Ring cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia is ready to pay his mandatory challenger step-aside money in order to pursue a winter clash with Chris Billam-Smith, reports in Australia have claimed.

Opetaia looked certain to take on his IBF mandatory Huseyin Cinkara (23-0, 19 KOs) before attempting to secure a unification with WBA and WBO king Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez early next year.

Meanwhile, as reported by The Ring, the WBO have ordered their No. 1 Billam-Smith to fight No. 2 Roman Fress for their interim title with Ramirez currently recovering from surgery on his injured shoulder.

But now Fox Sports Australia have reported that Opetaia and Billam-Smith might just fight each other instead. It was claimed that the arrangement would also involve a six-figure step-aside fee for Cinkara.

The purse bid for Opetaia against Cinkara is scheduled for today [Sept 2] in New Jersey and the champion’s team are expected to win the bid. They would then likely stage the fight in Australia unless a last-minute agreement for a step-aside can be reached.

This news comes just a week after a report from the same outlet claimed Opetaia could be about to face Derek Chisora in his heavyweight debut. The Sydney-born 30-year-old has since insisted he is currently only focused on becoming undisputed at cruiserweight.

But now Opetaia’s manager Mick Francis has confirmed that talks regarding a fight between Opetaia and Billam-Smith have already started.

“So we have had discussions about Chris Billam-Smith in December,” Francis told Fox Sports Australia.

“Right now, while waiting for Zurdo, Jai wants the biggest fights he can get in the division. We know that when it comes to cruiserweights it’s Jai Opetaia first and daylight second.”

Eddie Hearn, who co-promotes Opetaia alongside Francis and Tasman Fights, told The Ring that the southpaw is in danger of his career passing him by.

Hearn said: “I think it would be a huge shame if Jai moves up to heavyweight without unifying the division. And I also think that at some point you’ve got to do something. You’ve got to make something happen.

“He’s had the David Nyika fight, then Claudio Squeo and Cinkara is his mandatory which I understand and I get it. But before you know it, your career will pass you by. He’s in his absolute prime at the moment.

“He has been unlucky because there’s nothing you can do about Zurdo getting injured. He will probably come back from injury and then say ‘I need a fight before I fight Jai’, so he’s waiting around again.

“We just really need that Zurdo fight, then win the WBC then move up. Opetaia against Zurdo is one of the best fights in the whole sport.”