Opetaia vs Nyika

Who won Opetaia vs Nyika?

Jai Opetaia beat David Nyika by knockout in the 4th round on Wednesday, January 8th, 2025, at Gold Coast Convention Centre, Broadbeach.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Cruiserweight division, which meant the weight limit was 200 pounds (14.3 stone or 90.7 kg).

This contest was for the unified cruiserweight championship of the world, with the IBF, and The Ring belts on the line.

The undercard featured the clash of Huni vs Potgieter.

Opetaia vs Nyika stats

Jai Opetaia stepped into the ring with an undefeated record of 26 wins, zero losses, and 0 draws, 20 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

David Nyika made his way to the ring with an unblemished record of 10 wins and 0 draws, with 9 of those by knockout.

The stats suggested Nyika had an advantage in power over Opetaia, with a 90% knockout percentage compared to Opetaia's 77%.

Jai Opetaia was the same age as David Nyika, at 29 years old.

Nyika had a height advantage of 3 inches over Opetaia. That also extended to a 3-inch reach advantage.

Jai Opetaia fought out of the southpaw stance, while David Nyika was an orthodox fighter.

Opetaia was the more experienced professional fighter, having had 16 more fights, and made his debut in 2015, 5 years and 6 months earlier than Nyika, whose first professional fight was in 2021. He had fought 93 more professional rounds, totaling 124 compared to Nyika's 31.

David Nyika was ranked number 15 by the WBO, and 10 by the IBF in the 200lb division.

Opetaia vs Nyika form

Opetaia remained undefeated as a professional, stopping 3 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had beaten Jack Massey on October 12, 2024, by technical knockout in the 6th round in their IBF World Cruiserweight championship fight at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Prior to that, he had beaten Mairis Briedis on May 18, 2024, by unanimous decision in their IBF World Cruiserweight and The Ring Cruiserweight championship fight at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh.

Going into that contest, he had won against Ellis Zorro on December 23, 2023, by knockout in the 1st round in their The Ring Cruiserweight championship fight at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh.

Before that, he had beaten Jordan Thompson on September 30, 2023, by technical knockout in the 4th round in their IBF World Cruiserweight and The Ring Cruiserweight championship fight at Wembley Arena, Wembley, United Kingdom.

He had defeated Mairis Briedis on July 2, 2022, by unanimous decision in their IBF World Cruiserweight and The Ring Cruiserweight championship fight at Gold Coast Convention Centre, Queensland, Australia.

Activity check

Opetaia's last 5 fights had come over a period of 2 years, 6 months and 6 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 6 months and 3 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 35 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 7 rounds on average.

What time did Opetaia vs Nyika start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 11:00 AM UTC at Gold Coast Convention Centre, Broadbeach, Australia, which was 6:00 AM EST or 3:00 AM PST on the West Coast of America, or 11:00 AM GMT in the UK.

Who broadcast Opetaia vs Nyika?

The DAZN show began at 3:00 AM EST / 12:00 AM PST. The DAZN Global broadcast of the card started at 8:00 AM (GTM).

What were the odds on Opetaia vs Nyika?

Jai Opetaia was a 1/10 (-1000) favorite going into the contest, while David Nyika made his way into the ring at 5/1 (+500) with oddsmakers.