By Francisco Salazar

After weeks of salivating over the matchup, fight fans no longer have to wait for Jesus Soto-Karass and Yoshihiro Kamegai to throw hands. The all action welterweights are set to collide Friday in front of a beyond capacity crowd at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif.

If Soto-Karass has something left in the tank and is not affected by ring rust, his 10 round bout against Kamegai could be something else.

Then again, when is Soto-Karass in a bad fight? Or Kamegai, for that matter?

The fight became a hot-ticket seller amongst boxing fans in the Los Angeles area in the weeks leading up to tonight. The event has officially sold-out, but because of high demand, Golden Boy Promotions has released $10 tickets to view the fight from an adjacent ballroom.

Estrella TV will broadcast the fight, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT. RingTVLive.com will air the entire Golden Boy Promotions card, beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET/ 5:30 p.m. PT.

Matchmaker Robert Diaz has worked tirelessly to make this fight. When both fighters signed on the dotted line and the fight became official, Diaz likely danced a little jig in his office.

Soto-Karass (28-10-3, 18 KOs) has not fought since June of 2014, when he lost a 10 round decision to Devon Alexander.

"As a veteran, I don't feel old," said the 33-year-old Soto-Karass. "It's going to be a war and it's an honor to fight a warrior like Kamegui."

"Everyone knows I've never ducked anyone. I've never been scared of anyone and it's the same thing now as at the beginning of my career. I'm not afraid of anyone."

Kamegai (26-3-1, 23 KOs) is 4-3 in his last seven fights, but was more impressive in those losses than in those fights when he won. One fight that stands out was on the same night Soto-Karass lost to Alexander.

Kamegai gave Robert Guerrero all he could handle for 12 rounds before losing a unanimous decision. The fight was considered one of the best fights of 2014.

In his last bout on October 3, Kamegai knocked out Nelson Gulpe in the third round.

"I've seen (Soto-Karass) in so many fights," said Kamegai. "I have the highest respect for him and am honored to be able to able to fight him."

The styles of Soto-Karass and Kamegai complement each other very well.

Both are aggressive, but Soto-Karass counters more, which should make the fight appealing as Kamegai tends to come forward and throw a lot of punches.

Sometimes, the best fights are ones where you could throw out the records and see where the fight goes. This fight is one of them as both are solid gatekeepers in a very competitive division.

The winner would go on to continue getting decent paydays and TV fights.

"The excitement of this fight really motivates me to do well. If it turns out to be a brawl, I am going to go there to win. I am here to win, but I also want to please the fans."

Soto-Karass agrees.

"The winners are going to be the fans that get to watch the fight."

Francisco A. Salazar has written for krikya360.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing