After beating fellow Waikato-born, Australian-based boxer Floyd Masson by unanimous decision in a gripping contest in Auckland on Saturday night, Nyika earned the right to fight undefeated Brit Viddal Riley for the now-vacant IBF strap.
“I said, leading up to this fight, that was the prep that I should have had to fight Jai,” Nyika said.
David Nyika (right) beat Floyd Masson by unanimous decision on Saturday night. Photo / Brad Roberts
“And as much as Jai’s a completely different animal, that was a great fight and I prepared diligently. I didn’t cut any corners and activity in boxing is critical and crucial. So going into December, I think that was best-case scenario, getting 12 hard-fought rounds.”
While a December date isn’t set for the world title fight against Riley, it is the ideal timeline for Nyika as he looks to stay active. It’s a timeframe that likely works for Riley, too, as the Brit last fought in April.
As for where that title fight will be held, Nyika and his team were hopeful of securing another Auckland fight night, with the belt on the line in the main event.
That discussion is expected to play out over the next week, with Duco Events promoter David Higgins expecting the two sides to haggle over a location and purse split for the bout, with the hope of avoiding the IBF having to ask for purse bids.
“If it’s going nowhere, then either party can ask [the] IBF for a purse bid, which is like a tender on a house where you put the price or a number on it, goes in the envelope, whoever wins gets all the worldwide rights to everything and the winning bid is split between the two challengers,” Higgins said.
“So, the idea for Team Nyika is to try and negotiate it in New Zealand without going to [a] purse bid.”
David Nyika (shirtless, rear centre] with family, friends and supporters after he beat Floyd Masson by unanimous decision. Photo / Brad Roberts
Higgins identified Saturday, December 12 as a preferred date should that bout be brought to Kiwi shores, which would be just over a decade after fellow Kiwi Joseph Parker beat Mexican-American Andy Ruiz jnr for the WBO world heavyweight title in Auckland on December 10, 2016.
“I mean if David could end up fighting 10 years to the day just about when Joseph won, that would be cool,” Higgins said.
It was a back-and-forth encounter as both fighters had plenty of success in the early rounds. However, Nyika found his rhythm in the middle rounds and finished the stronger of the two – with a point being deducted from Masson due to his mouthguard coming out about four times, giving Nyika a touch of breathing space on the cards.
He ended up winning 115-112 on two scorecards – or seven rounds to five – with the other judge scoring it 116-111.
With the discussions around his impending date with Riley expected to play out in the coming weeks, Nyika was looking forward to taking some time to celebrate his win over Masson and appreciate some time off with those in his circle.
“I knew I was going to need a few weeks off. My elbows are a bit sore, there’s nothing wrong with my hands, which is awesome,” he said.
“I’ll just reevaluate. We’ll go back to the drawing board, but we implemented a great game plan today and we were patient. I trusted in my preparation, I trusted in my team and they did an amazing job. I can’t thank Duco enough, can’t thank the sponsors enough for being here. The crowd was amazing, and Floyd, it’s just a really, really cool night.”
Earlier in the night, Waikato-trained, Papua New Guinea-born boxer Sheilla Yama continued her march towards a world title shot, outpointing Australian Jessica Messina in an all-action affair.
Sheilla Yama speaks with Ravinder Hunia after beating Jessica Messina by unanimous decision. Photo / Brad Roberts
Yama was putting her IBF international super lightweight title on the line in the bout and Messina took the fight to her from the outset.
Applying an “all gas, no brakes” approach, Messina consistently walked forward and threw her punches in bunches while Yama was forced to fight on the counter.
It took her a few rounds, but once Yama figured out her timing, she took over to win a convincing decision.
Full card results
David Nyika beat Floyd Masson via unanimous decision (116-111, 115-112 x2)
Sheilla Yama beat Jessica Messina via unanimous decision (97-93 x2, 98-92)
Hemi Ahio beat Joe Ageli via third-round TKO
Manu Vatuvei beat Rene Ranger via first-round TKO
Alex Leapai jnr beat Arsene Fosso via TKO (injury retirement between third and fourth round)
Kyle Merewether beat John Parker via split decision
Cassidy Thornberry beat Ross Malthus via unanimous decision
Liam Messam beat Luke Siaki via third-round TKO
Victor Baice beat Ijah Allen by first-round TKO
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.