On Saturday morning in Tokyo, 55,000 people will sit down in silence for the greatest Japanese fight in history.

The Tokyo Dome is sold out; the fight will stop a nation and the pay-per-view numbers might set a global record. The Japanese boxing renaissance is in full and beautiful flow: Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani are their two biggest stars.

Inoue’s figures are truly astounding, but Nakatani’s are similar; it is the rarest of fights in the most exotic of boxing locations. Two unbeaten men, both Japanese and both at their peaks, with multiple world championship belts on the line.

It is the type of fight that can be compared to the long-overdue showdown between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali in their “Fight of the Century” over 50 years ago. It is also, arguably, the biggest fight to take place anywhere in the world between two boxers without direct USA or UK interest.

Some of the giant fights on recent Saudi Arabian nights, and the long list of brawls involving the Klitschko brothers, had a similar feel, but Inoue vs Nakatani is different. It feels epic, the numbers are off the scale.

Inoue is defending his four super-bantamweight belts, and Nakatani is moving up four pounds from bantamweight and leaving behind two belts. They are both unbeaten in 32 fights; Inoue has stopped or knocked out 27 of his opponents, Nakatani has finished 24 quick.

Inoue is five years older at 33, and first won a world title when he was 21 – at light-flyweight in just his sixth fight; it was the start of the renaissance. Since then, Inoue has won world titles at super-flyweight, bantamweight and now all four belts at super-bantamweight. He has won 27 world title fights and 23 ended fast.

In the current top 15 at flyweight, super-flyweight, bantamweight and super-bantamweight, there are probably 25 Japanese boxers in total, including Takuma Inoue, the baby brother of Naoya, who defends his WBC bantamweight title against Kazuto Ioka on Saturday’s undercard. That is a lot of quality spread over just 10lb.

Nakatani has held world titles at three weights so far, and won 10 world title fights during his perfect career. It is hard to imagine a boxer at any weight being as dominant as Nakatani and still having to compete in the stunning shadow of Inoue’s brilliance. Nakatani without Inoue would be a solo, global star.

In many ways, an Inoue defeat would be refreshing, the rematch ridiculous, and – perhaps –Nakatani’s timing is just right.

Inoue has been taken the full 12-round distance in both of his last fights; he won about 10 of the 12 rounds against Murodjon Akhmadaliev and all 12 against David Picasso in Riyadh last December. However, both Akhmadaliev and Picasso are exceptional fighters.

Inoue has also been linked with a super-fight against Jesse Rodriguez, unbeaten now in 23 with 16 ending in short order, and a multiple-time world champion at lower weights; there is a long and distinguished list of great champions losing when they had their eyes firmly set on the riches and glory of another big fight.

Nakatani against Inoue in front of the silent, sold-out Tokyo crowd is one of modern boxing’s dream fights. The winner will be supreme ruler in a booming business that is thriving a long, long way from any of the Las Vegas grandeur of old and the great stadium nights of recent years in British rings.

In Japan they have called the fight “The Day”, and it is hard to back against Inoue and the inevitable bowing of 55,000 adoring fans at the end.