Nikki Bascome, the Bermuda boxer, has left no stone unturned as he prepares for his professional debut in Haines City, Florida, this month.

The 23-year-old has spent several weeks in the Sunshine State training at respected gyms used by famed pugilists Miquel Cotto, a former three-weight world champion, and Andre Berto, a two-times world champion.

He has also racked up rounds of sparring with Vivian Harris, the former light welterweight world champion, before his bout on February 22 against an unnamed opponent, who, like Bascome, will be making his professional debut.

Allan “Forty” Rego, Bascome’s trainer, heads to Florida later this week where he intends to gather as much information as he can on Bascome’s foe.

“It’s important to put your fighter in a fight that he’s in a position to be comfortable in and against somebody equally as good,” Rego said. “You don’t want a flop fight; you need a good fight so people can see you.

“You have to be careful with the politics side of boxing. There’s always somebody who wants to make some money, so you need to place your fighter against someone that you have some sort of information on.

“As of right now, I don’t have too much information on this guy Nikki’s going to fight, but I definitely will have it. You have to do your homework.”

Rego believes Bascome has been ready to advance from the amateur code for some time, but felt that it was important not to rush the welterweight’s evolution into becoming a prizefighter. He said there were plenty of hard-luck stories about boxers who had been pushed too soon and, as a result, failed to survive the pitfalls of the professional game.

“Nikki has done pretty well in the [United States] regional amateur fights,” said Rego, who trained the unbeaten Bascome throughout his ten-bout amateur career.

“You get a lot of scouts out there all the time. They will look at your fighter and say, ‘He’s a good fighter but not good enough to beat my guy.’ They then tell you that he’s good enough to make a good showing and you have to watch those fights because they will try and slip one in on you. You have to be careful. Some people get too excited too soon and don’t look where they are going.”

Bascome’s workaholic approach to training and his willingness to make the required sacrifices have helped to overcome some of the frustrations and challenges that inevitably come with being based, for the most part, on a small island.

Rego, however, insists that Bascome has never allowed himself to adopt an amateur mentality, even before the decision was made to turn professional.

“You have to make sure you’re in condition all the time,” Rego said. “Nikki’s a conditioned fighter; he trains very hard. His day starts at five in morning [with road running] because he has to be physically fit, especially when he goes to the US.

“He can’t fight ‘open’ here as we don’t really have the sparring partners, which means he isn’t able to punch hard. But he’s been sparring with a lot of top professionals like Vivian Harris and trained with the boys at Cotto’s gym and Berto’s gym, places like that.

“We’ve always trained Nikki pro-style, so when it came to [turning professional] he would be ready.”