London's Olympics have been a knockout, but there's no doubt in my mind who has been Britain's biggest hit of the Games.

Mo Farah, Jess Ennis, Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton? Yes, they all come close, as does Anthony Joshua, who now has the world at his fists as the new golden boy of British boxing.

But one performance stands out for me. That of Nicola Adams, the perfect example of girl power who, in becoming the first Olympic female boxing champion, has done much for women's rights – and lefts.

I confess I've fallen in love with the little Leeds larruper, in the nicest possible way. She's such a sweetheart out of the ring yet such a demon inside it.

Yet while, big Josh now stands to make more dosh than any other winner in these Games – including Usain Bolt – Nicola may become famous but she'll never be remotely near as rich.

The little and large of Britain's most successful-ever boxing squad contrast not only in size. Joshua has a potential goldmine; Nicola a gold medal – and, er, that's it. More or less. Never mind all that Million Dollar Baby talk, there's no money in women's boxing.

When I arrived home from the ExCeL on Sunday and mentioned that Joshua's Olympic title would be worth its weight in gold my wife asked: "But what about the little girl?"

Good question. She will continue to depend on the Lottery for her funding as she heads to defend her title in Rio in 2016, whereas Joshua has won the jackpot.

Anthony Joshua celebrates after the medal ceremony for the London 2012 men's super heavy boxing final

When he turns pro – and whatever he may be saying now he surely will – he will be worth a king's ransom.

Perhaps even a Don King's ransom should the octogenarian United States impresario throw his cheque book into the ring where fistfuls of rivals from both sides of the Atlantic scrabble for his signature.

They may have to wait a while but sooner rather than later the 22-year-old from Finchley, North West London, will be following the pro path taken by former Olympic heavyweight champs including Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klitschko and Audley Harrison.

He is a lucky young man. Especially so because to be brutally honest  I thought he lost his opening bout to the classy Cuban Erislandy Savón and also the final against Italy's veteran reigning champion Roberto Cammarelle, the countback after an 18-18 points draw going in his favour having a somewhat home-town flavour.

Cammarelle, whose corner officially protested, is a Milanese policeman who must have felt like arresting the judges on suspicion of robbery.

Only two other Britons, Audley Harrison (Sydney 2000) and Lennox Lewis (Seoul 1988) have won the super-heavyweight crown – although Lewis was representing Canada at the time.

Anthony Joshua (centre) celebrates with former world heavweight boxing champion and fellow countryman Lennox Lewis (right) and British Olympic gold medallist Audley Harrison (left

One hopes that Joshua turns out more like Lewis than Harrison as a pro.

Both were at ringside for the final – as was Wladimir Klitschko, who would be keen to add Joshua to the German-based promotional stable run by himself and his brother Vitali, grooming him as their successor.

British promoters Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn are also in contention but soon after the fight Joshua was in deep conversation with Amir Khan who aims to become a promoter in his own right and whose US backers Golden Boy sent their chief executive Richard Schaefer to size up the Londoner.

So there are many options for this British-born son of Nigerian parents whose rise has been meteoric after taking up boxing only four years ago. As a kid he was a talented footballer, who could run 11 seconds for the 100 metres by the time he was 15. His fleet-footedness helps make him special, a more nimble, less robotic version of Frank Bruno.

In boxing terms he is still a baby, with only 43 bouts, but at 6ft 6in and 17st he has vital commodities for greatness – a good chin and a decent punch.

However he could have thrown it all away early last year when he was arrested for a drugs offence and suspended from the British squad. He received a 12-month community order and 100 hours' unpaid work. "That arrest changed a lot," he said. "It forced me to grow up and respect my responsibilities."

Joshua says it has never been about money, only medals, and that he would like to stay amateur as long as possible. He could certainly do with a few more bouts buy as Khan, who took the pro plunge after his Athens silver, will have pointed out, there is always the risk of defeat or injury that would devalue the cash return on that Olympic medal.

Luke Campbell is declared winner on a 14-11 points decision over John Joe Nevin of Ireland in the London 2012 bantamweight boxing final

This is the same thought that almost certainly is in the minds of Britain's other men's Olympic medalists, notably bantamweight Luke Campbell, who boxed superbly for his own  gold, silver medal welterweight Fred Evans and bronze medal middleweight Anthony Ogogo.

Yet becoming an Olympic champion is no guarantee of success – ask Audley. Up to London 2012, since the war there have been 226 gold old medallists in the last 16 Olympics. Only 29 became world champions.

And none of Britain's gold medallists of the last 56 years have done so: Terry Spinks, Dick McTaggart (who never turned pro) Chris Finnegan and Harrison, although James DeGale may yet have a chance.

The boxing tournament was among the most impressive of the Games events, due not only to AIBA's Dr C K Wu but also in no small measure to Terry Edwards, the GB coach in Beijing who was in charge of the sports technical operation after turning down an approach to coach the US men. In view of their abysmal performance, medal-less for the first time in their history, the Americans clearly could have done with him.

Rob McCracken, the coach who succeeded him has done a terrific job as has the chairman of the British Amateur Boxing Association, Derek Mapp in organising the appliance of science and technical resources at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield that helped make GB the top Olympic boxing nation and the envy of world boxing. Like the medal winner themselves, they deserve a gong.

How ridiculous, though, that McCracken remains barred from the corner under AIBA rules because of his association with professional boxers, including Carl Froch. Yet the international governing body are blatantly professionalising the only sport in the Olympics which has the prefix "amateur". From the next Games in Rio, head guards and probably vests will be discarded and a pro-style 10-point scoring system introduced. There is even talk of allowing young pros to compete and there is already substantial prize money available on their World Series circuit.

So banning pro coaches is a hypocritical nonsense and the sooner Dr Wu, who is known to have his eyes on the main prize, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Presidency, recognises this, the better. It demeans the sport.

And here's another thought for him.

Nicola Adams became the first woman to win an Olympic boxing gold medal

So powerful has been the impact of women's boxing in London, why not add a female tournament to the World Series, thus giving due monetary reward to the likes of Nicola Adams, American Claressa Shields, the Olympic middleweight champion and the supreme Irish female fighting machine Katie Taylor?

Nicola has won the nation's hearts – as well as my own – and she seems to have won over many sceptics who disliked the idea of ladies who punch, among them, I suspect, Khan.

He watched her in action at the ExCeL, explaining the finer points to the British Prime Minister, but the last time I saw him when a women's bout was featured there a couple of years ago  he wasn't actually watching, but burying his head in Boxing News. He wasn't a fan, he admitted.

Times change, as thankfully has the British Boxing Writers' Club, not only with a timely lifting of their 60-year ban on women attending their annual dinner – albeit on a split decision – but inviting Charlotte Leslie, the female Tory MP who heads the All Parliamentary Boxing Group, to be the principal speaker.

Be my guest, Nicola.

Alan Hubbard is an award-winning sports columnist for The Independent on Sunday, and a former sports editor of The Observer. He has covered a total of 16 Summer and Winter Olympics, 10 Commonwealth Games, several football World Cups and world title fights from Atlanta to Zaire.