Turning professional

‘‘I’ve always got my sceptical eyes on. I feel like I’ve had trust issues with people extending their arm and saying, ‘come this way’. If someone extends a hand, I kind of want to know what they want in return.’’

For the moment the Olympics remains the key focus for Nyika, despite the uncertainty.

‘‘It might not even go-ahead next year, I have no idea at this stage, the world’s still struggling.

‘‘[New Zealand] is kind of coming out the other end of the tunnel, so I was ready to compete this year and see where things lead to, but everything is up in the air.’’

Nyika was prepared to wait another year before turning pro, given the magnitude of taking part in an event like the Olympics. At 24 Nyika also felt he still had a lot of developing to do and time on his side.

‘‘It is pretty ridiculous but I still have a lot of growing to do over the next few years, so it will be an interesting transition into professional life.’’

At what weight division Nyika attempts to make his mark as a professional also remains an interesting point.

Nyika won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the 81kg division, before winning gold in the 91kg division at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The 91kg division, or cruiserweight as it’s called in the pro ranks, was also where he planned to have a crack at an Olympic medal.

Nyika did not rule out the prospect of fighting as a heavyweight in the professional ranks in the future.

He said his father was a late bloomer in terms of ‘‘developing his man strength’’ when he went from 70kg to 90kg in his late 20s.

‘‘If I followed the same footsteps, as a cruiserweight now, I could easily move up to 110kg in the years to come, that’s quite an exciting journey to think about. But at the moment, I’ve obviously got a lot on my plate.

‘‘I think initially I’ll be a cruiserweight, I’m walking around comfortably at 91kg, every now and then I drop to 89kg or go up.’’

‘‘I am very aware that the wolves will be at the door and I need to be ready for it. ’’

David Nyika