Andy Hiraoka has been avoided by several junior welterweights while waiting patiently to secure a title shot. The Japanese southpaw will finally get that opportunity when he challenges Russell (18-1, 17 KOs) for the WBA 140-pound championship on “The Ring: High Stakes” show at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Though Russell respects Hiraoka (24-0, 19 KOs), he fully expects to pursue title unification fights after fending him off. Russell, ranked No. 7 among The Ring’s junior welterweight contenders, will therefore pay close attention to another fight on the Mario Barrios-Ryan Garcia undercard a week from Saturday night.

If Richardson Hitchins defeats Oscar Duarte, Russell wants to resume their amateur rivalry in a fight for his WBA and Hitchins’ IBF belts. The Ring’s No. 1 junior welterweight contender for Shakur Stevenson’s title, WBC champ Dalton Smith, is ahead of Hitchins on the “hit list” Russell has compiled, though.

“You brought up the two main guys that I’m actually striving for right now,” Russell told co-hosts Max Kellerman and Mike Coppinger during the newest episode of “Inside The Ring,” available on DAZN. “You know, because if I was to have a true hit list and I was to go down in a line, in order, who would I deal with first?

“It definitely will be a Dalton Smith first, because he beat the boogeyman and he got the belt that I want, [from] Matias. And then you got Richardson Hitchins. After Richardson Hitchins, you had Teofimo Lopez. But now you got Shakur Stevenson. He took that belt. I don’t think Shakur Stevenson will fight me.”

England’s Smith (19-0, 14 KOs) upset Puerto Rico’s Subriel Matias (23-3, 22 KOs) by fifth-round technical knockout January 10 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs), who went 0-4 versus Russell in amateur matches, is The Ring’s second-ranked junior welterweight.

“I feel like Dalton Smith, he’s a good fighter as well,” Russell said. “I don’t look at any fighter as a slouch because, [with] those little gloves, anyone has a puncher’s chance. … I would definitely not look at him as a pushover or anything. But as far as the 140 division, it’s always been stacked. Dalton Smith, he got the belt that everybody strives to get, the green belt, the WBC.

“And then you got Richardson Hitchins. We had past relations. I fought him a couple of times, of course. I feel like he’s now grown more into his professional, you know, look. And because of that, I feel like I would see a different type of fighter if I was to fight him again. You know, but you know what they say – some habits is hard to break. And I still see the same old habits that he had in the amateurs. So, hopefully I can, you know, take advantage of those and come out victorious once more again.”

Russell – a strong southpaw from Capitol Heights, Maryland – is listed by DraftKings as a 3-1 favorite over Hiraoka. Hitchins is a bigger favorite, 5-1, to defeat Duarte (30-2-1, 23 KOs) in their 12-round title fight.

DAZN will distribute “The Ring: High Stakes” to non-subscribers on pay-per-view for $69.99 in the United States and £24.99 in the United Kingdom. The show is included in DAZN’s Ultimate monthly plan for subscribers ($44.99; £24.99).