In the world title main event which took place at the Golf Coast Convention Center in Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia, IBF world cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia scored a devastating 4th knockout victory over David Nyika .
The battle between two top-level cruiserweights was a comeback battle for the Australian champion, Jai Opetaia. New Zealand native David Nyika (10-1, 9 KOs) was an admirable opponent, but boxing is a sport that is based on levels, and Jai Opetaia has shown that he is a level above David Nyika.
In the opening round of the IBF world title fight, Opetaia was able to immediately get in range and land solid shots to Nyika’s body. Opetaia closed out the opening round by connecting with a solid combination.
Both men were active in the 2nd round as Opetaia and Nyika stayed in the pocket and exchanged punches. As the second round drew to a close, Opetaia landed a one-two combination, but Nyika was able to respond by connecting with a combination of her own.
Using high guard, southpaw Jai Opetaia continued to run his offense in the third round as he landed strong punches to the head and body of his opponent. In round 4, Opetaia came out aggressively as he loaded up on his shots.
With 1:27 to go in the fourth round, Opetaia landed a sharp uppercut. He followed it up by landing a left to right combination that sent Nyika to the canvas. Nyika was able to get back up, but Opetaia was looking to connect with a flurry of shots.
Opetaia finished off his opponent when he landed a left hand punch that knocked Nyika out cold. After sitting on the canvas in an unconscious state for a couple of minutes, David Nyika managed to get up and get to his feet.
During his post-fight interview, IBF cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia (27-0, 21 KOs) said he respects his opponent because he gave him a dog fight. When asked what’s next for him, Opetaia named the WBO, WBA world cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez.
“Ramirez… I’m coming for the belts. We’re coming for the rest of the belts, man, we’re coming for them,” Opetaia said moments after tonight’s fight.
