Bermuda now has a certified team of officials to facilitate professional boxing events.

Gladwin Philips, Anthony Mouchette, Nolette Webb, Monigue Heyliger, Talia Iris, Claudelle Richardson, Zenji Ingham, Trey Simons, Ed Harris, Shaun Richards, Dirk Evelyn and Dwayne Cox have all successfully completed the Boxing Inspectors Certification exam, which was administered by Florida Commissioner of Boxing and Combat Sports and American Boxing Commission Instructor Timothy Shipman at Coco Reef last month.

“The executive members of the Bermuda Boxing Commission would like to extend congratulations to the Operations Team for their hard work in achieving this important certification,” BBC commissioner Oscar Lightbourne said.

Successful candidate and BBC executive Webb will now finalise Bermuda’s membership at the annual American Boxing Commission Conference, which will be held in Texas in July.

This now brings the island’s total of certified judges and referees to 24, which surpasses the minimum requirement to host professional boxing events.

“We have exceeded the necessary numbers so if somebody gets sick I can go to a pool and pick somebody,” Lightbourne added.

“Everybody is cross trained and they are all required to meet the American Boxing Commission standard in order to be certified.”

Lightbourne said the successful candidates were highly motivated to sit the exam.

“They were excited because it’s somewhat a first in many avenues that we have had the opportunity to have certified officials in order for us to gain international recognition and to be able to have guys like Tony Mouchette on the Eastern Seaboard register for New Jersey and New York,” he added.

“He can get a call at any time to officiate a fight at Madison Square Garden, so it's an incentive for the others to be able to say I want that opportunity as well, and that’s what we are striving for.

“It also demonstrates to other international bodies like the World Boxing Organisation that there are certified officials in Bermuda so let’s go have a fight there, so you see the window that exists.”

The BBC now boasts eleven certified judges, 12 inspectors and one official referee in Mouchette on their roster.