The cruiserweight king successfully defended his gold strap once again with another stunning knockout, but fans were left concerned after Opetaia’s opponent was left in a brutal state
Jai Opetaia has once again proved why he’s one of the baddest men on the planet, but has left boxing fans stunned following his jaw-dropping knockout victory over David Nyika.
The two boxing stars clashed earlier today for the IBF cruiserweight title as Opetaia looked to successfully defend his coveted gold strap. While Nyika established himself as a real knockout artist heading into the clash, Jai’s class and talent shone through as he handed his opponent the first loss of his professional career.
Opetaia cut a calm and composed figure from the opening bell and landed some serious shots which stunned Nyika. The cruiserweight king continued to pepper away with some sharp blows to the body in the second round before a clean strike upstairs caught the challenger.
After controlling the third, Opetaia sensed that the end was near. A brutal uppercut in the fourth dropped Nyika – which seemed to spell the beginning of the end for him. Jai stalked the challenger down, raining fire some devastating hooks before a perfectly-timed left hand sent Nyika crashing to the canvas, handing the cruiserweight champion yet another win – extending his record to 27-0.
Following the highlight-reel finish Down Under, many boxing fans were left concerned and feared for the challenger after he fell to the canvas face first. One user wrote: “I hope Nyika is ok.” While another commented: “Nyika is still on the floor prayers up for him.” A third posted: Nyika out cold so fingers crossed he’s okay.”
Another commented: “Good knockout by jai opetaia but prayers to David Nyika.” A fifth wrote: “One of the scariest knockouts I’ve seen in a long time. Jai Opetaia is a BAD man. The world is on notice. Thoughts with David Nyika as well after that one – here’s hoping he will bounce back.”
After landing facedown, Nyika quickly received treatment, and a few minutes later, was sitting upright, much to the relief of the boxing faithful. Speaking after the fight, Opetaia said: “Man, all that style s*** went out the window. That was a dogfight, and I respect that. He kept coming forward, he kept punching. Thank you, David. We gave this crowd a good fight.”
