Troy Isley is confident that bigger fights are in his immediate future.

The one he has directly in front of him will do for now. The 2020 U.S. Olympian and unbeaten middleweight steps up in class for a showdown versus divisional spoiler Vladimir Hernandez this Thursday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“This fight with Vladimir definitely satisfies that itch,” Isley told krikya360.com.

Their scheduled eight-round contest is part of an undercard in support of stablemate Shakur Stevenson, who aims to become a three-division titlist as he faces Edwin De Los Santos for the vacant WBC lightweight title.

Isley was honored to be tabbed for the show but didn’t merely want to be along for the ride. The goal for the 25-year-old from Alexandria, Virginia is to move into fights that position him for a major title in 2024.

A win over the always upset-minded Hernandez (14-5, 6KOs) will help advance that goal. Hernandez enjoyed an impressive three-fight upset streak with points victories over Aaron Coley, Angulo and Williams all in a span of just 15 months. His luck ran out when he was stopped in the sixth round by then unbeaten Jesus Ramos last February but he bounced back with a shocking points victory over former amateur standout Lorenzo Simpson in August.

“Vladimir has beaten a former world champion [Julian] J-Rock Williams, guys who've been at the championship level like Alfredo Angulo,” noted Isley, who insists this fight will be his last eight-rounder. “He’s coming off a win over an undefeated prospect. He’s the type of guy I need to be facing at this point in my career.”

Isley has won eight-round, unanimous decisions in each of his two previous fights on the year. He outpointed Antonio Todd in his most recent outing on July 22 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Thursday will mark his fourth appearance on a Stevenson-headlined show.

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