Boxing: David Nyika beats Jesse Maio in his pro debut after bizarre 28-second TKO

Giving a TKO in 28 seconds sounds like a dream professional debut, but David Nyika was disappointed after his first cruiserweight fight ended strangely.

Nyika, the double Commonwealth Games gold medalist, was a major draw on the card in Joseph Parker and Junior Fa’s showdown at Spark Arena when he dipped his toe into the professional ranks for the first time.

Expectations, this time at least, did not match reality.

After walking into the ring with the Lion King theme song, Nyika set her sights on Jesse Maio’s 3-0.

Immediately after the opening bell, Nyika loaded a big right hand. Maio crouched down and the punch struck him behind the ear. Maio then fell to his knees and couldn’t get past the referee’s count, giving Nyika a rare victory.

Despite Maio’s protests that he had been hit behind the head, Nyika was victorious.

Given the eight weeks of tough grafting Nyika did as Parker’s sparring partner, he felt flat with the nature of the result that drew boos from sections of the crowd.

“I really would have liked to have a few more rounds, but this is boxing,” Nyika said. “He ducked under a good shot and caught it behind the ear and I can’t do anything about it. I can’t control where he puts his head; if he’s in an illegal position, it’s his fault, that’s his fault.”

The experience of fighting in front of a near-capacity crowd left the 25-year-old wanting more.

For now, Nyika is back in the amateur ranks, where she has fought 95 times and won gold medals at Glasgow and the Gold Coast Games in different weight classes.

Nyika’s priority this year has always been to compete in her first Olympic Games in Japan, although much uncertainty continues to hide that great event due to the global pandemic.

Once her Olympic quest is complete, Nyika will surely return to the professional ranks and intend to put on a more compelling show next time.

“Insanity, I’ve never felt that before. I can’t wait to do it again,” Nyika said. “If we could do it again tomorrow that would be great, but it looks like we’re going to go back to blocking.

“I just stepped on the scene. I don’t think I missed a shot, it could have been six or seven shots that hit.

“I felt great, I felt more excited than I have ever been for any fight before. I rolled into the Olympics.

“We have a couple of options in terms of international training camps. I don’t know if the running of the bulls will be a problem, but now I’m on full blast for the Olympics.”