Bermuda’s top boxers Andre Lambe, Adrian Roach and Nikki Bascome, have thrown their weight behind nine young fighters heading to Canada for the Brampton Cup.

Mustafa Abdul-Jabbar, Tristan Burgess, Zane Furbert-Tankard, Musa Abdul-Jabbar, Anahj Smith, Hurven-Jay Burgess, Shiloh Cruickshank, Dasha Phillips and Muryah Swan, leave for Ontario on Wednesday and hope to return with medals.

The boxers, drawn from three boxing gyms, Controversy, Aries Sports Centre and Fresh & Hungry, will be in action from Thursday to Sunday.

Roach, the brains behind the trip to a competition in which he competed in 2024 and 2025, believes that based on what he saw during the preparations that the majority of the youth fighters should get on the podium. The super-welterweight fighter will be coaching the young boxers alongside Leo Richardson, Garon Wilkinson and Krista Dyer.

“I see a good majority of them bringing home medals, if not all, and I don’t see a reason why they shouldn’t,” Roach told The Royal Gazette.

“Everybody’s talented and they’ve put in a lot of work over the course of the camp. They’ve done their due diligence and the coaches have been really helpful with professional fighters on the island providing a lot of support to these young fighters.

“They accepted the coaching real well. I think they trust us, especially because they see us putting in the work ourselves and getting results on an international and pro level.

“They take our advice, our word for things and they’ve been growing because of it. For that I’m really proud of them.

“I’m just trying to give them what to expect, what the judges are going to be looking for. It’s a developmental tournament, so they’re going to see a lot of different styles. There’s over 700 boxers that get put in every year, which means it’s going to be a good experience for them with multiple fights.”

Lambe has high expectations for the seven boys and two girls heading out to Canada.

“I’m expecting to see them do really well out there,” the welterweight boxer said.

“It’s their first time doing something like this but from what I’m seeing them do in the gym, they’ve looked really well so I’m expecting them to do pretty good.

“We’ve been coaching them for a couple of weeks. We did some technical work, cardio and fitness, taking them for runs and trying to help boost their egos.

“Working with me has given them the experience of how it’s like to work with professionals. I think that will give them that extra edge when they go out there as well, because they end up working with professionals.

“A lot of them have got good talent and they’re very receptive to what we’ve been saying to them. They all seem keen to learn and they’re all working really hard, so I’m excited to see what they’re going to do out there.”

Bascome, who hosted an open sparring event to help raise funds for the budding fighters at Fresh & Hungry, believes that the young boxers will gain a lot from the trip.

“I think they’ve been really great and that’s my honest opinion,” he said.

“All of them seem like they’ve locked in and seem like they had a good training camp. They’re all sparring, helping each other and they’re all in shape.

“I think it’s going to be a great experience for them, win, lose or draw, and they’re going to get better from it.

“It’s great to take these young boxers to get exposure because you know some things are not really happening in Bermuda as far as competition-wise for boxing.

“It was my idea to do this open sparring as a fundraiser just to give them a hand in raising funds for the trip.

“This is the third one and we’re looking forward to doing the fourth one after this. It’s good for the boxers because they're getting experience and exposure in front of a crowd.

“It was great even though the weather wasn’t that good. I feel like the people that showed up, family and friends gave boxers the support and that’s what really matters, it’s going to get bigger and better.

Bascome’s amateur career started off in Florida and Ohio and with the change in the boxing landscape, he predicts a bright future for the island’s up-and-coming stars.

“My journey was different from these guys,” he said.

“Now is a good time for boxing with a lot of opportunities. I think these young boxers are going to be superstars in the making if they stay dedicated.”

As she prepares for her maiden boxing trip, Swan is counting on her kickboxing experience to carry her through.

“ I’m feeling pretty confident going into my first boxing trip,” the 17-year-old said.

“We’ve been training since the end of October. It’s just been a lot of hard work and Adrian Roach, Leo Richardson and Garon Wilkinson have been good coaches for us.

“It’s been a really good experience so far and I’m just excited to go away in a couple of days. I’m fighting between the 56 to 58kg category.

“I just hope to show out and don’t get nervous when I see my opponents because I tend to do that. I just hope to put my all out there, make Bermuda, my family and myself proud, because of all the hard work I’ve been putting in.

“I usually do boxing as well to get as much training in as I can. When coach Leo mentioned that there was a tournament coming up and he actually wants to be a part of it, I didn’t take time to make a decision.

“I’ve never really fought in boxing and it’s all new to me but I think it’s just as amazing as kickboxing.

“Kickboxing teaches you the fundamentals of punching. I find kickboxing a bit more tiring because of takedowns and all the kicking and punching, but in boxing it’s only punches, so it’s kind of easier.”

Cruickshank, a former top junior optimist sailor, is delighted to represent Bermuda in a different sporting code.

“I feel really excited because it’s been a couple of years since I went away to compete for a team,” he said.

“I’ve never been to Canada before. I want to make some new friends and just experience their culture.

“I want to come back with a medal. I’ve been consistent with my training and everybody around me has been putting in a lot of work.

“My coaches have a lot of faith in me. What is left is for me to have belief in my capabilities and deliver in the ring.”