Lightweight titlist Humberto Soto has made plans for his next fight, according to Notifight. On June 25, Soto will face Japanese veteran Motoki Sasaki.
Though his representative keeps saying it's a title fight, it won't be. The fight will be contested at 140 pounds, where Soto is looking to campaign. Soto is looking to join the race to become the first Mexican to win a "world title" in four different weight classes, something Jorge Arce supporters are now claiming that Arce accomplished this past weekend, but he did not, as one of the claimed titles was an interim belt, and interim belts don't count any more than silver belts do, or Erik Morales would have already done it. It's kind of like winning gold at the Caribbean Games and claiming to be an Olympic gold medalist. No dice.
Soto (55-7-2, 32 KO) was supposed to rematch Urbano Antillon on the Pacquiao vs Mosley undercard, but pulled out fairly late in the game and decided to test his free agency. He has made no official move, but with a representative talking about Soto fighting Erik Morales or Marcos Maidana for a belt at 140 (neither of them hold a full title, but I'm sure someone could help that situation), it's pretty obvious he's looking Golden Boy's way.
Sasaki (36-8-1, 23 KO) once challenged for a major welterweight title and is currently the OPBF titleholder at 140. He's a fine veteran fighter, but is 35 years old and has never beaten a true world class fighter.
Soto vs Sasaki joins an already very busy day of boxing on June 25. Also that night will be the packed card in St. Louis headlined on HBO by Devon Alexander vs Lucas Matthysse; Felix Sturm vs Matthew Macklin in Germany; Kell Brook's return in the UK (tentative); and welterweight Mike Jones fighting that night in Philadelphia.