Bantamweight Katsuma Akitsugi is willing to fight anyone, according to his coach, and that includes current titleholders.

Akitsugi will face Jonas Sultan in a 10-round fight Saturday at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. The bout will air on ProBox TV and ProBox TV’s YouTube page. 

Eddie Hernandez, Akitsugi’s trainer, believes the fighter is ready for anyone at this point in his career.

“He has been ready for a world title shot for a while,” Hernandez said. “He is willing to fight anybody.”

Sultan, 19-7 (11 KOs), is no stranger to Fresno. In 2018, he fought Jerwin Ancajas for the IBF junior bantamweight title in the same building where he’ll fight Saturday. Sultan, of Tampilisan, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines, is a 33-year-old veteran looking to derail the momentum of Akitsugi’s surging career. The fighters also know each other because they have sparred in the past.

“Luckily, we get along,” Hernandez said. “We have nothing bad to say about him. He is a good kid, but in the ring, there are no friends.”

Akitsugi, a 27-year-old Japanese fighter training in Los Angeles, was cordial but preferred to do all his talking in the ring. To this point in his career, Akitsugi has spoken volumes there; his resume is as good as that of some titleholders. He has defeated four undefeated prospects, often taking fights on short notice, and now will face his second battle-tested veteran in a row.

Hernandez is excited for Akitsugi to show what they have been working on in the gym. He says they haven’t missed a day since Akitsugi’s previous win.

“He is going to show a lot of new things we have been working on,” Hernandez said. “He hasn’t fought in a while, but he is ready to put on a show.”

Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.