Champion Opetaia stops Nyika with highlight-reel knockout

In Australia, world champion Jai Opetaia defeated David Nyika to defend his IBF cruiserweight title in a brutal fourth-round knockout victory.

In arguably the biggest fight in trans-Tasman history, home favourite Opetaia, 29, floored New Zealander Nyika with an uppercut at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Queensland.

With only over a minute left in round four, an unsteady Nyika, 29, rose to his feet. Opetaia unleashed another onslaught before a thunderous, highlight-reel left hook ended the fight.

Before leaving the arena to cheers from a crowd of 6, 000 sellout participants, the challenger had to get medical on the canvas.

“He took the fight on two weeks notice. He came here to fight. He gave me a dogfight. I respect that”, Opetaia, who has now won all 27 pro fights, said.

Promoter Eddie Hearn suggested Opetaia could advance to heavyweight and face world champion Oleksandr Usyk in less than 18 months, while the Sydney-born fighter demanded a fight against Mexico’s WBA and WBO champion Gilberto Ramirez.

After the arena had previously been in darkness during an undercard match due to a lightning strike outside the venue, an incredible Opetaia performance lit up the Gold Coast.

In the opening two rounds, both fighters exchanged thumping head and body shots, which both did very well.

Although he showed signs of potential world-class ability, Nyika, who turned pro four years ago, was premature as Opetaia’s brilliance soon showed promise.

Things were going to get worse after the third and fourth punches, and Nyika didn’t recover from the first one.

Opetaia hit the backpedalling Nyika with a right hook before the referee could intervene, which left the away fighter glaringly hurt.

Despite his promoter targeting a super-fight with Ukraine’s Usyk, Opetaia’s immediate focus is on Ramirez.