Boxing: David Nyika set for fourth pro fight before turning attention to quest for third Commonwealth Games gold

David Nyika lands a body shot against Karim Maatalla. Nyika won the bout by unanimous decision. Photo / Photosport

David Nyika is capitalising on the moment.

Only two months ago, the 26-year-old boxer was in the midst of a long layoff from competition, having not stepped into the ring since late 2021.

But after that drought, Nyika has found the old adage of when it rains it pours to be true, packing his July schedule.

After returning to the ring with a unanimous decision win over Karim Maatalla in Melbourne earlier this month, the unbeaten cruiserweight will fight on July 2 on the Gold Coast. He will then turn his attention to the Commonwealth Games in late July, being named in the eight-strong team heading to Birmingham.

"I'm everywhere and nowhere," Nyika told Newstalk ZB's D'Arcy Waldegrave of his schedule. "I'm enjoying my life. I'm competing here, there and everywhere. I've got my hands full, but I'm enjoying life right now."

While he didn't book any fights during those eight months outside of the ring, Nyika was working on his craft in the UK, getting to work alongside the likes of Tyson Fury, Joseph Parker, Lawrence Okolie and Chris Billam-Smith.

Working with reigning and former world champions as well as some of the best prospects in the UK, Nyika has been in a position to both hone his craft as well as learn about himself as an athlete.

"As much as there was a lull in actual competition, I was getting some of the best work on the planet," he said.

"I'll keep up with anybody in sparring or in fighting. It's been my whole approach towards the sport – I'm deadly competitive and I want to make sure if I'm working with good guys I want to be competing with them, not just giving them work."

On the Gold Coast, Nyika will meet Australian Louis Marsters (1-2) on the undercard of the IBF world title fight between Mairis Briedis and Jai Opetaia, and he expects Marsters to bring the fight to him with a come-forward approach in the ring.

Following the bout, which will be Nyika's fourth in the professional arena, he will be back into the amateur game looking to win his third straight Commonwealth Games gold medal.

There are vast differences between professional and amateur boxing. In the professional realm, you can have up to 12 rounds for a fight, while in the amateur ranks each fight is a maximum of three three-minute rounds while amateur gloves are significantly more padded than those used in the pros.

That isn't fazing Nyika though, who says he is comfortable switching between the two and is confident he will have success.

"Why wouldn't I be [confident]? I've worked really hard for it; I've earned everything I've been given," he said.

"It comes with the territory of working hard and believing in myself. I'm really happy with where I'm at right now – how fit I am, how strong I am, how much experience I've gained over the last eight months being overseas.

"For me, it's been a mental shift; becoming more of a predator. That sounds kind of creepy, but I want to be one of the apex predators in our sport. That's not just a matter of being the biggest and the strongest, it's having that mentality as well.

"For me, I just really want to embody that warrior's mentality. I know I have it; it's just a matter of honing it and channelling it in the right direction."