They were originally scheduled to fight on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Gervonta Davis on Nov. 14, but the entire card was scrapped after domestic violence allegations were made against Davis. Now, just three months later, Russell will make the first defense of his WBA 140-pound title against Hiraoka on “The Ring: High Stakes” on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on DAZN PPV.

The card is headlined by Mario Barrios' defense of his WBC welterweight title against Ryan Garcia. In the co-main event, Richardson Hitchins will put his IBF 140-pound title on the line against Oscar Duarte. 

Russell (18-1, 17 KOs) won the title with a dominating unanimous decision over Jose Valenzuela on March 1. The dynamic 29-year-old southpaw from Capitol Heights, Maryland, will be facing his third consecutive southpaw in Hiraoka (24-0, 19 KOs). 

Japan’s Hiraoka, 29, will be fighting for the first time since September 2024, when he dropped Ismael Barroso three times in a ninth-round stoppage victory to become the mandatory challenger for the WBA title.

Odds: Russell is a significant favorite at -350 odds, while Hiraoka is a +260 underdog, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. 

How does Russell win? Russell’s blistering hand speed and combination punching make him a dynamic offensive fighter. 

He overwhelmed Valenzuela with his speed and volume. Dialing it back just a tad could be the key to him being the first fighter to defeat Hiraoka. 

Russell shouldn’t abandon his strengths, but trying to overwhelm Hiraoka as he did against Valenzuela could spell trouble. Hiraoka is good at managing range and timing his opponents between their punches with heavy shots of his own, especially with his right hook. 

Russell should be selective about throwing combinations and make sure he does so at the right range or when he has Hiraoka along the ropes, where he can’t pull out of range and counter him. 

In the middle of the ring, Hiraoka has a habit of pulling straight back out of range with his right hand down. If Russell can time him with a jab and straight left hand as he’s pulling straight back, he could land a potentially fight-altering shot.

How does Hiraoka win? Hiraoka has the skills to give Russell fits. 

He’s only slightly taller than Russell, but has a five-inch reach advantage. That’ll make Hiraoka’s jab an especially useful weapon. If he can establish the jab, that’ll make it difficult for Russell to get inside Hiraoka’s reach and punch in combinations. 

If Hiraoka can establish range with his jab, the right hook and left uppercut will be key weapons against Russell as he tries to close the gap. Alberto Puello, who is a rangy southpaw like Hiraoka, had success with those punches in his upset victory over Russell in 2024.

Hiraoka is also good at punching between his opponent’s combinations, which was another area where Puello did some of his best work. With Hiraoka being a bigger puncher than Puello, if he can time his shots between Russell’s punches, he could do some damage and have the inside track to pulling off an upset.  

What it means if Russell wins: A win for Russell would stop the musical chairs of champions at 140 pounds for the time being. With Hiraoka being a mandatory challenger, it’d also free Russell up to pursue unification bouts. 

Any of the three champions would make for an appealing bout. Russell has already made it known that he’s targeting WBC champion Dalton Smith next, which would be an intriguing clash even though Russell would be a clear favorite. Russell already has history with Hitchins dating back to the amateurs, but if Duarte were to upset him, the all-action nature of his and Russell’s style could make for a fight of the year contender. 

While Russell has made it known he doesn’t think the newly-crowned Ring and WBO champion Shakur Stevenson will fight him, a matchup between the highly-skilled southpaws would likely be the most highly anticipated of the bunch. 

Regardless of whom Russell faces next, a potential unification bout in one of boxing’s best divisions is something fans should be more than willing to get behind. 

What it means if Hiraoka wins: A Hiraoka victory would continue what has become a golden era of boxing for Japan. It’d also keep the revolving door of champions at 140 pounds turning after Smith beat Subriel Matias to win the WBC title and Stevenson nearly shut out Teofimo Lopez to win the Ring and WBO titles in January. 

Hiraoka would also assert himself as one of boxing’s best at 140 pounds. Whether he’ll be able to get the elite of the division in the ring with him would remain to be seen, but after a win over Russell, it wouldn't be wise to dismiss his chances against any of the top names.  

What they’re saying: “It definitely will be Dalton Smith first, because he beat the boogeyman and he got the belt that I want, [from] Matias. And then you got Richardson Hitchins. After Richardson Hitchins, you had Teofimo Lopez. But now you got Shakur Stevenson. He took that belt. I don’t think Shakur Stevenson will fight me.” – Russell

TV/Stream: DAZN will distribute “The Ring: High Stakes” to non-subscribers on pay-per-view for $69.99 in the United States and £24.99 in the United Kingdom. The show is included in DAZN’s Ultimate monthly plan for subscribers ($44.99; £24.99).