FRUSTRATED Jai Opetaia says he will take a pay cut in order to secure a unification with Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez after ‘going round in circles’ for too long.

The 27-0 (21) Ring Magazine and IBF cruiserweight champ is set to defend against the undefeated but little-known Italian Claudio Squeo, 17-0 (9), at the Gold Coast Convention Centre on May 13.

But Opetaia insists he remains ‘unsatisfied’ after trying and failing to secure the highly anticipated showdown with Zurdo, who currently holds both the WBA and WBO titles, following his victory over Chris Billam-Smith in Riyadh last November.

“We’re still aiming up and we’re still far from finished,” Opetaia told The Ring. “We’ve got more belts to collect and other divisions to conquer. We’ve got a lot of hard work to do.

"I don’t want to talk as if I’m happy where I am. I’m strapping in and I’m ready to level up. I’m unsatisfied. I’m not where I want to be.”

It had looked as though Opetaia and Ramirez would meet this summer but the Mexican southpaw has to take care of mandatory challenger Yuniel Dorticos on June 28 first instead.

Opetaia, however, is adamant a unification with Zurdo could have been secured despite those mandatory obligations.

He said: “There are other ways around it. The mandatory has only just popped up. There are other ways that we could have fought before this. We can make that fight happen very easily. All they have to do is reach out. I’m here calling him out. It will come soon.

“We are the top two. That’s what makes sense. Any other fight in this division doesn’t make sense to me. He’s the other top cruiserweight, it’s me and him, the top two. So let’s f--king fight. Let’s get it done and give the people what they want to see.

“I’m always ready. Give me the phone call, send me the contract, I don’t care. I’ll take a pay cut to get these fights over the line.

“These boys are chasing other things than me. But I just want to become undisputed and then move up. It has taken a long time and I keep going round in circles. I’m being told ‘after this fight, after this fight’. But when?”

The other belt holder in the division is the 28-3-3 (17) WBC champion Badou Jack, who will face his mandatory challenger Ryan Rozicki, 20-1-1 (19), at The Venue Riyadh Season on May 3 as part of the undercard for Saul Alvarez against William Scull.

And, given his quest to become undisputed at cruiserweight before an assault on the heavies, Opetaia is keeping an eye on the green and gold belt too.

“Jack? Come and get it,” he said. “Let’s go. He’s got his mandatory as well. That Ryan Rozicki keeps calling me out, honestly, I don’t give a f--k. Let’s fight then. But for me to fight him, I don’t gain anything. I’m chasing unification fights but if he beats Badou Jack, let’s fight. I’ll happily take that fight.

“Everyone is on a high horse when they haven’t got anything to lose. Once they get the belts they’re holding them real tight every time they go to sleep.

“My vision is locked on the belts. I’m chasing unification fights. Anyone who comes in between that, I’ve got to take them out. I see the belts at the end of the tunnel and I’m just heading that way.”