Rising cruiserweight David Nyika will fight on Saturday night on the large stage in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.
The Novel Zealander is well aware he has to impress after being given a golden opportunity to fight on a spectacular card ahead of the historic heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
However, Nyika (8-0, 7 KO) is also trying to win for another purpose, raising money for the cause Foundation Against Malaria, paying $10 for each punch landed by both him and his opponent Michael Seitz (12-0, 10 KO). Fans can also make donations. More than $25,000 has already been raised for people in Uganda affected by malaria – especially children – and it’s a cause close to Nyika’s hearts.
“I obviously shove things down people’s throats on social media, but I feel like it’s very straightforward for me to keep doing that,” Nyika tells ESPN. “I’m going to fight challenging like I always do, throw a lot of punches and raise a lot of money for a really nippy cause.
“I have always wanted to return to Uganda, where my father’s heritage comes from. I have three nephews under five who might as well live there [different] circumstances if we were a few generations earlier. It’s a good way to give back, it’s only a miniature percentage of what I’ll earn in my next fight.”
Nyika works with High Impact Athletes, an organization that helps athletes utilize their profiles to support those in need. Tennis stars Stefanos Tsitsipas and Bianca Andreescu, as well as heavyweight Joseph Parker, also work with the charity.
“I see that thanks to this my fan base will augment and my credibility in boxing will augment. [the fundraising] will continue to develop. If this seed takes root and comes to fruition, something truly attractive will happen at the end of my career,” says Nyika. “Regardless of whether it succeeds, [or not] I can’t tell you this, but I am asking everyone to join the campaign and make a miniature donation. It really takes an army to make a difference.”
In the ring, Nyika has a chance to impress Saudi powerbrokers and break into the WBO and IBF rankings. He can thank Tyson Fury’s team after earning their respect through training camps with Fury and his compatriot Parker.
“You only have one chance to impress the Saudis, so we will give it our all and give it our all,” says Nyika. “I was able to take advantage of this opportunity by getting to know Tyson and his inner circle. I managed to impress his manager, Spencer Brown, through sparring and more. He made it his mission to put me on this card and expose me to the world. This is my one chance, one chance, Eminem, “Lose Yourself” moment. It’s a really great opportunity to perform on the biggest stage.
As she charts her path to the top, Nyika draws inspiration from others in her part of the world, including Parker and Australians Jai Opetaia, Justis Huni and Skye Nicolson. Even more encouraging are his experiences sparring with cruiserweight champions Opetaia and Chris Billam-Smith, among others.
“Yes, I was actually asked to come to the camp [Chris] so I know him well. I know my style doesn’t suit him at all and if I had my way, I would have taken him out of there pretty early,” says Nyika.
“Jai is a completely different animal. We went to war a few times, and to be candid, he probably beat me more times than I did, but the tides started to change. I would like to think about it in the future, over the next 18 months our paths will cross and I will be able to emerge victorious. Honestly, I feel like I’ve changed so many things in the last 18-24 months that I didn’t know I had.”
The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).
If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.
“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”
29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.
Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.
“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”
Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.
Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.
This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.
In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.
“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.
“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.
Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.
Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.
Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.
However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.
In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.
It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.
WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.
Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”
WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.
Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.
As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.
However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.
Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.
Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.
Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.
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