Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani took centre stage in Friday's inaugural press conference previewing The Ring V: Night of the Samurai, with the expectation they will face off in 2026 if both victorious during their respective bouts on December 27 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

A stacked bill featuring three world championship contests will take place at Riyadh's 22,000-seater Mohammed Abdo Arena and be streamed live worldwide on DAZN, as well as free-to-air on Lemino and PPV to those not subscribed in Japanese territories.

All six Japanese boxers featuring next month were unveiled to the media, before a presser where they all shared increasing optimism to finish 2025 strong with plenty of exciting opportunities in the offing next year.

Two pound-for-pound stars in undisputed 122-pound beltholder Inoue and three-weight world champion Nakatani, with identical 31-0 records, will naturally lead the headlines as the countdown continues towards a marquee matchup at junior featherweight though Ring ambassador duo Tsutsumi brothers, Hayato and Reito, were among those in attendance.

Fresh from his wide points win over Murodjon Akhmadaliev in mid-September, Inoue deemed Mexico's David Picasso (32-0-1, 17 KOs) a different challenge: "he's a very aggressive fighter, it won't be an easy fight but I'll do my best," he mused, via a translator.

"FIrst of all, I'll concentrate on Picasso and then a big match in 2026. We'll talk to my team, step-by-step discussing with them," he replied when asked about whether he'd move up to featherweight or remain at the 122-pound limit for much longer.

Inoue's promoter, Hideyuki Ohashi, spoke of his honour to be part of such an event where 'all corners of the world' will tune in, and cited a willingness to strengthen the bridge between Japan and Saudi Arabia, calling this event a real stepping stone.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries, established in 1955 and the occasion was celebrated in the Saudi city of Jeddah midweek.

Shingo Inoue, Naoya's father and head trainer, stressed every fight was the same and there were no worries about his eldest son (31-0, 27 KOs) potentially overlooking an unbeaten 25-year-old in Picasso with bigger bouts lurking for 2026.

Nakatani (31-0, 24 KOs) accepted that he was 'getting a little tight' squeezing his 5ft 8in frame to 118-pounds and after unifying the division with a sixth-round stoppage win over former IBF ruler Ryosuke Nishida this summer, took the plunge to junior featherweight.

"I feel like my power and speed have improved but don't want to overestimate my punch power, being modest. I'll need high concentration for this fight, faced many undefeated fighters before and will stick to my style, try to deliver a good fight," he said when previewing his matchup against a hard-hitting Sebastian Hernandez Reyes (20-0, 18 KOs).

Kenshiro Teraji seeks to become a three-weight world champion and dispel notions he's on the slide physically, when facing Willibaldo Garcia Perez (23-6-2, 13 KOs) for the IBF junior bantamweight strap.

"I'm really honoured to be part of this, it's my first overseas fight, and world title in a third weight division, I can't wait. I'm trying to make myself bigger and train accordingly to the new division," the 33-year-old said, as Andrew Moloney awaits the winner.

An intriguing lightweight clash sees Japan's Taiga Imanaga (9-0, 5 KOs) test his skills against Cuba's Armando Martinez Rabi (17-0, 15 KOs) in an unofficial WBA title eliminator.

Rabi is rated No. 3 by the sanctioning body, while Imanaga will mirror Teraji in his first overseas assignment, seeking recognition and acclaim on the world stage.

"This will be a great turning point for my career, leading to something much bigger next year," he said while trainer and former multi-weight world champion Akira Yaegashi echoed that sentiment in a very competitive class of 135-pound contenders.

One man used to the conditions and food in Saudi Arabia is Hayato Tsutsumi (8-0, 5 KOs) after breezing beyond Qais Ashfaq on the Moses Itauma-Dillian Whyte undercard in August.

Another British opponent is the assignment here, an in-form Jazza Dickens (36-5, 15 KOs) who has won four straight and will defend his WBA secondary title at junior lightweight.

"I'm facing a very good opponent who has had a longer career than me and fights very well, I'd like to beat him and prove myself to the world in what is a valuable opportunity for me," he stressed.

After his New York debut, followed by stoppage wins on Ring III and Canelo-Crawford undercards two months apart, younger brother Reito (3-0, 2 KOs) is excited for another big event.

"I want to close the year on a positive note, win and then pass that off to my brother too," he said with a smile.

Yusuke Ninomiya, promoter/manager for the Tsutsumi brothers, teased 'more exciting things' to happen next year with Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile Reito's trainer Shuhei Sasaki declared his expectation both will be top world-ranked fighters in future, eclipsing the achievements of former world champions Kazuto Ioka and longtime 130-pound beltholder Takashi Uchiyama, who he trained previously.