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Jai Opetaia is back in action this week, defending his IBF cruiserweight title against David Nyika.
Both men enter the main-event contest unbeaten, with Opetaia holding a professional record of 26-0 (20 knockouts), while Nyika is 10-0 (9 KOs).
There is somewhat of a geographical sporting rivalry behind the bout, too, as southpaw Opetaia fights in his home country of Australia here, while Nyika represents New Zealand. The fight will play out at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, where Opetaia first became champion by beating Mairis Briedis in 2022.
In a successful 2024, Opetaia outpointed Briedis again before stopping Jack Massey, and 2025 could bring unification fights and even an intriguing clash with Oleksandr Usyk. But for those contests to materialise, the 29-year-old must overcome Nyika, also 29.
Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
When is the fight?
Opetaia vs Nyika will take place on Wednesday 8 January, at Australia’s Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The undercard will begin at 6pm local time, which is 8am GMT (12am PT / 2am CT / 3am ET). Ring-walk timings have not yet been announced, but are expected no earlier than 8pm local time, which is 10am GMT (2am PT / 4am CT / 5am ET).
How can I watch it?
The event will stream live on DAZN in more than 200 countries, including the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand. Viewers in Australia and New Zealand can watch the fights on DAZN pay-per-view; elsewhere, the event is covered by a DAZN subscription. Purchase a subscription to DAZN here, with plans starting at £14.99 a month.
If you want to stream major sporting events while you are travelling or watching from abroad you’ll need a VPN. Get the best VPN deals in the UK. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
Odds
Opetaia – 1/8
Nyika – 5/1
Draw – 20/1
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Full card (subject to change)
Jai Opetaia (champion) vs David Nyika (IBF cruiserweight title)
Justis Huni vs Shaun Potgieter (heavyweight)
Ben Mahoney vs Fan Zhang (super-welterweight)
Max McIntyre vs Abdulselam Saman (super-middleweight)
Billy McAllister vs Jordan Towns (light-heavyweight)
Teremoana Jr vs Osasu Otobo (heavyweight)
Taylah Gentzen vs Shauna Browne (women’s lightweight [predicted])
Tony Ingram vs Runqi Zhou (super-featherweight [predicted])
Kodi Shallali vs Albert Tu’ua (welterweight [predicted])
Jai Williams vs Jag Guthmann-Chester (weight class not listed)
