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The primary world title fight of 2025 goes down on Jan. 8 when Jai Opetaia (26-0) defends the IBF cruiserweight belt against David Nyika (10-0). It’s time to proceed our boxing odds series with a Jai Opetaia-David Nyika prediction and pick.
Opetaia will look to defend his title for the fifth time, having originally claimed it in July 2022. He’s coming off a sixth-round knockout of Jack Massey in October 2024.
Nyika is coming into this fight as a short-notice substitute for Opetaia’s original opponent, Huseyin Cinkara. The 29-year-old Kiwi has held the IBF inter-continental title since May 2024, when he knocked out Michael Seitz. Nyika enters his first world title fight on a seven-fight knockout streak.
Listed below are the Jai Opetaia-David Nyika odds, courtesy of FanDuel
Boxing Odds: Jai Opetaia vs. David Nyika Odds
Jai Opetaia: -950
David Nyika: +590
Over 8.5 Rounds: -108
Under 8.5 Rounds: -118
Watch Jai Opetaia vs. David Nyika
Time: 3 a.m. ET / 12 a.m. PT
TV/Stream: DAZN pay-per-view
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Why Jai Opetaia Will Win
The step-up in competition Nyika will make from Tommy Karpancy to Opetaia is vast. While Opetaia is hands-down one of the best cruiserweight on the earth, Karpancy entered his fight with Nyika at 38 years old and just 2-2 in his previous 4 fights.
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Opetaia may have his usual physical benefits on this fight. Almost no cruiserweight on the earth can match his combination of speed and power, Nyika being no exception. Opetaia will particularly be much faster than Nyika, who tends to be flat-footed together with his approach.
Nyika, who has never been knocked out, has a bent to drop his hands in close range. That bad habit, along together with his slow exits, is a possible recipe for an additional Opetaia knockout.
Why David Nyika Will Win
Opetaia is not any stranger to being the shorter fighter and may have to cope with that issue again. Nyika will probably be 4 inches taller and have a two-inch reach advantage. Each fighters will be plagued with inactivity at times, but when Nyika desires to get ahead early, his jab needs to be a frequent weapon.
Stuffing jabs in Opetaia’s face would work well for Nyika in the primary couple of rounds. Opetaia scarcely throws his own jab, preferring to focus on his opponent’s body early on to determine range. In his recent title defense against Massey, the champion landed just 11 jabs through six rounds.
Even at his best, Opetaia will not be unhittable. His pressure and cardio are inclined to wear fighters down, but he could be very liable to counterattacks, particularly as he looks to complete. Nyika doesn’t have devastating power but holds enough to alter the momentum of the fight if he catches Opetaia sleeping.
Final Jai Opetaia-David Nyika Prediction & Pick
Nyika has the frame and skill set to make this fighter closer than it must be, but this can otherwise be an Opetaia showcase. Still not considered by most as a top 10 pound-for-pound boxer, Opetaia is being arrange to select up one other knockout win so as to add to his case. Fighting in his native Australia for the primary time in two years, the aim of this event is to make Opetaia seem like a star.
While Nyika has been criticizing Opetaia’s resume, his own track record is even worse. It’s difficult to pinpoint his best win, while just two years ago, he padded his record with a knockout over a 3-20 opponent. Nyika fights primarily out of an orthodox stance and has never fought a southpaw at Opetaia’s level. Three weeks will not be enough time to organize for that.
Of his 20 knockouts, 30 percent of Opetaia’s wins have are available the later rounds, while 45 percent of them have been in the center rounds. He’s a patient fighter who likes to work the body to establish his finishes. Nyika has shown off a powerful chin before but has never fought anyone who attacks the body like Opetaia does. Expect a methodical start before the champion gets one other big finish in the course of the middle rounds.
Final Opetaia-Nyika Prediction & Pick: Jai Opetaia in Rounds 5-8 (+170), Under 8.5 rounds (-118)
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