David Nyika scores emotional stoppage of Nik Charalampous in comeback fight

Wednesday, 16 July 2025

Kiwi cruiserweight David Nyika wore the same unwashed fight-night uniform from his first defeat as a pro, choked back some heavy emotions and completed a successful return to big-time boxing in Sydney on Wednesday night.

The 29-year-old Olympic medallist from the Waikato negotiated a tricky few early moments to stop fellow Kiwi Nik Charalampous at the end of the fifth round of their catchweight affair on the undercard of the Sonny Bill Williams-Paul Gallen fight card at Qudos Bank Arena.

It was a TKO result dripping with poignancy and emotion for the Queensland-based Nyika (now 11-1) after his fourth-round knockout in January at the hands of Aussie IBF world cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia on the Gold Coast.

That had been Nyika’s first defeat in 11 fights as a pro, and the first time in his long career he had been stopped in such alarming fashion – knocked clean out with a brutal right-left combination by the hard-hitting Opetaia. The road back from a fight he took at just three weeks’ notice, he admitted in the buildup, had been full of demons and mental roadblocks.

“Of course there are going to be skeletons lurking in the closet, but overcoming adversity is what life is all about,” Nyika told The Post in the fight leadup.

And after Charalampous’ corner elected not to send the Auckland fighter out for the sixth round, following a count taken when Nyika connected on a powerful left to the body midway through the fifth, the victor opened up on the emotional toll of a tough night.

“Just stepping back into the ring … I am the Nice Guy and this isn’t an easy task for me,” he reflected post-fight. “I don’t enjoy confrontation, and Nik got a little bit grumpy in the ring. I don’t want him to be angry, I don’t want anyone to be sad, I don’t want anybody to be hungry.

“This isn’t fun to me – it’s my job. But I’m on my way to being a better human.”

Nyika took his time wearing down the tough Charalampous. He always looked in charge as he moved beautifully through all five rounds, and used his 14cm reach advantage to good effect against the Aucklander who had not been knocked down by a punch in his 31 previous pro fights.

The Gatton-based Kiwi kept Charalampous mostly at distance with his sharp jab and swift movement, but did feel his opponent’s power on occasion as he defended stoutly and looked to deliver on the counter. But as the bout went on, Nyika’s superior fitness and effective body punching appeared to take a toll on the Aucklander.

“Nik will always be dangerous. I knew he was going to try take my head off … but I wasn’t gun-shy. I just stuck to the game-plan which was touch and move early on and frustrate him. I had a feeling he was going to box quite negatively. He doesn’t have the gas-tank I do, so it was just a matter of being methodical in the way I pulled him apart.”

Nyika wasn’t keen to get too far ahead of himself afterwards, resisting the urge to call anyone out, but did consider this an important stride in the right direction.

“That was my first big step back to where I wanted to go,“ he added, before the emotions unfurled. ”I knew this one was going to be especially difficult, just seeing myself up on the big screen, wearing the same kit. I didn’t wash this. It’s got my blood sweat and tears, man. It’s good.“

Asked by The Post why, as he choked back the tears, he was so emotional, Nyika responded: “I’m an emotional guy, man. This is a big sport. This is a tough game.

“It’s been tough. This has been the biggest task of my life just coming back into the ring. Man, this has been a huge struggle for me.”

That struggle is now over. And by the looks of the sharpness of a man intent on getting back into the world title mix, it has been a massive step back to a place he feels he belongs.

The best of the rest on an entertaining night at Qudos that drew a decent crowd of 6000-plus had to be the light heavyweight duel that saw Australia’s Clay Waterman edge Kiwi Mose Auimatagi in a unanimous points decision over eight compelling rounds, with an honourable mention to Kris Terzievski for his impressive fifth-round stoppage of Troy Pilcher.

Marc Hinton travelled to Sydney for SBW-Gallen courtesy of Duco Events and Manuka Phuel.