Victor Pasillas couldn’t have envisioned a better scenario for this fight.

It was never a question of whether he’d accept the opportunity to face fellow unbeaten junior featherweight contender Ra’eese Aleem (17-0, 11KOs) but rather what would await the winner. That doesn’t figure to be a problem, given the amount of 122-pound talent currently fighting under the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) banner.

Included among them are WBO titlist Angelo Leo (20-0, 9KOs) and Stephen Fulton (18-0, 8KOs), who appear atop Saturday’s Showtime tripleheader which also includes Pasillas-Aleem.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Pasillas told krikya360.com in mapping out his 2021 campaign. “Start the year with a great win and then maybe go after the winner of Angelo Leo and Stephen Fulton.”

Both bouts will air live from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

The opportunity marks Pasillas’ Showtime debut, coming four months after making a splash in his first fight on Fox Sports. The East L.A. southpaw left a lasting impression, tearing through unbeaten featherweight Ranfis Javier Encarnacion en route to a statement-making 6th round knockout. With the win, Pasillas (16-0, 9KOs) has now stopped each of his last seven opponents, intent on continuing that streak on Saturday in a fight which now comes with the interim WBA title at stake.

The belt is merely a placeholder and not meant to be recognized as a true world title. For Pasillas, it would mean leverage in pursuing the other beltholders rather than having to chase after them without political assurance of securing a title shot which he would like by his next fight.

“After we get this interim title, we’re in line for the WBA title,” notes Pasillas. “Brandon Figeuroa has the WBA “World” title so he would be next in line for me. If he doesn’t want it, we’ll go after MJ, the guy from Uzbekistan who has two titles (unified WBA “Super” and IBF titlist Murudjon Akhmadaliev).

“Everyone on my team understands my goals. It’s to go straight forward and win titles. So those are the guys I want after I knock out this guy (Aleem) on Saturday night—Figueroa, MJ or the winner (of Leo-Fulton).”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox