The two will headline a Zanfer Boxing show at Arena Potosi, in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

"It's going to be a great fight to really establish myself in the junior bantamweight division. He's a tough, patient opponent with punching power," Ayala (19-1, 9 KOs) told The Ring.

The 26-year-old Mexico City native lost his title in a 12th-round stoppage defeat by Masamichi Yabuki after a punishing fight in Aichi, Japan in March 2025.

That point prompted him to take some time off, correcting issues in his game.

"I did a bit of everything; I noticed I was making a lot of mistakes but since things were going well, hadn't paid much attention to them," he accepted.

"It wasn't until I realized that approach — being too aggressive — wasn't enough to win decisively, without taking damage. Then we [he and his team] came up with a new fight plan; thank God things are going better now."

Ayala kept training during a 14-month hiatus while also pondering life away from the sport entirely.

"To be honest, the thought of giving up did cross my mind a bit," he continued.

"But when I watched the fight back and saw what I achieved with just one eye, against a much faster fighter, I felt like I have the potential to be among the best. Especially now, with the changes I've recently made."

He returned up at 115 pounds, impressively halting Jayson Mama with a fifth-round finish on May 21.

"Honestly, it was a really tough bout," he said. "I’d been inactive for a little over a year, and I felt it helped me loosen up and find my rhythm in the ring again.

"I feel much better in this weight class. I'm a fairly tall guy, so staying at flyweight was becoming a struggle but right now, things are going much better."

With new horizons, he has new targets though is focusing solely on his tough Filipino opponent for now.

"First, I want to get past this big test ahead of us," he said. "After that, we want to fight the divisional champions."

"[WBO titlist] Kenshiro Teraji, [IBF ruler] Andrew Moloney... and I’d also like a fight with [former IBF, WBA champion Fernando] "El Puma" Martínez.

"I feel like my goal right now would be a fight against Teraji. I'd really like to face him because I consider him one of the toughest opponents in the division."

Paras (25-5-1, 19 KOs) turned professional in 2015. He won his first 13 fights, before losing a 12-round decision against then IBF strawweight champion Hiroto Kyoguchi in May 2018.

He suffered something of a hangover upon his return five months later, losing by the same margin at junior flyweight against compatriot Jonathan Taconing.

He went on to win six of his next seven outings, the lone blemish a 10-round draw with Robert Paradero in April 2022. The 27-year-old upset Kyoguchi over 10 rounds in May 2024, though lost a rubber match five months later.

Paras enters this encounter after an eight-round points loss against Japan's unbeaten Aoi Yokoyama on June 6.