Yudai Shigeoka is set for his first fight as a former titleholder.

The Ring's No. 5-rated strawweight contenderwill next face The Philippines' Samuel Salva on Aug. 24 at Yamato Arena in Osaka, Japan. The bout will serve as the ABEMA-TV chief support to the already announced Lerato Dlamini-Tomoki Kameda rematch.

Shigeoka (8-1, 5 knockouts) has not fought since his bitter March 31 split decision defeat to Melvin Jerusalem (22-3, 12 KOs),No. 3 at 105, in Nagoya.

The setback ended his brief stay as WBC strawweight titlist. Shigeoka dethroned Panya Pradabsri (42-2, 26 KOs), No. 6 at 105, in their title consolidation clash last Oct. 7 in Tokyo. The 27-year-old southpawy held an interim version of the title before the well-earned upgrade in his unanimous decision win over the visiting Thai boxer.

Salva (20-1, 13 KOs) hits the road for the first time in his career in a considerable jump in competition level.

The 27-year-old fringe contender from Iligan City has fought exclusively in the Philippines throughout his eight-year pro career. His lone defeat came to countryman Pedro Taduran (16-4-1, 12 KOs) in their Sept. 2019 vacant IBF strawweight title fight.

Taduran,No. 8 at 105, challenges IBF titlist Ginjiro Shigeoka (11-0, 9 KOs) this Sunday in Otsu, Japan. Ginjiro is Yudai's younger brother andThe Ring's No. 1-rated strawweight.

Meanwhile, Salva has won three in a row since his only career setback. All have come inside the distance but versus modest opposition, although he owns a 2019 victory over former titlist Rene Mark Cuarto.

Yudai Shigeoka was The Ring's top-rated strawweight headed into his title defense versus Jerusalem, a former titlist at the time. His explosive race to the top included early career wins over then-contenders Lito Dante and Tsubasa Koura and former WBO beltholder Wilfredo Mendez (19-3-1, 6 KOs),No. 8 at 105.

However, he suffered two early knockdowns versus Jerusalem amidst a disastrous first half that proved too insurmountable to overcome. Shigeoka valiantly roared back over the final six rounds, only to fall short on two of the three scorecards.