Taupō boxer ready for big Saturday bout
Taupo¯ boxer Jayden Ball’s longawaited bout against double Commonwealth Games gold medallist David Nyika has finally been scheduled with a firm date — and it’s this weekend.
Jayden, billed as “the pig hunter from Reporoa”, and David will go head-to-head in the boxing ring at Claudelands Showgrounds on Saturday evening at a black tie event, the Hamilton City Fight Night. There will be 16 bouts and the Ball-Nyika match-up is the headline fight of the evening.
Jayden, the New Zealand number two heavyweight boxer, issued the challenge back in June but it has taken time to get the pair together for the bout. This will be David Nyika’s first fight in his home town for five years.
Jayden says he knows he will be in for three tough rounds against David but is ready for the challenge. For his part, David has posted “Come watch the hunter become the hunted #wabbitseason”, along with a photo of Jayden on his Facebook page.
Jayden has taken four weeks off his job as a home kill butcher and has been training two or three times a day, both on his own and with Nuki’s Taupo¯ Boxing Gym coach Powell Marshall.
“He [Powell]’s been pretty hard on me. I do a lot of my own training like fitness and stuff like that, but he comes and does skills and stuff in the evening with me.”
Jayden says he is looking forward to the bout. “It’s going to be a bit of an experience, definitely a challenge and something I’ve always looked forward to doing, jumping in the ring with him.”
While David appears to be the favourite for the fight, Jayden says you never know with boxing.
“All you can do is go in there and give it 100 per cent.
“If I do what he’s wanting me to do like come forward and he’ll be on the back foot just picking off his shots and taking the points he’s got more of a chance of winning because he’s scoring points. If I change the fight and fight how I want to fight, it could be a game changer.”
Whichever way the fight goes, Jayden says the experience will help him in the future.
“David is off to the Olympics next year but this will set me up for hopefully in a few years for Commonwealths and stuff like that.”