The 27-year-old will be occupying rare air if he can defeat IBF and The Ring Magazine cruiserweight world champion Mairis Briedis and take his belts on the Gold Coast on Saturday.

Challenger Tim Tszyu is still to fight Jermell Charlo for all the super-welterweight belts later this year and George Kambosos Jnr lost his undisputed lightweight status to Devin Haney earlier this year.

Neither Jason or Andrew Maloney currently hold a belt, with Ebanie Bridges (women's IBF bantamweight) the only current Australian world boxing champion.

Opetaia was the youngest Australian Olympic boxer at 16 when he qualified as a heavyweight for the London Games but has chiselled out a relatively low-key career since then to reach this point.

But the 21-0 fighter has been happy to wait for his moment, confident he'll find a way through the Latvian veteran and enjoy world champion status.

"Definitely man I'm here, I'm ready," he said.

"Amateurs dream of an Olympics - I've done that - and the pro dream is a world title.

"This hasn't been a world title training camp. I'm living a world title lifestyle. There's a difference; it's been a two-year process."

Opetaia (90kg) wore his tracksuit pants at Friday's weigh-in to comfortably go under the 90.72kg cruiserweight limit.

Briedis (90.3kg) also cut a slim figure and spoke calmly of his intention to fight until his 40th birthday, adamant that Opetaia's intention to "end his legacy" on Saturday won't be fulfilled.

"No, why? You don't like me?," he smiled.

"I hope (I win). We'll see. I can say after the fight. For now, we don't know."

Briedis (28-1) has been ranked among the world's top 10 pound-for-pound boxers and his only loss was against current heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk four years ago.

But Opetaia thinks his ring smarts, movement and power will be too much for the visitor.

"(I'm a) southpaw with that deadly left hand, but I'll just find those openings and I know he's underestimating my power," the Australian said.

"I don't want to go in there rushing him (to chase a knockout). If it comes it comes, we'll just fight smart."

FULL FIGHT CARD

* Mairis Briedis (90.3kg) v Jai Opetaia (90kg), 12 rounds, IBF and the Ring world cruiserweight titles

* Issac Hardman (72.60kg) v Beau Hartas (72.35kg), 10 rounds, middleweight

* Faris Chevalier (79.15kg) v Conor Wallace (79.1 kg), 10 rounds, WBA Oceania light heavyweight title

* Joel Camilleri (69.5 kg) v Koen Mazoudier (69.75 kg), 10 rounds, WBA Oceania super welterweight title

* Taylah Robertson (52.1kg) v Yoselin Fernandez (51.7 kg), 10 rounds, world youth super flyweight title

* Dana Coolwell (57kg) v Lorenz Ladrada (56.85kg), 8 rounds, featherweight

* David Nyika (90.65kg) v Louis Marsters (90.6 kg), 4 rounds, cruiserweight

Australian Associated Press