‘We’re animals at cruiserweight’: David Nyika sets sights on return to the mountaintop

Sunday, 20 July 2025

David Nyika goes to work against Nik Charalampous at the SBW-Gallen fight night in Sydney.

It looked all so easy, so comfortable for David Nyika in Sydney last Wednesday night as he took the first step down a pathway he is sure will end in another shot at a world boxing title. But, truth be told, it was anything but that for the chiselled specimen from Waikato with the matinee idol looks.

Nyika picked apart journeyman Kiwi opponent Nik Charalampous in a methodical, measured and meritorious manner at Quodos Bank Arena, on the undercard of the SBW-Gallen spite-fight matchup that generated just the eyeballs the 29-year-old Queensland-based cruiserweight required.

He's a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist and won Olympic bronze in Tokyo. But the Kiwi cruiserweight says he's not a naturally aggressive person outside the ring.

On the surface it was all so predictable and precise for Nyika (now 11-1) who was stepping back into the ring for the first time since his brutal January defeat at the hands of division sensation Jai Opetaia when the Queensland-based pugilist took a shot at the Aussie’s IBF world title on three weeks’ notice, and paid a heavy price for his lack of readiness for one of the toughest tests in the business.

Nyika, who had no southpaw sparring in such a short lead-in, came out all guns blazing back then on the Gold Coast, and actually rocked the powerful Opetaia in the early rounds to hint at the class that earned him dual Commonweath Games golds and an Olympic medal in his amateur days.

But then reality bit. The Aussie who many believe will unify the division made the correction that was well within his fearsome arsenal and took control of the fight, eventually knocking Nyika out cold with a flurry of brutal blows in the fourth. It was a setback that has taken the likeable boxer they call the ‘Nice Guy’ all of the subsequent six months to process and move forward from.

It was why Wednesday’s Charalampous fight, as run-of-the-mill as it appeared, was so vital, so pleasing and so nourishing for Nyika who is adamant he has taken a “big step” back to the championship realm he is sure he is destined for.

David Nyika was rapt to be back in the ring and adding to his dubya tally after his first defeat as a pro.

Sure, Nyika hurt his countryman badly enough in the fifth with a well-timed body shot that left him unable to come out for a sixth round that would have been the furthest the Kiwi has traversed in his professional career.

And, sure, he looked so polished, so elegant and so smooth as he stood up tall, jabbed the tough Aucklander to pieces, and danced his way to an impressive victory over an opponent who is no patsy.

But Nyika was almost overflowing with emotions afterwards as he revealed he had stepped out for the fight wearing the unwashed garments he had faced Opetaia in. There were demons to exorcise, “mental roadblocks” to clear and strides to take before he could even think about more significant challenges ahead.

David Nyika stopped Nik Charalampous after five rounds in Sydney, and hopes people were taking notice.

“This is a brutal sport,” explained Nyika. “The mental roadblock is coming off a big loss. I’ve never lost like that in the sport of boxing, and I credit Jai for whatever success I have in the future now. He put me through those tests, and I’m so blessed I still have those memories. I remember every second of that fight. He’s a great champion, and the champion the cruiserweight division needs to keep.”

And Nyika has a telling viewpoint of the company he keeps in the up-to-90.7kg weight-class.

“This is the coolest division, but there’s just not enough guys. You’ve got the power of the heavyweights and the conditioning of the middleweights. I’m not a dickhead, but I’m in amazing shape. We are physical specimens.

David Nyika: ‘It’s one step at a time, and Nik was the first step towards becoming a world champ.’

“Jai, he comes down to 90 kilos and the next day he must have been close to 100. It’s ridiculous. We are animals at cruiserweight. It’s such a fun division.

“Jake Paul is great for the sport, bringing eyes to our division. I would love to fight [him]. I would love to fight anybody who brings eyes to boxing because this is an amazing sport and it changes lives.”

Nyika was given the chance to walk back his decision to step in for the Opetaia fight at such late notice. He wouldn’t have a bar of it.

“I made my decision. I made my bed and I slept in it, literally. A really good quote Sonny Bill [Williams] told me in Morecombe (England). We had dinner together, and he said one of the biggest lessons he’s learned is to keep your eyes forward and your gaze low. So, one step at a time, and Nik was the first step towards becoming a world champ.”

Nyika was measured, too, about whom he might and might not have in his sights. He’s sworn to step into the ring again with Opetaia at some stage, and other big shots of the division, such as Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez, Chris Billam-Smith and Badou Jack all hover.

He asks that the sanctioning bodies, such as the WBC and WBA where he’s unranked, keep him in mind and vows to “always be ready and always be fit”. He adds: “Whoever’s there, man. I’m not calling out names, but I’m a true contender for those titles.

“I trust in my team, I trust in [trainer] Noel [Thornberry] to point me in the right direction. We took a big risk, now it’s back to the drawing board. I don’t want to be taking big risks like that again. I’m a realist and this was the first big step to give us an idea where our trajectory lies. I’m not going to rush it this time. I’’ve got so much more left in the tank.”

But first things first. Fiancée Lexy (his trainer’s daughter) has booked a fortnight in Europe to follow this comeback victory. “I’m a realist. This is one step at a time. We’ll reset, recalibrate and then I’ll work with my team again and see what’s next.”