Featherweight Troy Nash Jnr did something you don’t often see in modern boxing: In just his fourth professional fight, Nash fought an undefeated pro fighter with hundreds of amateur bouts – and won.

Nash defeated Alexander Kovrigin via split decision in the opening round of the WBC Grand Prix at Global Theater Boulevard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

The 19-year-old Nash, 4-0 (1 KO), knew it would be a tough fight for both boxers, but Kovrigin had the edge in experience. Once Nash heard the news of who he would be fighting, he was calm.

“My son told me, ‘All those amateur fights don’t matter. I am going to show why the United States has the best professional boxers’,” Nash Snr told BoxingScene. “He knew what he had to do. Use a good jab, use his feints, and he executed the game plan perfectly.”

Kazakhstan’s Kovrigin, 8-1 (6 KOs), 24, entered the fight with vast amateur and professional experience. He didn’t lack confidence, as Nash Snr recalled the words he uttered to his son at the weigh-in.

“He told my son, ‘Welcome to the big leagues’ the day before,” Nash Snr said. “Then he said, ‘I am going to show you something tomorrow.’”

Those words fueled the younger Nash, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, who, despite winning 15 national titles in USA Boxing, has gone largely overlooked since turning pro in March 2024. Despite Nash’s success as an amateur, the father-son duo initially found themselves having to do it on their own. Entering the WBC Grand Prix was a huge – but calculated – risk, as they equated it to a national tournament, the sort of event that can jump-start a career. 

“We know what we have with my son,” Nash Snr said his son’s small team. “We believe in him, but we are also reasonable. We looked at all the fighters in this tournament and felt this was a great opportunity to show his talent to the world.”

The risk paid off. Nash Jnr has been one of the breakout storylines early in the tournament – even if the narrow win over Kovrigin didn’t impress the fighter himself.

“He said he was disappointed to get a split decision – to him, it just didn’t sound right,” Nash Snr said. “He thought it was a decisive victory and felt like those who didn’t watch the fight would judge him based on a split decision. He is funny that way.”

Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.