There’s no need for hyperbole when it comes to this matchup. What you’ve heard on the boxing grapevine is factual information. This is undoubtedly the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history by some distance, and, in pound-for-pound terms, arguably the highest quality fight available in world boxing.

One man who knows all about winning world titles and being among the pound-for-pound elite is former two-weight world champion Kenshiro Teraji. The super-classy boxer-puncher from Kyoto is back in training for a fight later this year and was happy to discuss this weekend’s action at Misako Boxing Gym.

“I think there’s a chance Inoue could get dropped early on, but overall I still see him winning,” Teraji told The Ring via translator. “I’m not sure whether it ends in a knockout. When it’s two Japanese fighters, the intensity tends to be higher, and they can fight it out on grit and make it to the end. So I’d lean toward Inoue by decision.”

Also on the card, the legendary Kazuto Ioka bids to become his country’s first five-weight world champion when he takes on Inoue’s younger brother, Takuma, for the WBC bantamweight title.

Ioka, who has also been ranked inside the pound-for-pound top 10 in the past, has lost two of his last three fights (both to Argentina’s Fernando Martinez) and turned 37 in March. However, Teraji believes the great ex-champ has the tools and the requisite experience to defeat Takuma and make boxing history.

“I think Ioka comes out on top,” said “The Amazing Boy” without hesitation. "That said, he’s moving up in weight, so there’s a question of how his physical strength will carry at bantamweight. But technically, Ioka has the advantage, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he scores a knockdown somewhere in the fight.”

Teraji, 34, is also in the twilight of what should be a Hall of Fame career. The former champ is 16-2 in world title fights and has prevailed in classic duels against Masamichi Yabuki, Hiroto Kyoguchi, Carlos Canizales and Seigo Akui.

Unfortunately, the great Teraji lost out on a chance to become a three-weight world champion in December when IBF junior bantamweight titleholder Willibaldo Garcia fell ill after the weigh-in in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Instead of that bout being rescheduled, the IBF ordered Garcia to face mandatory challenger Andrew Moloney on June 6.

And the bad luck didn’t end there.

The hard-hitting Teraji was also in the Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez sweepstakes until talks ceased when the Texas-based southpaw turned his attention toward WBA bantamweight titleholder Antonio Vargas, whom he will now face on June 13. It was yet another huge opportunity that got away.

So Teraji stays in shape and awaits the call for what could be the last big battle. Becoming a three-weight world champion remains the goal for a fighter who has never avoided a challenge.