David Nyika
Age: 26
Height: 1.93m
Event: Heavyweight
Born: February 27, 1995
Coach: Cairo George
When he steps into the ring at Tokyo, Nyika will already achieve a piece of history, becoming the first Kiwi professional to compete at the Olympics.
Until Rio 2016, only amateurs were allowed to contest boxing at the Games, but that has now changed, with Nyika already entering the pro ranks.
His Commonwealth Games record is unquestioned, with a light-heavyweight gold medal at Glasgow 2014 and heavyweight success at Gold Coast 2018.
Nyika has also fought at two world championships, reaching the heavyweight quarter-finals at Hamburg 2017.
He qualified for Tokyo at the Asia & Oceania qualifying in Jordan, where he sealed a Games spot with victory in the quarter-finals and was eventually defeated by Kazakhstani Vassily Levit, a silver medallist at Rio.
With limited competitive opportunities under COVID-19, Nyika made his professional debut on the Joseph Parker-Junior Fa undercard in February, knocking out Jesse Maio in 29 seconds and signalling his career intentions after Tokyo.
