"That was scary” - Rattled Eddie Hearn reacts to Jai Opetaia’s brutal KO win over David Nyika

Jai Opetaia successfully defended his IBF and The Ring cruiserweight world titles against fellow Australasian fighter David Nyika. Both pugilists entered the ring undefeated at 26-0 and 10-0, respectively, in what was billed as one of the best fights in the division by promoter Eddie Hearn, who organized the event.

With Opetaia having been hailed as the most in-form fighter in the world by Hearn, the cruiserweight champion proved exactly why the Matchroom Boxing chairman shared such high praise. The Australian secured a brutal fourth-round knockout finish after a back-and-forth war with Nyika.

But it seems that the viciousness of the undefeated fighter's victory was imprinted on Hearn's brain, as he shared the following words while talking to media in Opetaia's locker room:

"I was actually really pleased that David [Nyika] is okay, because that was scary."

When asked if he had seen any similar knockout finishes in recent fights, Hearn said this:

"Not really, no. Francis Ngannou vs. [Anthony Joshua], the same kind of thing. But [Nyika] was out for a long time. So thank God he's okay."

Check out Eddie Hearn discussing Jai Opetaia's win below (2:15):

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Eddie Hearn wants Oleksandr Usyk vs. Jai Opetaia in the near future

Jai Opetaia's joy at cruiserweight continues as he successfully defended his IBF and The Ringworld titles against David Nyika in front of home fans on Jan. 8. The 29-year-old is now searching for title unification bouts and has eyes on Gilberto Ramirez's WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles next.

For Opetaia's promoter, Eddie Hearn, an undisputed cruiserweight title victory is all but a necessity. The Matchroom Boxing chairman is eager to secure a mega-fight against former undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in the near future.

Following the Australian's recent victory over Nyika, Hearn was interviewed by The Stomping Ground, discussing his client's future.

He said this:

"With Usyk, he's not really someone you can necessarily call out. He's that good, he's achieved so much [that] you've got to let your credentials do the speaking. To do that, you need to become undisputed [champion] at cruiserweight. That's got to be the aim for Jai. We have to try and make that Ramirez fight next, then we've got to try and grab that WBC [title]. Then the fight with Usyk starts to actually look like it could be a possibility."

Check out Eddie Hearn's comments on Jai Opetaia's future below (1:35):