Espinoza (28-0, 24 KOs) hasn't fought since dispatching Arnold Khegai in 11 rounds in November, but he returns October 31 on the Canelo Alvarez-Christian Mbilli card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on DAZN PPV.

The Mexican will defend his WBO 126-pound crown against Lorenzo Parra. Ahead of the clash, Espinoza sat down with The Ring's senior inside Mike Coppinger in Valencia, Spain, where he is in training camp with Alvarez and trainer Eddy Reynoso.

“Inoue, I want a fight with you,” Espinoza said. “It would be an honor for me. ... I believe I have the desire, I have the distance, the height, I believe I have the power. I’m not saying I’m going to knock him out, but I do have a lot of hope of being able to win that fight.”

Espinoza, The Ring’s No. 1 featherweight and WBO champion, might get his wish sooner rather than later.

After defending his Ring, IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO junior featherweight titles by beating Junto Nakatani on points in May, Inoue said that while he would take the rest of the year off, his first fight in 2027 might be at featherweight.

A superfight with Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez remains an option at 122 pounds, but if that doesn’t happen, Espinoza, along with fellow featherweight champions Bruce Carrington (WBC) and Angelo Leo (IBF), could be in line for a shot.

Espinoza would even be willing to fight Inoue (33-0, 27 KOs) in Japan, where the The Ring's No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter has fought for the majority of his career.

“I would like to fight in Japan,” Espinoza said. “Japan is a good place. I’ve always wanted to fight there. So going there and winning would be the best.”

First, Espinoza must overcome Parra, who is unbeaten since 2017. While Espinoza is a huge favorite, he knows he could have his hands full.

“I think it’s going to be a strong, tough fight,” he said. “I’m preparing for the best.”