Kiwi fighter David Nyika may have been denied a chance to progress to the semi-finals of the world amateur boxing championships in Germany overnight, but that shouldn't detract from the bright future he has in store, says boxing expert Mike Angove.
Nyika looked to have completed a convincing win in his quarter-final bout in Hamburg against Rio Olympic champion Evgeny Tishchenko, but the judges saw differently – baffling both the crowd and commentators alike in awarding a points decision victory to his Russian opponent.
"He clearly won the fight, in terms of both ring control and shots landed," the former professional boxer, turned commentator and analyst told Newshub.
"In very close fights you're always going to have a level of controversy, but in fights like today you really shouldn’t see what occurred there, which was a comprehensive out-pointing of the Russian world champ."
While the devastation of the farcical judge's decision was written all over the young New Zealander's face, Angove believes once the immediate aftermath of the loss wanes, there will be plenty of positives Nykia will be able to take from the experience.
"Yes he was ripped off, yes the judges should've been wearing balaclavas, but there's time for him to come back from this, and I think he'll take quite a great deal of confidence by how he performed so well against a current world champ and Olympic medallist.
"The crowd knew who won, the commentators knew who won, and quite clearly he's proved himself to the top competitors at the very, very highest level."
The Commonwealth gold-medallist dictated terms throughout the contest, tagging Tishchenko consistently with his jab while utilising his startling quickness to evade the counter shots, at times confounding his more experienced adversary.
The improvement shown since he burst on to the scene has been glaring, and Angove believes he has all the attributes to thrive on the professional stage.
However, that thought seems secondary in Nyika's mind, at least at this stage. Performing well at competitions such as these are undoubtedly helpful, but it's success on an Olympic level which provides the most natural transition to the realms of professionalism.
That's currently where Angove thinks the 22-year-old's ambitions lie and, according to him, rightly so.
"Quite simply, If you've got an Olympic medal that increases your brand value when you do decide to turn pro."
The list of world champions who have translated their Olympic accomplishments to the professional arena is a long one, and includes British phenomenon and current WBC heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
"It paves the way for a lot easier pathway for a pro – for endorsements, sponsorships and getting great trainers involved at the very early stages of your career. It’s a sensible move."
Such lofty goals are well justified in Angove's eyes, who sees plenty to be excited about in the young Hamiltonian whose decision to relocate to England to work with the Great Britain team is already paying dividends.
"Working in that environment when he's regularly getting world class, and that's what he's needed, and that's why he's improved greatly.
"I think there's absolutely no doubt that he's got the capability to be world champ, particularly within the current environment.
"But the goal now is Olympic gold, and I think he's tracking pretty well."
Newshub.
