Kiwi boxer David Nyika and his Australia rival Jai Opetaia have shared a tense face-off ahead of their world cruiserweight title fight on the Gold Coast tomorrow night.
The pair faced each other after the official weigh-in for their IBF and Ring Magazine world title bout, locking eyes and then touching heads in front of an increasingly excited audience at the Gold Coast Convention Centre in Broadbeach.
World champion Opetaia, undefeated over 26 professional bouts and considered the best cruiserweight in the world, has been true to his usually intense self in front of the media over the past couple of days but Nyika, far more relaxed, finally showed his aggressive side this afternoon.
Asked afterwards what they said to each other, Nyika told 1News: “I can’t even remember, to be honest – just a whole load of nothing, really. I just know he wants to fight. I want to fight.
“The weight has been made, the fight is official. All that’s left to do is get in the ring and duke it out.”
Both men, both aged 29, weighed in at 90.50kg – just inside the official weight limit of 90.71kg.
While Nyika, a double Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Olympic bronze medal winner, took the fight on only three weeks’ notice, he had been training for a fight against a different opponent on the card.
The opportunity to fight Opetaia arose following an injury to the Australian’s previous opponent.
“I don’t struggle to make the weight,” Nyika, who will enjoy a clear height advantage, said. “I’m a fully-fledged cruiserweight. I’m lean, I’m strong, I’m fit. Tomorrow night I’m expecting a hard fight but I have no doubt I’ll come out victorious.”
Asked about his relaxed attitude this week, Nyika, who is now based in rural Queensland, said: “I’ve just been trying to protect my bandwidth.
“I find all these interviews drag out a bit and obviously my little country lifestyle is pretty chill, you know. It’s a lot, there’s a lot to do and soak up and take in but all I need to do now is … rest up and turn up to fight.”
As for Opetaia, far more aggressive and tense when fulfilling his media requirements, Nyika said: “It’s nothing that I haven’t seen before. I’ve seen 100 or 1000 fighters like Jai.
“Nobody knows a fighter like me yet. I feel like I’m a new breed of fighter, I feel like I understand the world a little bit better. I’m just excited to show the world what I’m made of.”
Opetaia, born in Sydney but now based on the Gold Coast, is fighting at home for the first time in two and a half years, but Nyika will enjoy plenty of support too.
“The support from the Kiwi community has been incredible. I can’t begin to tell you how much it means to have New Zealand in my corner… I feel like I have the best people in my corner.”
Nyika, undefeated over 10 professional fights, has never gone past five rounds – the fight is scheduled for 12 - and he is a big underdog.
As the challenger fighting on the champion's home turf, he will likely need a stoppage to relieve Opetaia of his titles.
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