As long as there was a firm fight date in place, Brian Castaño never cared about who would be standing in the opposite corner.

The unbeaten junior middleweight returns to the ring for the first time in eight months as he faces Nigeria’s Wale Omotoso (28-4, 22KOs). Their scheduled 10-round bout headlines a live edition of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on FS1 from the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland (Saturday, 10:30pm ET). It marks the first time that Argentina’s Castaño will appear at the venue, as well as marking his first fight in nearly three years where he will neither enter nor leave with a major title around his waist.

That’s where offering a blank check on opponent choice comes into play.

“I know I have to prove that I belong with the elite fighters of the division, so facing a tough guy like Omotoso is part of the game,” Castaño (15-0-1, 11KOs) told BoxingScene.com. “There were several other names that were thrown before closing the deal with Omotoso, and they were equally dangerous. And I’ve accepted all challengers.” 

Castaño hasn’t fought since a 12-round draw with Erislandy Lara in March. In an odd twist of fate, Lara now possesses the very title with which Castaño entered the ring, as the 30-year old Argentine was stripped after a mandatory title fight rematch with France’s Michel Soro fell through over a financial dispute. Lara picked up the vacant title with a knockout win over Ramon Alvarez in August, which repositions the Cuban southpaw to challenge the division’s elite.

It's a tougher climb for Castaño, even though he enjoys the same PBC backing as does Lara, current titlists Julian ‘J-Rock’ Williams and Tony Harrison, and former title claimants Jermell Charlo and Jarrett Hurd, among many others in the deep 154-pound talent pool. All are on his wish list for 2020—perhaps a process he’d have preferred to come much sooner, but nevertheless playing the hand he’s been dealt.

“You have to face whatever fighter they put in front of you,” notes Castaño. “I have to beat Omotoso first. And then I’d love to get the best champions out there.”

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