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Bermudians love their boxing. You only have to look at the crowds swarming into Number One Shed for the annual Fight Night, to work that out.

The February showpiece attracts upwards of 2,000 fans - more than almost every other major sporting event on the island's sporting calendar. But that popularity has not translated into success for the sport.

The Teachers Rugby Club event stands alone as the only annual competition, there is no dedicated full-time boxing gym on the island and there is no national champion in each weight division.

It is 17 years since Bermuda last sent a boxer (Quinton Paynter in 1988, Seoul, Korea) to the Olympics. Until now boxing has relied on a few dedicated individuals to keep the sport afloat.

Coaches like Chucky Renaud and Allan ‘Forty’ Rego train fighters for free in their own time. But there is only so much they can do.

Now the new bosses of the Bermuda Amateur Boxing Association are aiming to take the sport to another level. President Gladwyn Bean, elected last week, wants to bring back the glory days, when fighters like Troy Darrell and Clarence Hill put Bermuda on the world sporting map.

He thinks the talent is still there. But the infrastructure of the sport needs to be improved to maximize the opportunities for the island's wannabe boxers.

The new boxing committee has developed a five-year-plan with the ultimate goal of taking a team to the Olympics.

But their first aim is to bring more boxing to Bermuda and give fighters at least four domestic events each year to train for.

Bean said the establishment of national championships in each weight division was central to the committee's plans.

He said the competition for domestic titles would improve the standard on the island and mean there was always an obvious choice to represent Bermuda in international competition.

Previously teams have gone away to fight in competitions like the Carribean Amateur Boxing Championships, where Bermuda picked up three medals.

But it has been down to the individual gyms to agree on who should go.

Vice president Nelson Bascome, a PLP MP, said he thought there was currently a great impetus to move the sport forward with the likes of Clarence Hill and Troy Darrell becoming involved in training programmes.

The successful return of the Police boxing event also indicates a resurgence for the sport.

“There have been several individuals over the years who have been dedicated to boxing but it has not been organised at a national level,” added Bascome.

Forty Rego, who has been coaching in Bermuda for more than 50 years and is also part of the BABA committee, said he was happy to see boxing moving in the right direction.

“In my experience Bermudians are among the best supporters of boxing anywhere. We love boxing.

“If we plan and put on events it will give the boxers something to train for and keep their interest going.”

The aim of the new committee is to harness that interest and improve the opportunities for people in Bermuda to train and to box.

A dedicated 24-7 boxing gym is one of the 'dreams' of the organization.

Bean said: “We are beating down the door of Government to try and get a gym.

“We know it's a dream, but it is a daydream. We've got our eyes open. We are wide awake and we know what we want to achieve.”

He added that they had the support of the Government and international boxing associations but would be seeking further financial help as the plans developed.

Developing the sport in schools in another option on the table, while Forty Rego is also looking at the possibility of sending talented young boxers to training camps overseas.

The committee believes the sport could be as popular as football and cricket with the right organization.

“We want to take boxing back to what it was 25 years ago, back to the glory days,” added Bean.[[In-content Ad]]

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