When Clarence Hill's victory over Belgian Rudy Gauwe in a Canadian ring ensured Bermuda's place in the Olympic history books, boxing should have taken off on this Island.

But despite the heavyweight picking up bronze in 1976, making the Island the least populous country ever to win a medal in Pierre de Coubertin's modern games, the sport has been punching well below its weight ever since.

And this, according to former world number five middleweight Troy Darrell, is heart-breaking.

A mixture of poor facilities and the well-documented fall from grace of Hill ensured that boxing has failed to reach its heavyweight potential, despite the successes of fighters such as Darrell and Teresa Perozzi, currently the Island's only professional.

"It is heart-breaking, it really is," said Darrell, who sorely misses the fight game after 23 years in the ring.

"You'd think the sport would have really gone crazy here, but it just didn't happen. It is a real shame, but it is one of those things.

"Clarence went pro and had a good stint, but the youth never really caught on. But it is not too late for boxing and with people like Forty Rego around, there is still hope for us all.

"Boxing is such a great sport and it can give an individual so much. With this facility here, kids are being taken off the street ? once you learn to fight, you don't want to fight."

Such has been the historic lack of facilities here, that even when Darrell returned to his homeland during his pro career, he was forced to train on the beach ? the only suitable place on the Island.

But Darrell is hoping the golden age can still come, with Rego's home the place it can happen.

"We have got some promising youngsters down here," he added.

"Some people are just into boxing to stay fit, but we have some good boys in their 18s, 19s and 20s and I think there might be a medal in their somewhere.

"It is such a shame that we had one of the best amateurs in the world in Clarence but we never got a chance to stay in the international spotlight, a real shame."