Katsunari Takayama, who won a unanimous decision over Mexico's Mario Rodriguez for the IBF minimumweight crown in March, will make his first title defense on Dec. 3, Nakazato Boxing Gym announced Wednesday.
The bout against sixth-ranked Virgilio Silvano of the Philippines will take place as part of a double billing at Osaka's Bodymaker Colosseum. Also that day, IBF champion Daiki Kameda takes on WBA champion Liborio Solis of Venezuela to unify the super flyweight title.
The IBF bouts will be the first to be held in Japan since the Japan Boxing Commission became a member of the International Boxing Federation and the World Boxing Organization on April 1.
It will be Takayama's first fight on home canvas in four years. In 2009, he submitted a letter of retirement to the JBC in order to take a crack at the IBF crown, which was not officially recognized by the JBC at the time, and began fighting overseas.
"It has been my intention to come back home stronger (from fighting overseas)," Takayama said. "There are a lot of world title fights in December and I want people to say mine was the best one."
In dethroning Rodriguez in March, Takayama was crowned champion with his third world boxing organization, following his WBC and WBA interim titles.