"It was such a shame and just bad luck to draw Nyika first up. At the nationals it's a knockout competition, once you're beaten, you're out. For the first few minutes of the bout Egelani boxed well and he will get his chance, he has plenty of time. The aim is to get him to the stage where he can represent his country and to do that we need to go well at the nationals."
Tofa said fighting in the Elite heavyweight open division, fighters had to weigh in between 81kg and 91kg.
"My boy was at the bottom end of that weight scale and Nyika at the top end and all muscle and abs, no fat. Nyika is also much taller than Egelani. The rules of amateur boxing means he has a 28-day stand down period before he can fight again, but hopefully he will be ready in time to compete at our club championships on November 10," Tofa said.
Taito is the current North Island Golden Gloves champion, having won the title with two 5-0 points wins at the tournament in Taupo in June. Taito has had 12 fights in his amateur career, with 10 required before boxers can qualify for nationals.
Nyika went on to win the title with the referee also stopping the final in the first round. Nyika was seeking to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games.