BOXING might not be everybody's cup of tea. Indeed, there are many, women in particular, who find it repugnant.

Medical experts would throw in some compelling evidence to support the argument that the risks far outweigh the health benefits.

We need only look at Muhammad Ali to see the tragic results of a career in the ring. A man once hailed and still considered by many as 'The Greatest', has been reduced to a frail, incoherent invalid - almost certainly as a result of the continued pounding he endured during the latter years of his career.

On looking at Ali now, it's difficult to argue against the sport's detractors.

Yet for every ring fatality - and there have been far too many - and for every fighter who has suffered life-threatening injuries, there are thousands who will tell you that it was boxing that turned their lives around.

Kids who once hung about on street corners became champions. Many more learned, through hours in the gym and the rigours of training, discipline that would last a lifetime.

In short, boxing gave them self-esteem, it made them a better person.

With proper regulation and the required headgear, it could be argued that amateur boxing, at least, is no more dangerous than any other contact sport.

We've seen horrific injuries in rugby, American football, ice hockey and most notably in all motor sports, yet opponents rarely call for such activities to be discontinued, certainly not with same passion of the anti-boxing brigade.

Whatever one's opinion on the sport, Bermudians should be immensely proud of the two fighters, Trace Easton and Sharieff Wales, who last week won gold at the Caribbean Amateur Boxing Championships in the Bahamas.

Strangely, considering Bermuda's rich boxing history, these were the first medals we've ever won in more than 20 years of competing in the Caribbean.

Unwittingly perhaps, what Easton and Wales may have done is not only give their own careers a huge shot in the arm, but provide a massive boost for a sport which locally has been virtually dormant over the past decade.

Freddie Thomas' illustrious pro career, Clarence Hill's 1976 Olympic bronze, Troy Darrell's sensational climb up the world middleweight rankings and Quinn Paynter's participation in the 1988 Seoul Olympics are all but distant memories.

Internationally, Bermuda has rarely competed in recent years.

But, hopefully the success of Easton and Wales will breathe new life into the sport and help inspire others.

Already both have set their sights on this summer's Pan-Am Games in the Dominican Republic with next year's Olympics in Athens another target to aim for.

It would be wonderful if they could achieve both.

And much could depend on how well they are supported here at home.

For boxing to thrive again, a programme needs to be devised which will allow more youngsters to train and learn the trade, and facilities upgraded. What would naturally follow would be an increase in the number of organised 'fight nights'.

Sports Minister Randy Horton was in Nassau to witness the Bermuda pair strike gold last weekend. And he was no doubt impressed by what he saw.

Given the huge crowds that always seem to turn out whenever a fight card of any sort is put on in Bermuda, and given the Island's past success in the sport, he might have realised his Sports Ministry could do a lot worse than invest in the fight game.

- ADRIAN ROBSON