IBF cruiserweight champion Jay Obitaya has a lot to prove in his upcoming defense against David Nyika in 13 Days on January 8 at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia.
Fans are fascinated by the 29-year-old Obitaya (26-0, 20 KO) I jumped ship After watching his timid performance in his rematch with Mairis Briedis on May 18 earlier this year.
Victory scheme
Many fans realized they were wrong about Opetaia, thinking he was pure gold after watching him defeat obscure second-tier fighters. When Obitaya entered with the real thing, he looked yellow in his rematch against Briedis. You could see the fear in his eyes as Briedis chased after him, and it was very disappointing.
Opetaia looked scared as they started hitting powerful shots from Briedis. He looked like Dmitry Bivol in the way he ran around the ring, with the 39-year-old chasing him.
It wasn't a good picture. To make fans forget that image, Opetaia must come to the fight, stay in the pocket, and trade heavy blows with the heavy Nyika (10-0, 9 KOs) on January 8th.
Nyika has a real chance to win this fight if he follows Briedis' scheme and puts Opetaia under intense pressure without stopping. Opetaia does not like to be beaten. He is not the same man when his opponents face him.
Opetaia needs a strong display
“For me, it's another goal. It's the same thing we do every day. We get up and train. Yeah definitely. That's what I've been chasing. I'm chasing unification fights,” Jay Obitaya said. BoxNation When asked if he would be interested in fighting WBA cruiserweight champion Gilberto “Zordo” Ramirez in a unification.
“I have another imperative to take care of (David Neka). This is a serious fight. David Neka is from my neck of the woods. He has a huge amateur pedigree. I expect 12 tough rounds. It's exciting for the cruiserweight division. Yes, we want to get the job done And we want to chase those unification belts.
“I've shared the ring with him (Nika) a few times. We've done a lot of sparring. He lives just an hour away from me. We're locals in the area. We work together a lot. We do a lot of sparring,” Obitaya said of fighting a guy from the surrounding area for the interest of Australians and New Zealanders. “This was always going to happen.”
It is important for Opetaia to stay in front and attack and not retreat when exposed to heavy fire from Nyika. To become a global star, Jay must stand his ground this time and not back down when Nika looks to get involved. He seems to like Bivol's fighting style, which is toxic if the goal is entertainment.
This fight doesn't attract many fans outside of Australia and New Zealand, who would like to see Obitaya take on WBA champion Gilberto “Zordo” Ramirez, Chris Pillam-Smith, Leonardo Mosquia and Chevon Clark.
Bridis' shadow
There's not much interest in seeing Opetaia fight guys like Nyika, Jack Massey, Ellis Zorro and Jordan Thompson. I can't say this enough: Obitaya did not look good in her rematch against 39-year-old Meris Briedis on May 18 earlier this year. He fought timidly against Briedis, running around the ring after he started to take damage to his face.
When fans saw Obitaya's performance, they called it a dazzling act, and he has done nothing since to prove them wrong. Opetaia does not like to get hit and will do his best to avoid punishment when facing someone he wishes to stand up to, as Briedis did.
