WBA super flyweight champion Tepparith Kokietgym wants to fight WBC titleholder Yota Sato of Japan in a unification bout.

The Thai will face challenger Nobuo Nashiro in Osaka today and is confident that he will see off the Japanese challenger.

"I am confident that I will beat Nashiro," Tepparith (20-2-0, 13KOs) said yesterday.

"I trained very hard for the fight and I am sure that I will return home with the belt."

It will be Tepparith's third title defence and third successive fight in Japan.

The Maha Sarakham native stopped Tomonobu Shimizu in his second title defence in April, four months after his first against Daiki Kameda.

"If possible, I want to fight Sato next," Tepparith, 23, said.

The 28-year-old Sato (25-2-1, 12 KOs) won the title from Thailand's Suriyan Sor Rungvisai in March and made a successful defence against Sylvester Lopez of the Philippines in July.

The 30-year-old Nashiro (18-4-1, 12KOs) has said he will retire if he loses to Tepparith and the Thai has vowed to send him into retirement.

Nashiro won the 115-pound title in July 2006 before losing to Hugo Cazares of Mexico in May 2010. He also challenged Suriyan last November but was well beaten by the Thai.