The quickest path to achieving that feat would start with facing WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion David Benavidez in one of the best fights that could be made in boxing. Opetaia, The Ring cruiserweight champion, is also open to a fight with Chris Billam-Smith, which would be much easier to make with both of them being under the Zuffa Boxing banner.

However, Opetaia (30-0, 23 KOs) was far more enthusiastic at the prospect of facing Benavidez when asked about it during a Zuffa Boxing Q&A on Saturday in Washington, D.C.

“I'd love that fight,” Opetaia said. “I've been chasing these unification fights for such a long time now, so to get one over the line would be awesome. I'm just waiting. That fight is easy to make on our side, so I don't know what the holdup is on theirs.

Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs), The Ring’s No. 1-ranked light heavyweight and cruiserweight and No. 5-ranked fighter, became the unified cruiserweight champion and a three-division world champion with a dominant sixth-round knockout of Gilberto Ramirez. The 29-year-old from Phoenix, Arizona, also holds the WBC light heavyweight title.

Benavidez isn’t short of options when it comes to his next opponent, though. He could move back down to face Dmitry Bivol in a bout that’d crown an undisputed light heavyweight champion or defend his title against former undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev. Benavidez could also stay at cruiserweight and face WBC titleholder Noel Mikaelian in a unification bout after the sanctioning body named him as the mandatory challenger at the end of May.

Opetaia’s path to becoming an undisputed champion became far more difficult after his last fight, a unanimous decision victory against Brandon Glanton on March 8 in Las Vegas. The IBF stripped the southpaw from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, of the belt once he won the Zuffa Boxing belt.

While the issues that arose in the build-up and aftermath of the Glanton fight likely signal the uphill climb Opetaia faces to become the undisputed cruiserweight champion, it remains the goal he seeks and hopes to achieve sooner than later.

“We're hoping to make that dream possible by the end of the year,” Opetaia said. “That's a perfect plan, but early next year will be good. Undisputed is what I want. Any of these other belt holders want it, it's an easy fight to make. All they’ve got to do is reach out.”