IBF and Ring cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia will fight replacement opponent #10 IBF-ranked David Nyika on January 8th in a Matchroom-promoted card at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, in Broadbeach. Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that Nyika will be Opetaia’s opponent.

The 2020 Olympic bronze medalist Nyika (10-0, 9 KOs) will replace #1 IBF Huseyin Cinkara on short notice. Cinkra pulled out of the January 8th fight against Opetaia due to an ankle injury.

Opetaia Can Be Broken

Niyika must follow Mairis Briedis’s blueprint for giving Opetaia nightmares with nonstop pressure. In their second fight, we saw that Opetaia hates being pressured and comes unglued when he starts taking facial damage. Briedis exposed Opetaia in a losing effort.

The three-year pro, Niyika, 29, works even better because he’s from New Zealand, which makes it more interesting for Opetaia’s Australian fans, as the two countries are nearby. The fight will play out well with Aussies and New Zealanders.

“I’ve been training hard for this card, and when the opportunity came to face Jai, I jumped at it,” Nyika said to Stuff.co.nz. “This is the moment every fighter dreams of, and I’ve got the entire nation of New Zealand behind me.

“I know how tough Jai is, but I’m ready for this challenge. This is my chance to change my life, and I’m leaving it all in the ring.”

Bivol-esque Challenge

It’ll be interesting to see how Niyika handles Jai Opetaia’s power, speed, and bivol-esque skills. Since turning pro in 2021, he’s been fighting rudimentary opposition. In the 2020 Olympics, Niyika was beaten by Russia’s Muslim Gadzhimagomedov by a 4-1 score. It wasn’t close.

Recently, Niyika beat 38-year-old journeyman Tommy Karpency by a third-round knockout on September 15th. It’s unclear why Niyika’s management hasn’t moved him at a faster rate, given his extensive amateur experience. It’s a waste of time to bring a former amateur star like Niyika has been slowly. He should have already been fighting the killers.

In the three years he’s been in the game, he’s gained nothing apart from a top-10 ranking with the IBF and a title shot as a replacement opponent. Without these, it’s possible that Niyika would be spinning his wheels, toiling in obscurity for the next three to five years, just aging.

There are no real big names in the weight class other than Jai Opetaia, but he’s not a household name in most of the world. The division needs bigger names and fighters that can sell. Anyway, Opetaia vs. Niyika will do well in their countries.

What a fight – Australia v New Zealand locked in!!!! Big respect to @DavidNyika for stepping up and you know what @jaiopetaia1 is all about! See you on the Gold Coast Jan 8! @daznboxing #OpetaiaNyika @tasmanfighters 🇦🇺 🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/oF356wY2Zo

— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) December 18, 2024

January 8th DAZN Card

Jai Opetaia vs. David Nyika
Justis Huni vs. Shaun Potgeiter
Ben Mahoney vs. Fan Zhang
Austin Aokuso vs. Habib Ahmed
Max McIntyre vs. Abdulselam Saman
Billy McAllister vs. Jordan Towns