‘Scary’ knockout of David Nyika unsettled Eddie Hearn

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA – Eddie Hearn revealed how “very worried” he became for David Nyika when the cruiserweight remained motionless after being knocked out by Jai Opetaia.

Opetaia made the third defense of his IBF cruiserweight title when he ended a competitive, entertaining and physical fight in the fourth round by stopping his challenger with what is almost certain to be considered one of the knockouts of 2025.

Nyika was already sufficiently hurt that the referee or Nyika’s corner – led by Noel Thornberry, the father of his partner Lexy – could reasonably have intervened, but the ruthless Opetaia instead landed a further, concussive left hand, leaving Nyika unconscious and requiring oxygen and several minutes of medical attention before he returned to his feet.

Hearn, Opetaia’s co-promoter, compared the knockout to that of Francis Ngannou by Anthony Joshua in 2024. At the Gold Coast Convention Centre on Wednesday, however, he was positioned more closely to what was unfolding and watched on as Nyika showed no signs of consciousness and, worsening Hearn’s concerns, had opened eyes. 

“I was very worried,” the promoter told BoxingScene. “The paramedics were in nice and quick, but get the oxygen in – that’s the first thing. You’ve got to do it. The faster you get the oxygen on someone, the better. They put it on. He was out for a long time.

“He wasn’t moving. His eyes were open for a long time and he was out, and it was very worrying, because he’s a lovely guy as well – he showed so much heart. He boxed a great fight. I was actually thinking, ‘If this goes another three or four rounds it’ll be interesting’, but after he buzzed Jai it woke him up a little bit. I thought Jai would actually box him, but he actually doubled down and went fucking savage, and he just kept sticking it on him and that’s what knocked him out.

“Joshua-Ngannou – that was pretty bad. He was out cold as well. But it’s different. There was a lot of people there. I was really up close with David, so it was concerning – it was a scary one.”

New Zealand’s Nyika – like Opetaia aged 29 – was taken to hospital, post-fight, and for all that he recorded a convincing defeat, enhanced his reputation by proving so entertaining and aggressive a challenger, particularly after having accepted the date with the world’s leading cruiserweight with only three weeks’ notice.

“It never looked like a mismatch at any time,” Hearn continued. “It was competitive; he hung with him; and ultimately I thought he done himself proud in there. Who knows, if it’d gone another couple of rounds? He got a little bit careless; he got a little bit carried away, and he paid the price against a brutal puncher.

“Part of [Opetaia’s recklessness is what] makes him what he is, which is a savage, and it makes him so entertaining to watch. Part of you, of course, wants fighters to box a little bit smart, but that’s what people like to see. Everybody that left there tonight has basically gone, ‘Fuck me – that was unreal’, and that’s what you want, you know?

“When [Nyika] hit him on the top of the head it just stiffened the legs up a little bit. I thought, ‘Fucking hell’. But then he’s just came out and he’s so enthralling and exciting to watch. Just, heart-in-the-mouth kinda stuff. I think Jai, a part of it, just thinks he’s just gonna fucking walk through these guys, and it’s dangerous, but it’s also brilliant to watch.

“I thought the atmosphere was incredible. Wednesday night in January. I think he was even quite surprised. He fought on the road for a long time, but tonight I thought he would have thought, ‘Bloody hell – that was amazing’. It was an amazing night; an amazing atmosphere.”

Opetaia, perhaps more than ever, is recognised as not only Australia’s finest fighter, but the finest cruiserweight in the world. Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez’s recent victory over Chris Billam-Smith has made a fight between them even more appealing; that the WBC champion Ramirez, like Opetaia, has also fought on Riyadh Season promotions makes a unification contest easier to secure, and to that end Hearn and Oscar De La Hoya, Ramirez’s promoter, have already been in contact.

“Oscar’s messaged me saying he’ll be watching,” Hearn said. “He knows that’s the fight to make. His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh] wants that fight, and hopefully in May we can make that happen. We’ll be back here in March in Sydney with George [Kambosos Jnr], and we’ve got a great chance to do great things here [in Australia].”