He doesn’t outright say it, but you can tell Noel Thornberry is more than a little insulted by the betting odds for his Kiwi protégé David Nyika’s tilt at Jai Opetaia’s IBF and Ring Magazine world cruiserweight titles.
“If I had known that Jai had six arms I wouldn’t have taken this fight,” Nyika’s trainer Thornberry scoffs at the 6-1 underdog status Aussie odds makers have assigned to the Olympic bronze medallist for his shot at glory at the Gold Coast Convention Centre on January 8, live on DAZN .
“Look, it’s a hard fight, no doubt,” says Thornberry. “But I just think Dave has got Jai’s number.”
Upon first inspection, that stance would appear optimistic.
Opetaia, Thornberry concedes, is the preeminent cruiserweight on the planet.
With Opetaia shrugging off fractures to both sides of his jaw to claim the IBF title, the Aussie-Samoan’s upset victory over against indestructible Latvian Mairis Briedis on the Gold Coast in mid-2022 is the stuff of legend Down Under.
Opetaia’s comprehensive display in the rematch with Briedis in Riyadh in May underscored his elite status, as did the early stoppages of previously undefeated challengers Jordan Thompson and Ellis Zorro.
Even more impressive than those knockout wins, perhaps, was the way Opetaia broke down the rugged and cagey Jack Massey over six rounds in his most recent outing – a feat Nyika’s countryman and world class heavyweight Joseph Parker notably failed to achieve.
“It’s going to be a hard fight,” Thornberry acknowledges. “If was easy everyone would have a bloody world title. But David is something special. We do believe that he can do it and pull it off on the night.”
From where, then, does such confidence stem?
Nyika’s team, says Thornberry, have always known that to become the man Nyika would need to defeat the man. And that man has always clearly been Opetaia.
“It’s not like Jai is new to Dave,” says Thornberry.
“Jai has been on David’s mind every day since they first sparred each other. We know he is number one.
“Jai is rightfully the favourite based on what he has achieved. But David is up there as well.
“David has been in the ring [sparring] with every world class fighter who is worth his salt in the cruiserweight division, and some of the best heavyweights including Martin Bakole and Tyson Fury.”
Nyika’s fledgling 10-0 professional record clearly pales in comparison to Opetaia’s sparkling 26-0 resume - however it is also not all that different to Opetaia’s at a similar stage of career progression.
“Prior to fighting Briedis Jai hadn’t really fought that top level of opposition either,” notes Thornberry.
“Jai was a massive underdog as well for that fight. Now it is David stepping up and he is the massive underdog. But you know what, that all means nothing. We live it and breathe it every day.
“We are not just going into it willy nilly like ‘maybe we’ve got a chance’. We are going into it to win the fight.
“The most important thing is that David Nyika believes he can win the fight.
“That’s all that Jai took into the ring against Briedis – self-belief. It’s a very powerful thing when you mix it with ability and experience.”
When it comes to that experience factor, Nyika is not quite the babe in the woods his professional record may suggest.
As an amateur he racked up 69 victories from 83 fights, the last of which was a narrow split decision loss to the world no. 1 ranked Russian heavyweight Muslim Gadzhimagomedov in an Olympic semi-final in Tokyo.
“David has fought all over the world,” says Thornberry.
“He has been in every gym in every country you can name – 36 countries I think it is.
“The only thing I would like for him to have had is to have heard the bell for rounds eight, nine and 10 as a professional. But I still think David will do it. He’s got the skill level now. We’re quietly confident an upset is on the cards.”
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