Jai Opetaia stopped David Nyika with a vicious knockout on Wednesday, retaining the IBF cruiserweight title on home soil in Australia.
Opetaia stopped the New Zealander in round four, landing a series of shots with Nyika stuck against the ropes and putting the challenger down and out with a brutal left hook.
Moments earlier, Opetaia had floored Nyika with a left and right at close range, but the latter was quick to stand. With a minute left in the round, however, there was always danger for Nyika, and Opetaia stalked him in pursuit of a finish.
It soon came, with Opetaia’s left hook putting Nyika facedown on the canvas and in need of treatment. A few minutes later, Nyika was sitting up, as Opetaia applauded from his corner. The result kept Opetaia, 29, unbeaten, while he handed Nyika, also 29, his first professional loss.
Opetaia then used his post-fight interview to call out WBO champion Gilberto Ramirez, as the Australian seeks to unify the cruiserweight belts. But Opetaia’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, also talked up a potential clash with heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Follow all the fallout from Opetaia vs Nyika below. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Opetaia vs Nyika LIVE
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Jai Opetaia knocks out David Nyika to retain IBF cruiserweight title
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Australian, fighting on home soil, stops New Zealander in round four
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Result keeps Opetaia unbeaten, as Nyika suffers first professional loss
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Opetaia eyes unification bout with WBO champion Gilberto Ramirez
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Promoter Eddie Hearn talks up heavyweight clash with Oleksandr Usyk
Opetaia vs Nyika LIVE: Aussie retains title with vicious KO
13:10 , Alex Pattle
Opetaia vs Nyika LIVE: Aussie retains title with vicious KO
13:01 , Alex Pattle
Opetaia vs Nyika LIVE: Aussie retains title with vicious KO
12:54 , Alex Pattle
Opetaia vs Nyika LIVE: Aussie retains title with vicious KO
12:48 , Alex Pattle
Hearn: “I think Jai’s humble enough to not yet talk about the name of Oleksandr Usyk; I’m not.
“Jai is gonna pick up all the belts in the cruiserweight division to become undisputed, and then we want to push him into a fight with Oleksandr Usyk – try to become undisputed in the heavyweight division as well.
“You have to search for greatness, he’s good enough to do it. I believe he’s the only person right now, cruiserweight or heavyweight, that can genuinely give Usyk a real, real fight. But to do it, we’ve got to pick up every belt in the cruiserweight division first.”
Hearn then turns focus to Opetaia vs Ramirez, calling on the latter’s promoter – Oscar De La Hoya – to help get it done.
Opetaia vs Nyika LIVE: Aussie retains title with vicious KO
12:45 , Alex Pattle
Eddie Hearn: “I mean, this is the most brutal sport of all, and you saw it up close.
“I believe David Nyika will be a world champion in the future, but not tonight. He came up against not just the best fighter in Australia, but one of the best fighters in the world, in Jai Opetaia.
“You’re talking about a very special fighter. It’s not just the belts at cruiserweight, it’s the belts at heavyweight. Huge future ahead.”
Hearn says Opetaia should enter the pound-for-pound rankings.
Opetaia vs Nyika LIVE: Aussie retains title with vicious KO
12:41 , Alex Pattle
Opetaia: “Man, all that style s*** went out the window. That was a dogfight, and I respect that. He kept coming forward, he kept punching. Thank you, David. We gave this crowd a good fight.
“Ramirezzzzzz, I’m coming for the belts! I’m coming for my belts.”
That’s a callout of WBO champion Gilberto Ramirez. We knew Opetaia was likely to target a unification fight next.
Opetaia vs Nyika LIVE: Aussie retains title with vicious KO
12:39 , Alex Pattle
Opetaia: “David, thank you. Man, he took the fight on three weeks’ notice, he came here to fight, he gave me a dogfight. I respect that. I take my hat off to David.
“F***ing hell, we love this. Hard work every day. It’s a team effort that makes these things happen. From the f***ing fighter to the trainers to the promoter to the manager. So, thank you.
“There’s always pressure, so we sort of thrive off that. Man, I’m just so happy with the crowd coming out here, showing love. Thank you all so much.”
Opetaia vs Nyika LIVE: Aussie retains title with vicious KO
12:37 , Alex Pattle
Jai Opetaia def. David Nyika via fourth-round KO (2:17).
And STILL the IBF cruiserweight champion. And STILL unbeaten.
Opetaia vs Nyika LIVE: Aussie retains title with vicious KO
12:34 , Alex Pattle
Nyika is still down… He landed facedown, but he’s now on his back, receiving some treatment…
A few minutes later, he’s sitting up, and Opetaia applauds from his own corner. That’s a relief.
Opetaia vs Nyika LIVE: Cruiserweight title fight
12:31 , Alex Pattle
Round four
Lovely right hook by Opetaia, but Nyika takes it well! Again Opetaia lands heavily, though. Has he found his rhythm?
He burrows a right hand into the body, then targets the head of Nyika. Good output from the champion right now. Still Nyika comes forward, taking a deep breath.
Uppercut from Opetaia, then a left hand and a right off the break!! They drop Nyika!
Nyika is quick to stand, but there’s a minute left in this round…
Opetaia is stalking Nyika, landing hooks with the Kiwi on the ropes – literally and figuratively – and one sickening left puts Nyika DOWN AND OUT!
It’s all over.
Opetaia vs Nyika LIVE: Cruiserweight title fight
12:27 , Alex Pattle
Round three
Nyika is southpaw again, but Opetaia seems more comfortable when the Kiwi is in that stance.
Nyika reverts back after a good spell from Opetaia, in which the Aussie lands some spearing jabs and fluid combinations.
Nyika gets on the front foot now, but Opetaia hits him with a flurry of quick body uppercuts. Now a slower, harder shot. Nyika, the bigger man, clinches and wears on the Australian.
Grazing hooks from Opetaia at close range. Nyika switches stances again. Great right hook by the challenger, with Opetaia backed against the ropes!
Opetaia is definitely a step ahead, but this is a gruelling bout already.
Opetaia vs Nyika LIVE: Cruiserweight title fight
12:23 , Alex Pattle
Round two
Nyika is backed up early in round two, but he’s able to reverse the position and get Opetaia against the ropes, as he looks to arrest some momentum and get the champion’s respect.
Nyika is back in his orthodox stance, breathing quite heavily. Both men are landing at close range, out in the open now. Opetaia’s body shots look really brutal. He goes to the head now, and Nyika stumbles slightly.
He and Opetaia tie up again. They separate, and Nyika shoots first, but Opetaia lands harder. There’s some more phone-booth fighting, with both men attacking the head and body.
A pair of harsh hooks to the head of Nyika, but he takes them well. OH! Clean southpaw cross upstairs from Opetaia, HEAVY! But Nyika fires back well!!
What an end to the round! The rivals stare each other down. A smirk from Opetaia.
Opetaia vs Nyika LIVE: Cruiserweight title fight
12:19 , Alex Pattle
Round one
Nyika stands orthodox; Opetaia is southpaw. The cruiserweights look to stay light on their feet, bouncing up and down. Opetaia presses forward. Nyika with a fair few straight shots already. A couple of clinches ensue, and these guys need to be wary of clashing heads…
Opetaia digs a hook to the body but eats a shot upstairs. He covers up and stays calm, as Nyika backs him up to the ropes and unloads a few shots. Two heavy body hooks by Opetaia as he moves off the ropes.
As he often does, Opetaia is using those bounces to feint some body shots, seeing how his opponent will react. Body hooks from both men now. Nyika follows up by popping a jab upstairs, before skipping away. Nyika goes southpaw too now.
OH! Nyika is absorbing some heavy shots right now, and he looks a little concerned… It’s late in the round, though, and he gets to the bell okay.
Opetaia vs Nyika LIVE: Main-event ring walks
12:13 , Alex Pattle
Both fighters are in the ring!
In one corner stands Australia’s own Opetaia – 29 years old and unbeaten (26-0, 20 KOs).
In the other corner is New Zealand’s Nyika – also 29, also unbeaten (10-0, 9 KOs).
Nyika looked relaxed during his ring walk; Opetaia looked fired up.
Twelve rounds are scheduled here, with Opetaia’s IBF cruiserweight title on the line.
It’s time for the main event…
Opetaia vs Nyika LIVE: Opponents share intense weigh-in face-off
12:07 , Alex Pattle
Will we see this intensity carry over into the main event? It’s just minutes away.
Opetaia vs Nyika LIVE: Main-event ring walks
12:04 , Alex Pattle
The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre is a bit of a strange setting for a fight night; most fans seem to be sat around dinner tables!
Will they be standing for the main event? Let’s find out! The ring walks are upon us….
Opetaia vs Nyika LIVE: Aussie can bring the unlikely ‘unknown’ that Usyk needs
12:00 , Alex Pattle
Oleksandr Usyk’s special brand of dominance is the type that can leave a vacuum. And while many, including The Independent, have urged Usyk to leave boxing with his unbeaten record and perfect legacy intact, it seems he will persist.
Few should doubt Usyk’s ability or motivation to do just that, but such a decision would bring a natural risk. His back-to-back victories over Tyson Fury appear the perfect performances with which to end his historic career, and there is no contender whom fans are demanding Usyk face, but a match-up with a younger, heavier hitter could be the challenge to finally blemish the 37-year-old’s resume (he turns 38 this month, by the way).
That was not the case against Daniel Dubois in 2023, but Usyk is two years older now, and if the Briton can retain the IBF belt against Joseph Parker, he may get his rematch. Yes, Usyk would be backed to overcome Dubois again, but the 27-year-old is a boxer reborn – and believes he was even denied a stoppage of Usyk when he landed a borderline body shot, which was ruled a low blow.
Overall, though, there is no…
