Former bantamweight and junior featherweight titleholder Luis Nery is ready to campaign as a featherweight.

Nery will make his 126-pound debut against Sathaporn Saart on Oct. 26 in Kyrgyzstan, a source informed of the deal told The Ring.

According to the source, “Pantera” Nery (36-2, 28 KOs) is aiming to work his way toward a title shot against WBO titleholder Angelo Leo in the first half of 2026, and to be a desirable rematch option as a champion for former conqueror Naoya Inoue.

Inoue, the undisputed 122-pound crownholder, could make his debut as a featherweight in the second half of 2026, after he completes his planned fights against David Picasso and Junto Nakatani.

Nery knocked down Inoue for the first time in the pound-for-pound stalwart’s career in May 2024, but ended up on the wrong side of a sixth-round stoppage. Nery has fought only once since then, scoring a seventh-round TKO against Kyonosuke Kameda in February.

Saart (17-2, 9 KOs) is a 22-year-old unknown who has never fought outside of his native Thailand. Saart last fought in May and scored a fourth-round stoppage against Sang Yeon Kim for a WBC regional belt.