Rocki Huni has flagged a change of gloves and tactics for son Justis after his torrid path to a 7-0 record raised doubts over the heavyweight world-title prospect's longevity.
The 23-year-old overcame an early slug-fest against New Zealand's Kiki Leutele to earn a unanimous points decision at Brisbane's Nissan Arena on Friday.
But he left the venue nursing two sore hands, subsequently going for scans to investigate any damage.
The situation was complicated when he was rushed to hospital on Tuesday with stomach pain and missed an appointment to check the results of the scans.
Concerns of appendicitis were allayed when tests cleared him of any serious issue.
But the nervous wait will continue until Thursday when Huni meets with the specialist to discuss the extent of his badly bruised hands.
Huni had surgery on his right hand 18 months ago after damaging ligaments in a brutal 10-round defeat of Paul Gallen, leading to a one-year gap between fights.
He has also battled concussion and two bouts of COVID-19 since turning professional.
Two fights planned before next February were set to earn Huni a world ranking and give him a first glimpse at a world-title shot.
Surgery or even a short lay-off to treat his injured hands would scupper that and add further delays to his stagnated journey.
Huni wore half horse-hair and foam gloves against Leutele, a combination that provides less knuckle protection but more punching impact.
Keen to prove there is power to match the skill, Huni duelled in close before a tactical mid-fight shift saw him outclass Leutele from the outside.
Huni's trainer and father Rocki said the fight's contrasts, feedback and outcome had enlightened him.
"He doesn't want to wear those gloves again, that's for sure," Huni senior told AAP.
"He wants to entertain (by looking for an early knockout) and it's great he can change styles on the go like that. But his normal style, he doesn't get hit as often.
"A lot of fans have been in contact with me, saying they'd rather see him use his skills.
"I know which style he needs to fight and as a father (I) don't like seeing him get hit."
That approach means he has had to work overtime on the canvas too, Huni's 52 rounds in seven fights dwarfing former unified world champion Anthony Joshua's early efforts.
Britain's 2012 Olympic champion took just 24 rounds to win first 14 fights after debuting as a 22-year-old.
But Joshua's 24-3 career is also a cautionary tale, his first loss to the bigger Andy Ruiz coming when he tried to overpower him, while Oleksandr Usyk twice beat him with pure skill.
"Justis can do exactly the same thing as Usyk and that's sustainable," the trainer told AAP.
"He's added to his style, knows how to sit on his punches now (after time with trainer Justin Fortune in the United States).
"But he doesn't have to change his style, as long as he sits on the key shots, which he was doing in the later part of that fight."
