Nyika to work under Barry

David Nyika has given a strong hint on where his future lies as he prepares for a likely training camp alongside Joseph Parker.

Nyika, a dual Commonwealth Games gold medallist, met with Parker’s trainer Kevin Barry a couple of weeks ago in Auckland.

On the menu was an opportunity to spend a month training under Barry at his Las Vegas gym.

Nyika, who won the gold medal in the heavyweight (91kg) division at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast last month, was impressed by Barry.

‘‘He’s one of the world’s best trainers and they have a great setup over there. It was really good to get an insight into how they train and how they operate with the rest of their stable,’’ Nyika said.

‘‘I’m really excited to get over and see how it goes.’’

Nyika, 22, stressed the trip is yet to be confirmed but he is keen to grab the opportunity with both hands.

Working with Barry could also serve as an audition for both parties.

Nyika’s amateur career is currently in a holding pattern until the International Olympic Committee (IOC) makes a decision on whether boxing will be a part of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

In an ideal world, he would be full steam ahead towards Tokyo but if the decision to exclude boxing comes, Nyika has confirmed he would almost certainly turn professional.

Boxing is facing exclusion from the Games following the IOC questioning the governance of the sport.

If boxing goes ahead at Tokyo, Nyika would likely press on and use the Olympics as his amateur swansong before turning professional.

If it was excluded, it would be a bitter blow for Nyika who narrowly missed qualification for Rio.

Should the Las Vegas trip go ahead, it would likely happen within the next couple of months and coincide with Parker’s next training camp as he returns to work following the first loss of his professional career to Anthony Joshua in a unification bout in March.

With no international or domestic amateur tournaments on the immediate radar for Nyika, the timing could not be better.

He is about to get back into serious training following a break after a long build-up to the Commonwealth Games.

Nyika, who won his first Commonwealth Games gold medal in the light heavyweight (81kg) division in 2014 at Glasgow, said after eight years of honing his craft in the amateur game he would be unlikely to walk away without looking to make his mark in the lucrative professional ranks in a bid to secure his financial future.

As a dual gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games and being a well-regarded figure in the international amateur ranks, Nyika would be a marketable commodity both internationally and domestically.

His popularity in New Zealand would make his professional fights in his home country an easy sell to punters – especially on the back of what the Parker brand has done for the sport in recent years.

Last week, Duco Boxing boss David Higgins told Stuff Nyika could go a long way in the professional ranks.

Nyika confirmed he would almost certainly campaign in the cruiserweight (90.7kg) division as a professional.

Cruiserweight does not carry the glitz and glamour of the heavyweight division but it has been on the rise in recent years.

Nyika can only see the popularity of the division growing and believes it will get more lucrative.