The boxing scene in New Zealand is currently on fire. More so than ever before, we are witnessing a crop of talent emerging from the little island nation.
Particularly in the heavier divisions, we are starting to see great talent take to the top echelons. At heavyweight, former champion Joseph Parker is going through somewhat of a renaissance, although one would argue he is simply reaching his peak now, with maturity and greater skill than ever before. With emphatic wins over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang, Parker has cemented New Zealand as a nation of presence within the premier boxing division.
One below in cruiserweight, the current king is Jai Opetaia. Claiming numerous belts through sheer power, technique and prowess, he is the current holder of The Ring Magazine title and is set on reclaiming his IBF belt against Mairis Briedis, the man he originally beat for that title in 2022. It could – and should – be argued that Opetaia, young and undefeated, is the best Australian boxer in the world right now – and certainly the best cruiserweight boxer in the world.
Yet, on the small island next door, an Olympic talent could soon work his way up to the same level of stardom within boxing circles and the cruiserweight scene. Kiwi David Nyika, the same age as his Australian counterpart at 28, is a decorated amateur. His amateur record is a who’s who of popular and talented names; with wins over Jerome Pampellone, Cheavon Clarke, David Light – the list goes on.
His accolades include gold medals at both the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games and a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games, where his name first gained prominence. In the round of 16, his opponent was Moroccan Youness Baalla. In an incident that is only comparable to the bout between Tyson and Holyfield, Baalla would bite his opponent in the third round; the horrific display would blemish Nyika’s Olympic run, which would end in a semi-final defeat against Russian fighter Muslim Gadzhimagomedov.
The years and years of amateur experience would, however, serve the young fighter well as he made the decision to turn professional. Under the wing of Joseph Parker, he would get a brilliant head-start, making his debut on the undercard of Joseph Parker vs Junior Fa; an all New Zealand bout to introduce himself.
His opponent was undefeated. 3-0 Jesse Maio – now 5-5 – was assumed to be a tough operator, going under the alias of ‘The Menace’. Nyika demolished him in 29 seconds. Maio and his team claimed he was hit on the back of the head, although the referee simply didn’t agree. His debut had gone swimmingly, not even spending a full minute fighting in the ring.
His second bout came by way of Joseph Parker once again, as Nyika joined him on the undercard of Parker vs Chisora II. Experience with Tyson Fury and Andy Lee was valuable, as French journeyman Anthony Carpin left the contest with a bicep injury after the first round.
It was clear at this point that, despite his moniker of ‘The Nice Guy’, Nyika was a warrior in the ring; his amateur pedigree translated wonderfully to the professional ranks. He would continue to rack up wins against decent competition on numerous undercards for both Parker and his Australian counterpart, Jai Opetaia.
Aside from a layover fight with 3-20 Waikato Falefehi, Nyika has continued to progress up the levels in a considered manner that tests his skill in gradual increments. His last fight to this point, against Robert Berridge – 30-10-1 at the time – was the biggest leap in talent so far. Berridge had won multiple regional and national belts at light heavyweight and had taken a step up in order to challenge himself against Nyika. The younger fighter in Nyika walked through ‘The Butcher’ in three of the eight scheduled rounds; one round less than it took Dmitry Bivol in 2017.
Now, Nyika seeks to prove that he deserves to be seen on the world stage, taking to Saudi Arabia on the Ring of Fire card, headlined by the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. On the same preliminary card as Moses Ituama, another strong talent, Nyika faces current IBO European Cruiserweight champion and former BDB International Cruiserweight champion Michael Seitz, who is currently undefeated himself.
This, the greatest challenge of his professional career thus far, will also be his greatest win, should he provide the results on May 18th.
Could David Nyika be a major player in the cruiserweight division?