Eddie Hearn thinks Jai Opetaia can knock out David Nyika inside three rounds on Wednesday night if the challenger stands up and fights when he takes on the IBF cruiserweight champion at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, Broadbeach, Australia.
Hearn sees the fight’s outcome up to Opetaia (26-0, 20 KOs). If he attacks his replacement opponent Nyika (10-0, 9 KOs) with full force within the first three rounds, he will have no choice but to fight. When that happens, Hearn expects Opetaia to be too much for the lanky 6’6″ Stork.
Weight Drained Champion
Eddie fails to mention how drained and worn Opetaia’s body appeared at the weigh-in. He looked exhausted from making weight, and it’s pretty clear that he’s putting himself through pure hell to make the cruiserweight limit.
Opetaia is a small heavyweight with the same size as Oleksandr Usyk, which is where he should be fighting at this point in his career. He has outgrown the cruiserweight division, and it takes a lot for him to make weight to stay there.
Nyika can take advantage of a drained Opetaia on Wednesday night and finish the job Mairis Briedis started last May. Opetaia had the living daylights beaten out of him by Briedis, and was forced to flee in the championship rounds to avoid being knocked out.
Nyika is the first world-class fighter Opetaia has fought since the Briedis fight, and he could fall apart if forced to fight hard in every round.
“There’s Nyika in the head-to-head, asking Jai Opetaia about her 18-hour flight to Saudi Arabia. Don’t forget he was there for the big fight a few weeks ago. It’s a serious fight,” said Eddie Hearn Matchroom Boxingtalks about Wednesday’s clash between IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia and David Nyika.
“This is a massive battle on a global level. This is one of the best fights, if not the best fights in the cruiserweight division. The only fight in the cruiserweight division better than this is Opetaia vs. Zurdo Ramirez. If Jai Opetaia looks out for Nyika or if he’s not switched on and he’s not prepared, he’s going to have his hands full tomorrow night.
“So much will be decided in those early rounds when Nyika is first touched by those little gloves by Jai Opetaia. I think it will suit Nyika the longer the fight goes, but Nyika is going to unravel quickly in there. You saw so many guys without the experience going in there,” Hearn said.
Nyika may not unravel as he is fighting a guy who is killing himself to make the cruiserweight limit and has been through two serious wars with Mairis Briedis in 2022 and 2024. Both of those fights were grueling fights for Opetaia , with him taking more punishment than he did. in any of his previous fights during his 10-year professional career.
Opetaia’s handlers gave him very soft lower-level opposition to build him up. So he doesn’t have the experience that Hearn is bouncing around in the pro game. It’s just the two fights against Briedis, which were pure hell for him. He was lucky that he fought the Latvian at the end of his career rather than during his prime. Briedis showed that Opetaia is not the great talent that Hearn and others make him out to be.
“Once Jai starts putting it on you, you have to stand and fight. If he does, I think this fight will be over in three rounds. I really do because if Jai gets out there and starts getting aggressive with Nyika, he won’t be boxing for long. He likes to stand and trade as well,” Hearn said.
Opetaia’s jaw issues
It could be a mistake for Opetaia to attack the 6’6″ Nyika early in the game. Doing so could cause scar tissue around his eyes to open early, which he doesn’t need. Better for Jai to get cuts later. He also has jaw problems from a bad break during the Briedis fight. If there is a weakness there, Nyika will bring it up.
“When you look at Nyika’s weakness, sometimes he gets hit a little too much,” Hearn said. “Maybe it’s because he’s fighting at a lower level and he’s not as worried or as turned on. These are the kind of fights where you will see the very best of someone like Nyika.”
Opetaia has the same weaknesses that Nyika has in terms of getting hit a lot, and it’s understandable though, as he’s an up and coming slugger who tries to knock everyone out. That’s why he was beaten and forced to run in his two fights with Briedis, especially the second one. He looked like a lion was chasing him in the second contest. Those bug eyes of his had a look of 100% pure fear, and you couldn’t blame him. Briedis was putting the fire under his rear body.
“This kid has a pedigree. Nyika is a serious fighter. It’s not like he’s not good enough to become a world champion. I’m sure Nyika is going to be a world champion, but is he going to be a world champion tomorrow night? It may be too early. If he’s special, he might do it,” Hearn said.
At 29, if Nyika isn’t ready now, he never will be. Hearn talks about him like he’s a puppy rather than a 30-pushing fighter. He had a long amateur career and fought far, far better technical fighters than Opetaia could ever hope to be. Experience-wise, Nyika is more than ready to win this fight. If he loses, it’s not because he was lacking in the experience department.
