Eddie Hearn usually knows what to do. With Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, he isn't quite sure.

The division's Ring and IBF champion Jai Opetaia is viewed as the world's best cruiserweight among many, though the Australian ultimately wants to remove all doubt.

To do that, he'll need to get his hands on fellow divisional champions to unify a weight class previously ruled by undisputed heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk.

Opetaia (28-0, 22 KOs) has been clear about his intentions in recent months, wanting a matchup with Ramirez first. Hearn, his co-promoter, knows that and has engaged discussions with the WBA/WBO titleholder.

However, just when the British-based promoter believed a deal would be struck, Ramirez had surgery to repair an ailing shoulder that will sideline him for the remainder of 2025.

Now, with the 34-year-old out of the mix for the foreseeable future, Opetaia has limited choices.

"Unfortunately, Ramirez got injured," Hearn told The Punch Podcast. "But now, Jai has to fight his mandatory. That's not ideal, but the other option is to move up to heavyweight. I just feel like it would be a shame for him not to unify the division first."

Insignificant title defenses have become a theme for Opetaia. In two appearances this year, he has made it look easy against short-notice assignment David Nyika and Claudio Squeo — both unbeaten — stopping them before the sixth round.

According to Hearn, Huseyin Cinkara (23-0, 19 KOs) will likely get his shot after being reordered to negotiate terms earlier this week. The German native, 40, isn't well-known and doesn't have a significant victory but is the IBF's No. 1 contender.

He returned with a first-round stoppage win over Juan Diaz in April, having torn ankle ligaments in December which prompted Nyika into a premature step-up.

Fighting low-level opposition has become tiresome, with Hearn keen to improve the 30-year-old's legacy against world-class challenges. He reiterated that unless a title unification can be made in the near future, Opetaia might be moving from the 200-pound division.

"I think we'll fight Cinkara around November, December time," Hearn said. "If we don't get a unification after that, then it might be time to step up to heavyweight. It might be a little earlier than anticipated, but you can't just wait around forever."