Nikki Bascome has reaffirmed his reputation as the bright young hope of Bermuda boxing after winning his division at the Platinum Gloves Tournament in Florida.

The 19-year-old welterweight's recent ring triumph in the Sunshine State follows his gold medal performance at the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic in Ohio earlier this year.

En route to his Platinum Gloves victory last weekend, Bascome battled to a points decision win over an uncompromising Haitian fighter, knocked out an American rival before beating a tricky Mexican, also on points.

Bascome plans to fight at least 50 amateur bouts before turning professional but not before following in the footsteps of Clarence Hill, the Island's only Olympic medallist, by representing his country at the 2012 London Games.

"It feels good (winning the Platinum Gloves) and I just want to thank everyone who has believed in me and helped me to get where I am," said Bascome from his Florida training base.

"My goal is to have at least 50 amateur fights because I only have another two years before the Olympics and want to get as much experience as I can before the qualifying tournaments.

"If I do make it to the Olympics I'll be real happy. If I don't make it I'll then turn pro.

"I want to follow the likes of Clarence Hill, Troy Darrell, Quinn Paynter, Gary Hope and Roy Johnson – all the former top Bermuda boxers."

Bascome heads home from Florida on Monday and will train for a few days before leaving for the CAC Games in Puerto Rico where he will go toe-to-toe with the region's top pugilists.

Also competing in the Isle of Enchantment will be Ja'Nos Lindsay who makes up the other half of Bermuda's two-man boxing team.

"I'm training my hardest and we'll have to see how it goes down there in Puerto Rico," said Bascome, who won a bronze medal at the Caribbean Amateur Boxing Association (CABA) Championships in Trinidad two years ago. "I never know who I'm fighting but as long as I'm training good I feel confident I can do something."

The man charged with refining Bascome's undisputed potential is veteran local trainer Allan (Forty) Rego, who honed the talents of both Hill and Darrell in their heydays.

Over the past two years Rego has exposed his protégé to a strong dose of overseas competition by having him spar regularly in gyms across Florida.

And he now believes the sky is the limit for 'quick learner' Bascome who improved his amateur record to 8-1 last week.

"Nikki can go all the way. Right now he needs a lot more gym fights because they're often tougher than the actual fights," he said.

"His only amateur defeat came when I first started training him and since then he has come a long way and learned a lot in a short amount of time."

A long-standing quarrel between the Bermuda Amateur Boxing Association (BABA) and Rego will prevent him from accompanying Bascome to boxing hotbed Puerto Rico.

And without being there himself to guide and advise his young boxer, Rego has strong reservations about Bascome fighting at the CAC Games.

"To be truthful I'm not comfortable with Nikki going out there without my supervision," he said. "The competition is keen in Puerto Rico as they've so many gyms down there.

"You may come up against a boxer who has only had one or two competition fights but had one or two hundred fights in the gym."

Rego said both he and former top pro Darrell were suspended in 2002 by the BABA from working with amateur fighters at major events because of their professional status.

"In practically every gym in the US, amateurs are being trained by professionals," said Rego. "If you want to learn something you go to a professional.

"I mean, Troy Darrell was a son of the soil, a world class boxer. And me, I've been a pro since 1956!"