David Nyika is set to step up in just his eleventh fight to clash with Australian world champion, Jai Opetaia. In this article we will answer the question – ‘Who is David Nyika?’, and see just how much of a risk he poses to Opetaia’s cruiserweight crown.
Who is David Nyika?
David Nyika is a New Zealand-born fighter, with two Gold medal victories at the Commonwealth Games. Nyika won both the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games, and won a Bronze medal in the 2020 Olympics, losing to Muslim Gadzhimagomedov, who is now the WBA Bridgerweight world champion.
Nyika is now a 10-0 professional, with 9 of his 10 wins coming by way of knockout. Nyika was trained under Andy Lee early in his career, but in 2023 moved to Queensland to train with Noel Thornberry.
Nyika replaced Opetaia’s initial opponent, Huseyin Cinkara, who withdrew due to an injury.
Opetaia vs Nyika
In their face-off, Nyika gave Opetaia credit for his career so far but claimed that none of his opponents had come into the fight with a game plan, and all lost as a result. He also adds that the Mairis Breidis that Opetaia fought, though still impressive, is a faded version of who he used to be.
Nyika insists he is not insulting Opetaia, who just fights who is in front of him, but claims he will be going in with a game plan, and believes he has all the makings of someone who can beat Opetaia.
Jai Opetaia holds the IBF and Ring cruiserweight titles, and is very likely to face Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez in a unification fight should he get through Nyika.
As a 6-1 underdog, many believe this fight is far too early for Nyika. The same thing many said about Jordan Thompson stepping up against Opetaia, which did not end in his favour.
Though Nyika is an amateur talent, and smart boxer, it is only once he steps in the ring tomorrow that we may really know the answer to the question – ‘Who is David Nyika?’.
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