The combatants swapped power shots for the first three rounds, with Opetaia having the advantage. Still, Nyika also landed his share of strong punches, notably wobbling Opetaia near the end of the second round.
Opetaia's class showed up in the fourth when he dropped Nyika and after the fight resumed, crushed Nyika with a right hand that left the New Zealander prone on the mat for several minutes.
Opetaia and promoter Eddie Hearn commented after the fight on their desire for Opetaia to meet WBA and WBO champion Gilberto Ramirez, which is expected to happen sometime this year, and a possible future trip to the heavyweight division to challenge Oleksandr Usyk in 2026.
Opetaia and Ramirez would be meeting for three of the four cruiserweight titles and are the best two fighters in the division, so a matchup would be very interesting indeed.
As for the previously unbeaten Nyika, who accepted the fight on three weeks' notice, he was impressive in his loss and could be a future force in the division, assuming he can move on after losing for the first time,
Boxing Challenge
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