New Zealand cruiserweight boxer David Nyika has paid tribute to his fiancée Lexy Thornberry tonight after his one-sided, unanimous victory over Wuzhati Nuerlang of China in rural Queensland.
Nyika, fighting in the Gatton Shire hall down the road from where he is based at the Thornberry residence, held back tears as he thanked the crowd and television audience for the support given to him and Lexy, who discovered she has head and neck cancer six weeks ago and who was not at the fight.
“The last six weeks have been hell… this is what makes Gatton, Gatton,” Nyika said after his victory which was broadcast live and exclusive on TV2. “I recognise everybody in the crowd tonight and your support has been amazing.”
Nyika added: “Lexy… you have been my source of strength and courage. We’ll get through this – I tell you every day that you are the light of my life.”
Nyika was fully in control of the fight against the tough Nuerlang which went the full 10 rounds; the three judges awarded every round to the 30-year-old Olympic bronze medallist.
A victory as Nyika continues his comeback from the devastating knockout loss to Australian-Samoan Jai Opetaia in January was probably never in doubt given the event was almost literally in his backyard and part of a promotion put on by trainer and mentor Noel Thornberry, Lexy’s father.
However, such a difficult and emotional build-up to the bout gave it a different dynamic; and Nyika handled it all with aplomb.
After dictating terms in the first round by establishing his jab and scoring with three right uppercuts, Nyika was never unduly challenged by a tough but limited opponent who finished the fight bleeding freely from several cuts on his face, including one above his left eye.
Nyika was almost surgical in his approach and only loaded up on his punches from the eighth round. Clearly wanting to get rounds under his belt, Nyika appeared happy for the fight to go the distance, although he did finish the 10th and final round with a flourish as the crowd roared him on.
“Full credit to him for bringing a good fight,” Nyika said of Nuerlang. “He could have turned up and fallen over but he put an amazing effort in and I thank him for that.”
Ranked seventh by the IBF and eighth by the WBO before the fight, the win took Nyika's professional record to 12-1.
He showed the full array of his skills tonight, switching between orthodox and southpaw. His shot selection and footwork were on a different level to his opponent, who has fought 24 times as a professional. This was Nuerlang's fifth loss.
Nyika bounced back from his loss against Opetaia, commonly regarded as the best cruiserweight in the world, with a points victory over tough and experienced Kiwi Nik Charalampous on the Gold Coast in July and this was another step on the ladder.
Bigger venues and better opponents await but after a challenging few weeks, Nyika will be pleased with his night’s work.
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