Jai Opetaia showcased exactly why he’s the face of Australian boxing with a crushing fourth-round knockout of David Nyika in his world title defence at Gold Coast, Australia.
Opetaia was due to face Huseyin Cinkara in his latest title defence, but with the German ruled out of the bout due to injury, undefeated New Zealander and former Olympic medallist David Nyika stepped up to challenge Opetai for the biggest fight of his career.
Despite many thinking that Nyika would look to box Opetaia early, the challenger took the fight directly to the champion from the opening bell as both men traded big shots through the first couple of rounds. But by the time the bout had reached Round 3, Opetaia had taken control.
The Aussie was defending well at close quarters to take most of Nyika’s punches on his arms, then fired back with big shots of his own as he hit the former Olympic bronze medallist with power shots to the head and body.
And in the fourth round, Opetaia’s power made the breakthrough as he dropped his man with a short hook that forced Nyika to take an eight-count. With a raucous Gold Coast crowd roaring him on, Opetaia stalked his man looking for the finish, and a multi-punch combination put Nyika in big trouble against the ropes. A huge left hook finished the job and sent the challenger crashing to the canvas at the 2:17 mark of Round 4.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐖𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 👑 𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐒 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄@jaiopetaia1 knocks David Nyika OUT COLD in the fourth 😳#OpetaiaNyika pic.twitter.com/EDRuaW7OUA
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) January 8, 2025
There was some concern over Nyika’s condition after the knockout, with medics rushing to the fallen challenger, remained unconscious for a lengthy spell following the finish. Thankfully, Nyika was soon back on his feet and accepting the applause of the fans, and the champion, as he left the ring accompanied, but under his own power.
Opetaia’s victory puts him in line for a huge unification bout with WBA-WBO champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, with a date of May 3 pencilled in for a potential clash between the pair in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Contracts will need to be signed and sealed before the bout is formally announced, but everyone, from Opetaia to his manager Mick Francis to promoter Eddie Hearn, all appeared to be singing from the same hymn sheet, with the unification bout with Ramirez clearly the preferred next step for Australia’s world champion.
