Jai Opetaia-David Nyika Fight Week Diary: Day Three

Wednesday, January 8

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA – The entertaining contest between IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia and David Nyika represented the first big fight of 2025, and also concluded with what is certain to be remembered as one of the knockouts of the year.

BoxingScene, two days earlier, having heard Eddie Hearn promise a “possible fight of the year”, had wondered how many more times he would lean on that same tired line in 2025, but on this occasion its use aged well.

Both fighters’ fearless willingness to trade made an early finish inevitable, but the knockout of Nyika that followed represented one of the most concerning BoxingScene had seen. Up to that point – and the longer it took for him to recover, concerns grew – their fight had been the advert for Australian boxing that co-promoters Matchroom and Tasman Fighters had hoped.

On Wednesday evening, Gold Coast Convention Centre not only appeared sold out, but full of invested spectators who generated the nature of atmosphere that complemented Opetaia-Nyika and the celebration of Australia culture that was to unfold. Among the music that could be heard playing between fights and rounds was that of the popular Australian DJ Fisher, a veteran of residencies at the Ibiza nightclub Hï that is widely considered the finest in the world, and the iconic John Williams’ song True Blue, which is about what it means to be a true Australian and features a line about sticking by your “mate” in a fight. 

The popular English heavyweight Johnny Fisher was sat at a corporate table close to BoxingScene, and demonstrated partly why he is so popular on the other side of the world. There was little hiding that he was struggling with jet lag, but he very willingly spoke to those he didn’t know on that same table, and could soon be heard answering questions about whether he required a sponsor.

There were also appearances made by recognizable former rugby league players, but the first time everyone in the arena appeared truly invested was when the heavyweight Teremoana Jnr made his way to the ring. Whether or not Teremoana Jnr, who caught the eye at Paris 2024, will eventually justify the hype surrounding him remains unclear, but he is a natural showman who relishes being in the ring and performing, and he is therefore both loose and composed – both qualities that will serve him well. After his victory was confirmed, Teremoana Jnr, a Cook Islander relishing his moment, then performed a dance that was perhaps comparable to the Haka of New Zealand’s celebrated rugby team.

Samoan dancers and singers were then used to perform before the start of the next fight, at light middleweight between Ben Mahoney and Fan Zhang, which was threatened at the end of the seventh round by a brief power cut caused by lightning striking near the venue, following days when the Gold Coast had known only intense sunshine and heat.

The Moloney twins Jason and Andrew were soon among those sat near Johnny Fisher, and therefore among those forced to endure the strains of Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline, an anthem in Australia in a non-sporting context beyond the extent to which it has long been recognized for accompanying sporting occasions in the UK.

Refreshingly, for all that a sporting rivalry exists between Australia and New Zealand – and Nyika represented the villain of the piece through being present to challenge the poster boy Opetaia – New Zealand’s national anthem, played before Nyika made his way to the ring, was respected and not booed. Nyika, when he made his way to the ring, was then booed loudly, demonstrating how very possible it is to express support for a fighter without resorting to the disrespectful, vulgar act of booing their national anthem, too. The fight crowds that exist in Britain are often described as the envy of the world – the celebrated master of ceremonies Michael Buffer is among those who repeatedly relishes the noise they generate – but in 2025 the reality is that they often embarrass those involved in the relevant fights.

The Australian anthem, sung in an aboriginal language, complemented Opetaia’s ring walk, and received the reception Matchroom and Tasman Fighters would have hoped for. All of which made it a shame that the words “G’day mate” were spoken in Arabic just before the opening bell and directed at the absent Turki Alalshikh.

Unlike what had unfolded before then, it was an egotistical act presented as one of respect. Yet the reality remains that what followed between Opetaia and Nyika is, rightly, everything for what “The Return of the Champion” will be remembered for. Similarly, the brutal nature of the knockout, and little else, was what the 5,000-strong crowd present – so many wearing t-shirts featuring the branding of the sporting star Opetaia – would have taken away with them into the summer’s night.

Declan Warrington has been writing about boxing for the British and Irish national newspapers since 2010. He is also a long-term contributor to Boxing News, Boxing News Presents and Talksport, and formerly the boxing correspondent for the Press Association, a pundit for BoxNation and a regular contributor to Boxing Monthly, Sport and The Ring, among other publications. In 2023, he conducted the interviews and wrote the script for the audio documentary “Froch-Groves: The Definitive Story”; he is also a member of the BWAA.