Jai Opetaia 199.5 vs. David Nyika 199.5 – Wednesday weigh-in results on DAZN

IBF lightweight champion Jai Opetaia and challenger David Nyika both weighed 199.5 pounds at Monday’s weigh-in for their fight this Wednesday, Jan. 8, at the Gold Coast Convention Center, Broadbeach, Australia.

Nyika looked well defined, showing very little fat on his 6’6″ frame. During the fight the two fighters clashed. It had a professional wrestling atmosphere and I was waiting for some stage show by the door. That was the only thing missing.

Opetaia (26-0, 20 KOs) is the favorite, but Nyika (10-0, 9 KOs) has a real chance to win. It’s catching Jai at a good point in his career after his two grueling fights against former IBF champion Mairis Briedis. It has been softened. The event will be broadcast live on DAZN.

Listen to Hypes Opetaia

“David Nyika is here to fight. He is one of the best amateurs this part of the world has seen in a long time. He accepted the fight on three weeks’ notice. He sees something. He believes it, but tomorrow night he will have to face an animal in Jai Opetaia. It will be a brilliant fight,” Eddie Hearn told DAZN Boxing during today’s weigh-in between Jai Opetaia and David Nyika.

“You’re selling it for what it is. It’s an animal. He won’t come out, sing you a song and put a happy face on you. He just wants to fight,” Hearn told Sporting News Australia, speaking about Opetaia. “That’s what Jai is. He’s a ferocious savage. What you see is what you get, and that’s why people like to see him fight.

“He’s a true champion. When you say Usyk. I don’t see any heavyweight that can beat Usyk. Maybe Jai can’t beat Usyk, but it’s a hell of a fight. When you watch Usyk become undisputed cruiserweight and then get to heavyweight and become undisputed. This is the same goal as Jai Opeptaia,” Hearn said.

The fight between Opetaia and Usyk is still a long way off as Jai still has to collect the other three belts before achieving his goal of becoming the undisputed lightweight champion. It will take some time. It might be best if Opetaia put his goal aside and moved up to heavyweight to challenge Usyk for his three belts. He can always return to the division to continue collecting them all.

“If we can make that happen at lightweight, I think that would make the Usyk fight huge. Imagine the undisputed lightweight champion of the world fighting the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world,” Hearn said. It’s a huge struggle. He has to surpass David Nyika. It won’t be easy.”

Nyika has a real chance of winning this fight if she can hang on and get to the second half of the contest to start breaking Jai with pressure. Opetaia’s face breaks down when hit hard, and he has those eye sockets that tend to swell when hit. If Nyika can land enough shots on those eye ridges, she can cut him off and perhaps score a stoppage.

“I know he’s a big favorite to do it, but if he does, you have to focus on the other champions. I think the Zurdo match is a brilliant match. Get out of the way on Wednesday and the focus has to be on unifying the division,” Hearn said.