In the world title main event that took place at the Golf Coast Convention Centre in Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia, the defending IBF world cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia scored a devastating 4th round knockout victory over David Nyika.
The battle between two high-level cruiserweights was a homecoming bout for the Australian champion, Jai Opetaia. The 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 showed that he’s a level above David Nyika.
In the opening round of the IBF world title bout, Opetaia was able to immediately get into 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 stood in the pocket and exchanged punches. As the 2nd round was coming to a close, Opetaia landed a one-two combination, but Nyika was able to respond by connecting with a combination of his own.
Utilizing the high guard, the southpaw Jai Opetaia continued to execute his offense in the third round as he landed sharp punches to the head and body of his opponent. In round 4, Opetaia came out in an aggressive fashion as he was loading up on his shots.
With 1:27 left to go in the fourth round, Opetaia landed a sharp uppercut. He followed it up by landing a left-right combination that sent Nyika down to the canvas. Nyika was able to get up, but Opetaia was on the prowl as he connected with a flurry of shots.
Opetaia finished his opponent off when he landed a left-hand shot that knocked Nyika out cold. After laying on the canvas in an unconscious state for a couple of minutes, David Nyika was able to get up and rise to his feet.
During his post-fight interview, the IBF world cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (27-0, 21 KOs) stated he respects his opponent because he gave him a dog fight. When asked what’s next for him, Opetaia called out the WBO, WBA world cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez.
“Ramirez… I’m coming for them belts. We coming for the rest of the belts, man, we coming for them,” said Opetaia moments after the fight tonight.