Jai Opetaia vs David Nyika Jan. 8: IBF World Cruiserweight Title

 

Jai Opetaia, 26-0, is the prototypical boxer who does everything well. He has an outstanding balance, is fast, and has excellent ring generalship. He's a skillful fighter on par with Oleksandr Usyk. That's how excellent Opetaia is. He's on the same level as the outstanding Usyk himself. Should that match take place, the outcome would be evenly split.

To describe Opetaia, he's like an unrefined Naoya Inoue and has an arsenal on par with Dmitry Bivol. He has Inoue's balance and calculated aggressiveness, as well as Dmitry Bivol's poise and calmness. Despite suffering injuries against the world's top Cruiserweight, Mairis Breidis, he maintained his composure. He landed potent punches on Breidis' face, which made his opponent move back after getting stunned. He remained composed and countered with a devastating right hook or two. 

In the tenth round, Breidis appeared to have the advantage, leaving Jai stunned. What did Opetaia do? He clinched to recuperate. He did this in different parts of the fight. Boxers tend to be ostracized for holding, but they shouldn't avoid it either in terms of need. As the wise saying goes: 

"Boxing is like jazz. The better it is, the less people appreciate it." - George Foreman.

You don't get points by holding too much. You can get points deducted. But, in times of need, you have to clinch. You should view this as a strength rather than a weakness. It's the timing of the hold that's tricky. If done incorrectly, the fighter appears, according to many fans, a coward. 

David Nyika is a strong cruiserweight with a 10-0 record, knocking out 9 of those opponents. When I watch him fight, there are hints of amateur status. Sure, he has 9 KOs to his resume, but none of the opponents were even close to Opetaia's level. This may seem like a harsh take, but Nyika is not ready to take on the likes of Opetaia's level. He shows hesitation when backing up and releasing a punch. Even toe-to-toe in the middle of the ring, there are moments when he's just unsure of himself whether he should punch or not. With a lack of bounce and footwork, he can't do that against Opetaia. Jai's fast-reaching left jab, particularly devastating against a conventional fighter like him, will undoubtedly catch him off guard. He also lunges to land a right jab, which could leave him susceptible to one of Opetaia's left-hand counters, particularly the left hook.

Opetaia is 6'2, while Nyika is 6'6 with a two-inch reach advantage. Although there's a two-inch difference in reach, what makes the difference is Opetaia's ability to extend that reach far more than 76 inches. It is difficult to measure just how much more, but it's quite significant. He's able to extend his reach because of his quick feet and agility. 

The perfect example of someone who can extend his reach far more than the actual measurement is Manny Pacquiao. He's always the shorter fighter in many fights, but that quick footwork and arm extension made his reach far longer than anyone could have known. It's like expecting a 5'6 fighter in the ring, but you find out he's more like 6 feet, or it feels like you're fighting a much taller fighter than you expected.

Jai Opetaia is the more disciplined fighter who uses his quick feet and punching power to move his way into a fight. Because he's so good, he knocks out his opponent without trying.

Jai Opetaia by knockout.