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The launch of the National Boxing Series brought with it a ten-bell salute to the late Dwight Ritchie, which served as a chance for those in the sport to find solace following the death that rocked the sport little more than a week ago.
And the look of joy on unbeaten cruiserweight Jai Opetaia's face following his win over Mark Flanagan at the Hordern Pavilion on Saturday night was just the tonic the home crowd needed.
Flanagan (24-8) did not return for the ninth round, which sees Opetaia move to 19-0 and one step closer to a world title shot.
Ritchie's untimely death following a sparring session with Michael Zerafa shines a light on the sheer brutality of the sweet science.
But for those truly entrenched in the sport, there can be little doubt as to why they lace up the gloves and step inside the squared circle.
For Opetaia, it is for the kids he spent time with in the Marist Boxing club in Samoa. It is for those that use him as inspiration when they file into Joe's Gym in Lotopa, a village on the island of Upolu with a population of 1661.
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It is for the national flags of Australia and Samoa which hung in his dressing room and adorned his trunks in his battle with former world title challenger Flanagan.
Now the promising 24-year-old is one step closer to the pinnacle of the sport with D&L Events promoter Dean Lonergan edging the rising star towards a world championship opportunity.
Flanagan started to find his rhythm midway through the opening round with an array of body shots, leaving Opetaia's corner to offer a constant reminder: "get back on the jab".
Once Opetaia settled in under the bright lights of a main event being beamed around the nation, it seemed as though the official passing of the torch could come at any moment.
Flanagan has for so long been the gatekeeper in the Australian cruiserweight division - a weight class which now belongs to the Sydney-born young gun.
A third round knockdown saw Opetaia establish his dominance. The only time he would find himself dropping to the canvas was in the aftermath of a shot below the belt in the fourth.
Even then he would not stay down for long, smiling at Flanagan and saying "come on bro, let's go".
A right hand dropped Flanagan in the seventh round and it was followed by a barrage in the eighth. From there, Flanagan would not return for round nine, leaving Canberra product and ring announcer Stephen Peios to announce Opetaia as the victor.
Among those who had piled into the esteemed Sydney venue were the likes of Jeff Fenech, Jack Brubaker and Rob Whittaker.
Ritchie was perhaps never far from the minds of those in the venue, not least of which welterweight Darragh Foley in the midst of his 78-75, 77-74, 77-74 unanimous decision win over Jameson Bacon.
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For on his trunks was a cowboy hat, with three letters written underneath: RIP.
Foley intends on auctioning off the shorts and donating the proceeds to the Ritchie family, for whom a fundraiser had already garnered more than $36,000 before the bout.
That number is set to skyrocket after a piece signed by Fenech and Azumah Nelson - who shared a storied trilogy - was auctioned off in centre ring for $6000 with proceeds going to the Ritchie family.
"He was a great fighter, a great human," Fenech said.