Eddie Hearn believes Jay Obitaya can beat David Nyika in three rounds on Wednesday night if the challenger stands and fights when tackling the IBF champion at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, Broadbeach, Australia.
Hearn sees the outcome of the fight going to Obitaya (26-0, 20 KOs). If his replacement opponent Nyika (10-0, 9 KOs) attacks at full force during the first three rounds, he will have no choice but to brawl. When that happens, Hearn expects Opetaia to be too much for the lanky 6'6″ stork.
Welterweight Champion
Eddie failed to mention how exhausted and worn out Opetaia appeared at the weigh-in. He looked exhausted from the weight gain, and it's very clear that he's putting himself through pure hell to reach the cruiserweight limit.
Opetaia is a small heavyweight champion about the same size as Oleksandr Usyk, and that's where he should be fighting at this point in his career. He has transcended the cruiserweight division, and it takes a lot for him to make weight to stay there.
Nyika could capitalize on a depleted Opetaia on Wednesday night and finish the job Mairis Briedis started last May. Opetaia was given the daylights out by Briedis, and had to escape in the tournament rounds to avoid elimination.
Nyika is the first world-class fighter Opetaia has fought since the Briedis fight, and he could fall apart if forced to fight hard every round.
“She comes face to face with Nneka, asking Jay Obitaya about his 18-hour trip to Saudi Arabia. Don't forget he was there a few weeks ago for the big fight. “This is a serious fight,” Eddie Hearn said. Boxing in the match halltalks about Wednesday's showdown between IBF cruiserweight champion Jay Obitaya and David Nica.
“This is a huge fight on a global scale. It's one of the best fights, if not the best in the cruiserweight division. The only fight better than this in the cruiserweight division is Opetaia vs. Zurdo Ramirez. If Jay Opetaia is mentoring Nika or if he's not on the He wasn't ready, he was going to have his hands full tomorrow night.
“A lot will be decided in those early rounds when Jay Obitaya touches Nyika for the first time with those little gloves,” Hearn said. “I think it will suit Nyika the longer the fight goes, but Nyika will disintegrate very quickly there. I’ve seen a lot of guys who don’t have the necessary experience.” To go there.”
Nika may not break down as he fights a man who is killing himself to reach the cruiserweight limit, and he has two serious wars with Myris Briedis in 2022 and 2024. Both of these fights were grueling for Obitaya, as he received more punishment than he received. He had none of his previous fights during his 10-year professional career.
Opetaia's coaches have given him plenty of soft opposition from the lower level to build his ability. So, he doesn't have the experience in the professional game that Hearn talks about. The two fights against Briedis have been just hell for him. He was lucky that he fought the Latvian at the end of his career and not during his prime. Briedis showed that Obitaya is not the great talent that Hearn and others tout him to be.
“Once Jay starts putting it on you, you have to stand up and fight. If he does that, I think this fight will be over in three rounds. I really do, because if Jay shows up and starts getting aggressive with Nika, he's not going to be boxing for long,” he said. Hearn: “He likes to stand up and trade too.”
Jaw issues in Opetaia
It would be a mistake for the 6’6″ Opetaia Nyika to attack this early in the contest. Doing so may cause the scar tissue around his eyes to open up prematurely, which he doesn't need. Jay better suffer the cuts later. He also has jaw problems due to a bad break during the Briedis fight. If there's a weakness there, Nika will highlight it.
“If you look at Nika's weakness, sometimes he gets hit too much,” Hearn said. “Maybe it's because he's fighting at a lower level and he's not interested or emotional. This is the kind of fight where you'll see the best of someone like Nika.”
Opetaia has the same weaknesses as Nyika in that he gets hit a lot, which is understandable, because he's an aggressive baseball player who tries to throw everyone out. That's why he got beaten up and had to run in his two fights with Briedis, especially the second one. It looked like a lion was chasing him in the second contest. Those insect eyes of his looked like 100% pure fear, and you couldn't blame him. Briedis had a fire under his ass.
“This kid has a pedigree. Nika is a dangerous fighter. It's not like he's not good enough to become a world champion. I'm sure Nika will become a world champion, but will he become a world champion tomorrow night? It could be too soon,” Hearn said. “If he was special, he might do it.”
At 29 years old, if Nika isn't ready now, he never will be. Hearn talks about him like he's a puppy rather than a 30-year-old fighter. He had a long amateur career, fighting much better technical fighters than Obitaya could ever hope to be. Experience-wise, Nyika is more than ready to win this fight. If he lost, it wasn't because he was deficient in the experience department.
