Opetaia Vs Nyika: firefight or freezing?

Jai Opetaia looked angry during his face-to-face meeting with challenger David Nyika on Saturday to discuss their January 8 bout. From the start Opetaia seemed in a foul mood, as if he had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed in the morning.

His irritable mood worsened when Nyika didn’t cower, show no fear, or act in the subservient manner she seemed to expect of him.

Opetaia’s anger exposed

Opetaia wanted him to curl up and act submissive, and he wouldn’t do that. Jai wanted to be in control and dominate Nyika during their encounter.

It was a sign of how insecure Opetaia is. He’s clearly used to intimidating his opponents, subduing them so he can dominate them when they step into the ring.

IBF lightweight champion Opetaia (26-0, 20 KOs) became agitated when he was told that Nyika (10-0, 9 KOs) wanted to have a “gunfight” with him on Wednesday night.

Opetaia, 29, said he wants 12 rounds of “war” with the 6’6” Nyika, and believes he will knock him out. The two fighters will meet at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, Broadbeach, Australia. The event will be broadcast live on DAZN.

“Sparring is sparring. I’m ready to fight on April 10th. Don’t worry about sparring. It’s a completely different game,” Jai Opetaia told DAZN Boxing’s David Nyika.

“I feel like I did everything I needed to do. I feel like I know Jai pretty well. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. I have had my eye on Jai for a long time,” Nyika said.

“I know I can knock him out. I know I can hurt him,” Opetaia said. “These little gloves are dangerous game. You want to have a gunfight. Let’s have a gunfight. I know it won’t be a gunfight. He’s going to the pits. He doesn’t want to get hit.” It will be a game of chess.

“So let’s go there, let’s play it. 12 rounds of war. I’m ready. You’re saying you’re prepared for me. I’m prepared for anyone. I didn’t set my goals on anyone. I just train. I focus on myself; that’s all. There is no one out there that I imagine wanting to beat him or beat him,” Opetaia said.

Will Opetaia freeze again?

Jai talks big, but he wasn’t involved in any part of the war in his rematch against Mairis Briedis on May 18. Opetaia looked like someone with a bad case of combat stress. He fell apart as he was subjected to constant bombardment by the Latvian fighter and stalled in the final six rounds.

Briedis dominated the second half of the match and did enough to deserve the draw. The judges gave it to Opetaia, but it should have been a draw. This is why it is strange that Opetaia talks about wanting to have a “war” with Nyika; he’s not good in those conditions. Opetaia is good when his opponents don’t throw and he’s the one attacking. When it’s just him throwing, he’s fine.

“I’m beating myself up every day. To hurt, to sacrifice myself every day, I’m ready,” Opetaia said.

“It seems like you haven’t done your homework,” Nyika said when asked what goes through his mind when he hears Opetaia talk about him, knowing he’s going to knock him out. “It doesn’t seem like perfect practice makes perfect.

“I practiced, I researched and I gathered my information. This is not the type of sport where you can start with a single game plan. I have an action plan from A to Z,” Nyika said.

When Nyika said all these things, Opetaia seemed in a rage, very upset because he had someone who didn’t bow before him and scraped the floor like an infantry servant, like the many second-rate fighters with whom he had built his record . with.