He was stripped of the IBF title in March after he beat Brandon Glanton by unanimous decision in Las Vegas. The WBC title wasn’t on the line for his ninth-round stoppage of Noel Mikaelian on Saturday night because the Mexico City-based sanctioning body announced after the fact that it had stripped Mikaelian before they fought.

Even with the obstacles the sanctioning bodies have presented, The Ring cruiserweight champion still has his sights on winning all of the belts.

“I feel like it’s gonna happen, honestly,” Opetaia said on the newest episode of the “Mr. Verzace Podcast,” hosted by Ring CEO Rick Reeno. “I feel like undisputed, it’s gonna come. I feel like me and [David] Benavidez will fight. He’s got most of the belts at the moment. I still believe in it. I still believe in the undisputed dream. … I’d love to hold all the belts at once. That’s what I’m chasing.”

Opetaia (31-0, 24 KOs) has taken legal action against the IBF by suing the New Jersey-based sanctioning body on July 14 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. The Australian southpaw seeks reinstatement as IBF champion in the 123-page complaint that Opetaia’s attorney filed,

Opetaia, 31, also claims the IBF stripped him in retaliation for signing with Zuffa Boxing, an emerging promotional company in which Ring owner Turki Alalshikh has a significant financial stake. He also believes the IBF had no plans to sanction his bout against Glanton.

Armenia’s Mikaelian (28-4, 12 KOs), who previously held the WBC title, was ordered to face WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion David Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) late in May. A sanctioning body ordering its champion to face a titleholder from another sanctioning body is rare, but it happened in part because Benavidez’s representatives petitioned the WBC to enforce him as the mandatory challenger.

After Mikaelian, The Ring’s No. 5-ranked cruiserweight, said he never received an offer to face Benavidez in a unification bout, he proceeded to box Opetaia. The WBC announced Monday that it elevated interim champion Michal Cieslak to full champion and that its title was declared vacant before Opetaia fought Mikaelian.

“There were issues pretty early,” Opetaia said. “I wasn’t sure if the belt was going to be on the line. I don’t know. There’s so much outside noise all of the time. The sanctioning bodies and stuff like that, but it is what it is, isn’t it?”

The WBC also stated that the winner of Opetaia-Mikaelian would be the mandatory challenger for the winner of Cieslak versus Benavidez. Cieslak (28-2, 22 KOs), The Ring’s No. 4 cruiserweight contender for Opetaia’s title, is expected to battle Benavidez, ranked No. 1 at light heavyweight and cruiserweight and No. 5 pound-for-pound by The Ring, in a unification bout December 12.

Benavidez-Opetaia remains the fight to make at cruiserweight and is among the best that can be made in boxing. With Benavidez potentially having three titles if they were to meet on Cinco de Mayo weekend in 2027, it’d finally give Opetaia the chance he has long sought during his reign as IBF champion.

“I’m chasing the belts,” Opetaia said. “Whether Benavidez comes up or not, I was chasing [Gilberto Ramirez] before that, and before [Ramirez] I was chasing [Chris] Billiam-Smith. I’ve been chasing these unification fights for so long. Now, Benavidez is a big name. Now, it’s his turn.”