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on DAZN PPV.

Nakatani, a former 112-, 115- and 118-pound champion, will be featured alongside potential future foe and undisputed 122-pound king Naoya Inoue, who headlines the event with a title defense against David Picasso.

“I want to exceed expectations with my performance,” Nakatani said on DAZN's "On The Ground" series. “I believe people will discover even greater potential in me in the junior featherweight division. I'm giving absolutely everything to develop myself.

“I'm determined to win the fight on December 27. This victory will serve as a catalyst to reach greater heights and to become the world champion in the junior featherweight division.”

“The Monster” Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs) likely awaits “Big Bang” Nakatani (31-0, 24 KOs) if the Japanese juggernauts win their matchups. A much-anticipated showdown has been slated for May.

“Many people are anticipating the possibility of a fight against Inoue, but my approach remains unchanged,” said Nakatani. “I'm fully focused on my upcoming fight. I see it as a consequence of that focus. I've been training well by working on myself. I strongly feel that my boxing is improving. I learned the ability to box my own way [in Los Angeles] no matter what type of opponent comes along.”

Nakatani lives in Japan but has trained in Southern California since 2013 under coach Rudy Hernandez, a finalist for The Ring’s 2024 Trainer of the Year award.

“Junto is one of the best boxing students that I have ever met,” said Hernandez. “He came to the gym with an open mind from Day One and he's never questioned anything that we've ever done. He executes … He's really focused on being the best version of himself. He's always challenging himself to be better, and he never stops working on being the best.”

Nakatani, 27, will come into the clash against Hernandez as hot as ever as The Ring’s No. 7 pound-for-pound fighter. Nakatani enjoyed a five-fight run at 118 pounds that resulted in him winning The Ring, IBF, and WBC titles. Nakatani is coming off a sixth-round stoppage win in a title unification bout against Ryosuke Nishida in June.

Hernandez (20-0, 18 KOs), a 25-year-old from Mexico, last fought in May and scored a 10-round unanimous decision win against former title challenger and rugged contender Azat Hovhannisyan. In the fight, Hernandez fought past the seventh round for just the first time in his five-year career. Against Nakatani, Hernandez will come in as a massive underdog while fighting in his first scheduled 12-rounder.