Undisputed and Ring junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue and challenger Junto Nakatani met at the final press conference preceding Saturday's thunderous collision at the Tokyo Dome.

Sitting less than two feet away from his opponent, Inoue (32-0, 27 KOs) maintained his cool exterior. Still, there was an undercurrent of intensity you rarely see from the Japanese hero during these kinds of formal media events.

The stakes are heightened, with 55,000 fans ready to pack a sold-out indoor arena for the biggest event in Japanese boxing history.

"I've done everything I have to do," said Inoue to the assembled media via a translator. "I'm now calm and very skilled, getting ready for May 2.

"[Nakatani] is a clever, smart, very straightforward, hardworking guy. He's a great fighter. I need to have a mentality like his to get in the ring against him. I've given everything to be ready. Keep your eyes open and don't blink.

"A lot of people will be coming to see boxing for the first time, so it would be good if I could show them how great boxing is. I'll show them Naoya Inoue and prove that I'm still great."

Nakatani, rated No. 3 by The Ring at 122 pounds, is also 32-0 and has 24 KOs. Like Inoue, "Big Bang" is already considered one of the finest pound-for-pound fighters in the world today, but this is the bout he's been waiting for.

The 28-year-old southpaw debuted in this weight class in December, scoring a hard-fought 12-round unanimous decision over Mexico's Sebastian Hernandez on the Inoue vs. Picasso undercard in Riyadh.

"Weight control is good," said a confident-looking Nakatani. "I am ready for tomorrow's weigh-in and will make [122 pounds]. I think I'm in great condition.

"I am very grateful [to be here]. I know that not many professional boxers have the chance to stand on this stage. On May 2, Junto Nakatani's story will be revealed. I'm looking forward to this fight. I will show you guys what I have within me and it will be super-cool if people are touched by this fight."

Neither fighter conducted one-on-one interviews nor took part in media scrums. Talking was kept to a minimum, with the tension in the room palpable as the hours tick away to one of the best possible matchups in world boxing.

Inoue is a -400 favorite, and Nakatani is a +350 underdog.

While those odds are long in the champion's favor, they're closer than what we've seen recently when Inoue has been fighting. For the first time in a long time, there's jeopardy for "The Monster" because this opponent has elite-level skills and the punching power to turn out his lights.

Nakatani is all too aware of the task ahead and looks to be in excellent fighting shape. Perhaps the challenger’s trainer, Rudy Hernandez, said it best when asked if his fighter is ready for the biggest fight of his life.

"Of course, he's ready," said Hernandez with a smile. "He knows he's fighting one of the greatest fighters of his generation."