NZ boxing - News,Views and gossip.

[diehard]

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/boxing/...5UU2M7PVU/

[jamieson2]

David Nyika is #14 in the new IBF Cruiserweight rankings.

[diehard]

Excellent. He's really come on. Now he needs to match his opponents well. Personally, I think he gets hit too much. Get his defense sorted, and he'll go far.

[jamieson2]

Michael Herangi-Helg won the NZPBC vacant Light Heavyweight Title on the 7th of June.

[diehard]

Thanx for that, jamieson2. And sorry about the website difficulty. Hopefully, MrsD fixed it for you.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/michael-...SYMAUVGV4/

[jamieson2]

Thanx for that, jamieson2. And sorry about the website difficulty. Hopefully, MrsD fixed it for you.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/michael-...SYMAUVGV4/

No need to apologize. Technology is what it is. Everything seems good now.

[diehard]

David Nyika teams up with Joseph Parker in multi-fight deal
Liam Napier

David Nyika has teamed up with Joseph Parker’s first foray into boxing promotion to sign a multi-fight agreement that will see him headline events throughout New Zealand in the coming months as he seeks to capture the world cruiserweight crown.

Nyika and Parker have long shared a close connection, with the pair working together in previous training camps and fighting on the same cards. The Herald understands that relationship is now officially intertwined as they enter into a multi-fight co-promotional agreement with Duco Events and respected Australian coach Noel Thornberry.

While Parker’s career remains on an upward trajectory, following victories over heavyweight contenders Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang, he is investing in Nyika’s future after purchasing shares in a joint venture, alongside Duco owner David Higgins and Thornberry, to promote the highly touted cruiserweight prospect.

Together the promotional trio plan to build Nyika’s status by staging multiple events throughout New Zealand and follow the successful Duco blueprint that charted Parker and Australian welterweight Jeff Horn to their respective world titles.

In a promotional teaser released by Duco, ahead of an announcement in Auckland on Wednesday, Parker said of Nyika: “He’s a very talented fighter. He’s won a lot of top competitions around the world. I feel like this is his moment and his time to shine on the big stage. I know he’s been putting in the work and training really hard. There’s purpose behind why he’s fighting.”

Nyika and Higgins have held an informal promotional relationship for some time. The latest example came with Nyika leveraging Parker’s connections to secure a coveted spot on the Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk undisputed undercard in Saudi Arabia last month.

On that event, Nyika’s fourth-round knockout of the previously unbeaten German Michael Seitz improved his professional record to 9-0, and signalled his intent to continue climbing the ranks.

With the structured plans they have in place, and with Parker in his corner to use his knowledge, experience and profile, the promotional team behind Nyika believe he will contest the cruiserweight world title within the next two-and-a-half years.

No New Zealander has captured that world title before. Shane Cameron lost by unanimous decision to Danny Green for the vacant IBO cruiserweight world title in 2012 and David Light lost his bid for the WBO cruiserweight title against Lawrence Okolie last year.

Higgins has a proven track record of charting prospects to world titles. Duco built Parker’s profile and career from the ground up to stage 21 fights – 17 of those in New Zealand – before he defeated Andy Ruiz in Auckland to claim the WBO heavyweight world title in 2016.

Duco also plotted Horn’s path to the WBO welterweight world title with his victory over the great Manny Pacquiao in an iconic, jam-packed event at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

Horn fashioned a 17-0 record, fighting exclusively in Australia and New Zealand alongside Parker, before squaring off with Pacquiao for the welterweight crown.

Nyika is already a household name in New Zealand after claiming two Commonwealth Games gold and the Olympic bronze medal before entering the pro ranks. The 28-year-old has since found a home in Gatton, located 90km west of Brisbane, where he trains under Thornberry’s guidance.

Further building his profile on a series of local shows throughout New Zealand should, therefore, be an easy sell.

Nyika’s next opponent is yet-to-be-confirmed but his guaranteed presence as the headline act will restore big-time boxing to New Zealand shores for the foreseeable future after a hiatus in recent years.

Following his success Parker has fought once – his win against local rival Junior Fa – in New Zealand since 2018, with the lure of offshore riches and high-profile events consistently luring him away from home.

[diehard]

Boxing: Patience pays off for David Nyika as road towards cruiserweight title set to resume in Auckland
Christopher Reive

David Nyika admits he has never been good at being patient.

He has, however, learnt the importance of being so.

In September, the 28-year-old cruiserweight boxer will headline a card in Auckland and kick off a new promotional deal which will see him fight four times annually. He will be co-promoted by Duco Events, Thornberry Promotions and Joseph Parker, who is making his first foray into that side of the sport.

It’s an opportunity that arrives at the perfect time for the Olympic bronze and two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, who has amassed a perfect 9-0 record since turning pro in 2021.

Last month, Nyika earned his place as a top 15-ranked boxer with the IBF, after beating Michael Seitz by fourth-round TKO on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk’s historic win over Tyson Fury, which saw him become the undisputed heavyweight champion.

Now, with guaranteed fights on the table, Nyika can focus on working his way to the top.

“In a sport like boxing, if you’re not patient and if you rush into deals, rush into fights that you haven’t really prepared aptly for, then you can make big mistakes and the consequences are dire,” Nyika told the Herald.

“It’s a dangerous sport, not only for the sake of your health but [you could] lock yourself into a six-year deal that you don’t understand and you end up paying just to fight, as you pay out of your own pocket.

“I know guys that are in deals like that today, and I just feel so privileged that I that I’ve been fortunate enough to meet the right people and be connected with the right people.

“It’s my job now to keep working hard and to stay diligent, stay humble and do all the things that I know I can do.”

Over the past couple of years, Nyika has been based in the rural Queensland town of Gatton, working under the tutelage of respected Australian coach Noel Thornberry.

It’s a move that Nyika believed has helped him on the pathway to being the best possible version of himself both in and out of the gym; embracing the pace and other benefits of small-town life and absorbing as much as he can from his training.

The September bout will be Nyika’s first in New Zealand under Thornberry’s watch, and his first since his professional debut in 2021, when he won by stoppage in fast fashion.

While the hope is that they will be able to get another top 15-ranked fighter to travel to New Zealand for the fight, both Nyika and Thornberry were realistic about the fact that might not be the case and so are hopeful of simply finding a challenge.

“We had a guy that was 16-0, 16 knockouts, that I really, really liked. The fighter accepted, his manager accepted, but his trainer wasn’t happy, and I’m not surprised, but that would have been a great fight,” Nyika said.

“I want a tough fight. I want someone to take me into deep waters, so we just need to find the right guy that the IBF and WBO will sanction for starters because the goal now is to work towards being the mandatory challenger.

“I don’t need easy fights anymore, but at the same time, I want to look good. I want to be able to put on my best performance in front of my home crowd because it’s been that long and my last fight in New Zealand was all of 23 seconds, including the count, so I owe it to my fans and I think New Zealand deserves a bit of drama and a big show.”