Nyika looks to turn pro after his ‘bittersweet’ bronze
Bruised and beaten, David Nyika was kicking back with fried chicken and pizza while reflecting on what is likely to be his only appearance at an Olympics before turning to the professional boxing ranks.
The Hamilton heavyweight will return from Tokyo with a bronze medal after losing via split decision (4-1) against the gold medal favourite, Russian world champion Muslim Gadzhimagomedov, in the semifinals of the 81-91kg division on Tuesday.
Collecting New Zealand’s first Olympic boxing medal since David Tua’s bronze in Barcelona in 1992 – and the country’s fourth after Ted Morgan’s gold in Amsterdam in 1928 – puts Nyika in esteemed company.
The 25-year-old’s loss to Gadzhimagomedov that ruled him out of tomorrow’s gold medal match was ‘‘bittersweet’’, he said, knowing his golden dream was gone.
Still, he said claiming a bronze after waiting five years to grace the Olympic stage was something to be proud of.
‘‘I feel like I’ve been in a fight, which I guess is a good thing, but I took the bloke [Gadzhimagomedov] to deep waters and unfortunately didn’t come out on top,’’ Nyika said.
‘‘It’s hard, but it’s sport. This is boxing.
‘‘Earning my way to a medal was a massive part of that Olympic dream. I can be proud of myself, but I wanted just that little bit more. I’m greedy like that.’’
His switch to becoming a fulltime professional, something he has said would happen after the Tokyo Games, seems imminent after extending his amateur career to fight at the Olympics.
The two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist had planned to turn professional after the 2016 Rio Olympics, but he failed to qualify and waited until Tokyo for another shot.
Nyika has all but ruled out another Olympic campaign at the Paris Games in 2024.
He would be 28 and knows better than anyone how challenging it can be to qualify for the Olympics.