Nyika relishing idea of training with Parker
AUCKLAND: David Nyika has been invited to train with Joseph Parker in Las Vegas as he weighs up whether to turn professional.
The double Commonwealth Games champion is in a holding pattern, waiting to see if boxing remains part of the Olympic programme for the Tokyo Games.
Nyika has told Radio
Sport that training under Kevin Barry is too good an opportunity to turn down.
‘‘They’ve got a wicked stable in Vegas with Olympic heavyweight champions and what not. So it will be a great opportunity to be around that type of environment. Make the most of the international experience.’’
Nyika said if boxing remained an Olympic sport he would probably remain an amateur, as long as he was able to secure enough funding from High Performance Sport New Zealand.
‘‘I want to see what kind of chemistry me and Kevin have. But it’s very much just a draft at the moment.
‘‘A bit of experience, I guess. Being in that environment will help my amateur boxing and then of course transition directly into the professional game.
‘‘ It’s really in the balance at the moment, depending on whether or not boxing will be at the Olympics in 2020. I’m looking at all my options at the moment. "
‘‘I wouldn’t expect High Performance Sport New Zealand to fund a corrupt sport.’’ An International Olympic Committee decision on whether boxing will be part of the next Olympics is due to be made later this year.
The International Boxing Association, known as AIBA, has been in financial turmoil, faced claims of fixed bouts at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, and now has an interim president linked to organised crime.
IOC President Thomas Bach said issues remained over ‘‘governance, financial and sporting integrity’’ at the Lausannebased boxing organisation.
The IOC executive board warned AIBA about its Olympic status in February, and a recent update report ‘‘still lacks substance,’’ Bach said as he asked for a fresh update before the next board meeting in July.
❛ I want to see what kind of chemistry me and Kevin have