Tsuboi, who is rated No. 6 by The Ring at junior bantamweight, will take on Ricardo Malajika for the vacant WBC title on Sunday at Toyota Arena in Tokyo.

"Malajika is a strong fighter with both speed and technique," Tsuboi (3-0, 2 KOs), who also has a no-contest, told The Ring. "He has a good sense of distance. That's something we need to be weary of.

"Our plan is to have an overwhelming victory against him."

Although Tsuboi would join Kosei Tanaka and Daiya Kira for the fewest fights for a Japanese boxer to become world champion, he isn't concerned.

"I don't really focus on that," he said. "What matters most to me in my boxing career is beating strong opponents rather than winning titles or setting records."

The 30-year-old, who won gold at the 2021 World Championships, began his professional career against solid opposition due to his amateur foundation.

In his third fight, he dominated and stopped former WBC titlist Carlos Cuadras in eight rounds.

He took on another former titleholder in Pedro Guevara on April 11, but the fight was curtailed in the second round due to a head clash.

"My distance wasn't quite right, so our heads collided," he said. "I was devastated not to be able to show the fans a dominant victory.

"I take that experience very positively. That match gave me a lot to rethink and served as a valuable experience."

Tsuboi believes a win will validate his decision to turn professional.

"I see this as a chance to get answers to everything I've built up in boxing," he said. "What I have been doing in boxing was the right decision. I am definitely going to win the title."

Malajika (17-2, 12 KOs), who is rated No. 7 by The Ring at 115 pounds, improved from a pair of early loses.

The 27-year-old has since beaten Kevin Munoz (UD 12), Marcel Braithwaite (UD 12), Jackson Chauke (KO 2), stopped former world title challenger Jayson Mama (TKO 5) and, most recently, former world title challenger Vince Paras (UD 12) on November 29.

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