A walkover win last weekend secured Harry Garside's place at the Paris Olympics, where he'll attempt to win Australia's first Olympic boxing medal.
Garside's career was at a crossroads earlier this year when he split with legendary trainer Johnny Lewis, who questioned his commitment to the sport when he turned down the opportunity to headline a televised boxing card in his home city of Melbourne, to appear on a reality TV show.
Instead of carving out a professional career and working brick-by-brick to one day fight for a world title like most fighters do, Garside canned attempts to fight as a pro, with his record standing at 3-0 and his last fight in November 2022.
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Most fighters boxing at the Olympics hope to one day become a professional and earn money for their hard work.
But Garside has opted to go the other way.
Such a move isn't exactly popular with some boxing purists, who point to the difference in rules and advantages held by more seasoned pro fighters.
"I think it messes things up," said Freddie Roach, the famed pro trainer in 2021. "I really think they should keep them separate. I don't think it's good for the amateurs, and I think it's really bad for the pros."
Someone who dreamed of pulling on the gloves for the green and gold is undefeated Australian heavyweight Justis Huni.
The Queenslander, who scored his eighth win in as many pro fights on a Matchroom card in Mexico in October, claiming the WBA international belt to go along with his top 15 world ranking, held strong ambitions of becoming the first Australian to win boxing gold.
Huni was all set to compete in Tokyo but injuries suffered against Paul Gallen in 2021 dashed those hopes. Huni told Wide World of Sports he's no longer swayed by Olympic gold but can understand why Garside would still be.
"Since early 2022 I kind of just let go of it," he said. "I wanted to look forward and just focus on my professional career.
"I wish all the amateur fighters all the best that are representing Australia. It's a big thing for Harry. I've travelled a lot with him, a lot of international trips.
"An Olympic gold medal for him is massive. For him to get that close on the last Olympics, I would go back and do the same thing and give it another shot.
"I have nothing but respect for Harry. He's doing what makes him happy and what he wants around his neck is that gold medal."
As an amateur, Garside won gold at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and claimed bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.
The Victorian lost to Cuban Andy Cruz in the semi-final, but still secured Australia's first Olympic medal in the sport for 33 years.
If history is a guide, there's set to be more professional boxers at the Paris Olympics. Fifteen percent of the boxers who competed in Tokyo had professional records, with 36 men and seven women.
That was a steep rise from the three pros who competed with minimal success in Rio de Janeiro, the first Olympics in which professionals were allowed to participate.
"I know the heavyweight boxer I lost to in the qualifiers, the one that won the gold medal from Uzbekistan, he went pro in the COVID period and then went back to the amateurs," Huni explained.
"Our super heavyweight now, Teremoana, he's qualified for the Olympics and he was pro and went back to the amateurs. It happens quite a bit."
Huni believes the added carrot of making history in Australian boxing is a driving factor for Garside.
"It's a big thing for an Australian boxer to win a gold medal that's never been done before. Having that on your resume as well going into the pros is massive.
"That automatically puts you into big money fights straight away, being an Olympics gold medalist.
"It was one of my goals as well but I'm fully focused on the professionals now and working my way up to a world title."
If a gold medal gives a fighter a chance to earn more as a professional, then would it be more financially viable to quit as a pro, to focus on being the best amateur, only to continue as a professional once the Olympics is over?
It may sound strange to the casual observer.
"He's a bit of a strange person," Huni said of Garside with a chuckle.
"He does a lot of out of ordinary things, but that's what makes Harry, Harry. At the end of the day he's going to do what makes him happy."
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