David Nyika
David Kieran Nyika (born 7 August 1995) is a New Zealand amateur heavyweight boxer.[1] He won the men's light heavyweight division at the 2014 Commonwealth Games[3] and the men's heavyweight division at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.[4]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David Kieran Nyika | ||||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 August 1995 Hamilton, New Zealand[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 91 kg (201 lb)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Boxing | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight class | Light heavyweight | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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He was the sparring partner to Sonny Bill Williams for his fight against Chauncy Welliver.[5]
Amateur career
Born in Hamilton in 1995,[1] Nyika is of Ugandan and Welsh descent through his father, and English descent through his mother.[6]
Nyika began his career as a light heavyweight before converting to a heavyweight. He has dominated a vast array of bouts throughout his amateur career, including strong events in Warsaw, Canberra, Glasgow, and Shkodër. Nyika is also a past competitor in both the AIBA Junior and Youth World Championships. He won the New Zealand Junior National Championships three consecutive years in a row from 2011 to 2013, as well as the New Zealand National Championships the following year in 2014.
Nyika also had success outside of New Zealand, winning silver at the Oceania Youth Championships and bronze at the Feliks Stamm Memorial Tournament. He has won amateur tournaments such as the OCBC Oceania Confederation Boxing Championships, Feliks Stamm Memorial Tournament and the Commonwealth Games.[2]
Nyika had suffered his first loss as a heavyweight to be eliminated from the world championships in Doha. Having been handed a first-round bye, Nyika lost his second-round bout 3–0 on a unanimous decision to the then world's fourth-ranked amateur, Rustam Tulaganov of Uzbekistan. One judge awarded all three rounds to Tulaganov but the other two acknowledged Nyika won one round.[7]
Awards and recognitions
- 2019 Gladrap Boxing Awards Amateur Boxer of the Year (Won)[8]
References
- "David Nyika". Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
- "DAVID NYIKA AIBA PROFILE". AIBA. 9 October 2015.
- "Commonwealth Games: Gold and silver in boxing". New Zealand Herald. 3 August 2014.
- "Boxing | Results Men's 91kg Final Bout – Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games". results.gc2018.com. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
- "Sonny Bill Williams 'class' in the ring with David Nyika". Stuff. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
- Cleaver, Dylan (3 January 2016). "Boxing: Nyika sweats it out in a dark place". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- "David Nyika beaten at boxing world champs". 3news. 9 October 2015.
- "Gladrap Awards 2019". Gladrap Channel. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
