That desire was laid bare as she held a Tokyo presser this week, with the 30-year-old accepting the fact nerves and heightened pressure to perform left her feeling unsatisfied despite a wide points win over Mai Soliman on May 23.

Featuring prominently on the "Glory in Giza" card headlined by Oleksandr Usyk-Rico Verhoeven on DAZN PPV, The Ring's 2025 Female Fighter of the Year acknowledged her time in Egypt was an unforgettable experience.

Australia-based contender Soliman (10-2, 6 KOs), who was born in Cairo and lived in Egypt before immigrating down under in her adolescent years, was the home fighter. Hiruta (11-0, 2 KOs) embraced the heel role, shouting back at fans who booed her, while dealing with the logistics of having to box outdoors during a swirling sandstorm.

"I feel the public is gradually becoming interested in me, I'm slowly taking steps up. It was an away game, so I felt I had to win decisively but was frustrated that I couldn't get a knockout. I lack confidence in myself, preventing me from taking that extra step or unleashing explosive power," Hiruta said, as quoted by Yahoo Japan.

Former long-reigning middleweight world champion Gennadiy Golovkin was among the esteemed company watching the historic event ringside and offered some encouraging words post-fight.

"He said it was a really good fight, praised me for being smart and told me to keep working hard," she remembered about the 2026 Hall of Fame inductee.

As far as what's next, she's unsure but wants to unify titles after a lengthy run as WBO titleholder while undisputed flyweight queen Gabriela Fundora (18-0, 10 KOs) in the division below has cleaned out a stretch of contenders.

"I don't know what's going to happen [next], I want to get stronger, continue to defend my belt but really want to have a unification bout. It would be great if I could do it with anyone before the end of the year," she said.

Takashi Misako, president of her gym, said they're exploring options with the belief Hiruta's stateside experiences served her in good stead for an even bigger one in Egypt.

Mexico's Irma Garcia (26-5-1, 6 KOs) made the second defense of her IBF 115-pound title on April 5, scoring a third-round stoppage of Emma Dolan during MVPW-01 in London.

Nataly Delgado scored an upset points win over Jasmine Artiga on the Oshae Jones-Elia Carranza II undercard last weekend to seize the WBA title, while another world title fight takes place next month.

California's Adelaida Maria Ruiz (18-1-1, 8 KOs) defends her WBC title against Ginny Fuchs on a ProBox show July 18, having lost a 10-round split decision against the Texan in August 2024.

Monitoring that fight in particular could be one of interest, given MVP's stance means they're less inclined to risk titles against contenders and champions not signed with their ever-growing stable.

Delgado (21-7-2, 5 KOs) was a mandatory challenger and they'll likely have a contract option on the Panamanian, who at 31 just delivered a career-best performance in her U.S. debut.