Little did Sideline Sid know that when he called a 16-year-old David Nyika into the ring at the 2011 Boxing New Zealand National Championships, that a decade later, the Auckland boxer would represent his country at the Olympic Games.
One of the real pleasures of two decades of ring announcing, is watching the development of young boxers entering the ring for the first time, into competitors who are confident of their ability in combat.
David Nyika is set to become the 31st Kiwi boxer represent New Zealand at the Olympics, since Charlie Purdy made his entrance at the 1924 Olympic Games held in Paris, France.
Fifty years ago, jackpot fever swept the country as thousands of punters thronged race courses throughout the country in their search for the mythical pot of gold.
The vision of Bay of Plenty Racing Club President Mr WS Holland and live wire club administrator Ian McEwan, which kicked off with a modest pool of just $733 on the 22nd March 1969, gripped the country until the Government changed the rules around five years later.
The old sweepstake betting which was in vogue before the turn of the (twentieth) century, had never been abolished, so jackpot betting was legal as long as the entire pool was redistributed to the investors.
Sideline Sid almost fell of his chair on Monday nigh, when the One News sports presenter decided to give his 10 G.O.A.T s (Greatest Of All Time) athletes, giving the number one spot to Tom Brady, who had just claimed his seventh NFL Super Bowl title.
While he is sure to come under social media fire, putting Brady ahead of such as Tiger Woods, Serena Williams and not ranking Muhammad Ali - it s his opinion and he is entitled to his view.
It got Sideline Sid thinking about what an impossible task to try to rank the greatest of all time in anything.