Adrian Roach has received an enormous confidence boost as he makes the transition to the professional ranks.

The Crandall University student is on a high after being named as his school’s boxer of the year at their annual awards ceremony after his outstanding exploits in the ring over the past year.

“I am really happy to be recognised for my efforts this past year like beating some of the top names in Canada and going up against some of the top names in the United States,” the super welterweight told The Royal Gazette.

“I'm glad that my school and the athletics department decided to acknowledge me for that and it’s definitely rewarding. Big thanks to my coaches, team and support system.”

The Bermudian amateur impressed when competing for his school at last month’s Brampton Cup in Ontario, where he lost on a split decision against rival Alexander Campbell in the super welterweight Elite Open B final after beating the top-two ranked rivals along the way.

Roach, who enrolled at Crandall in 2021, can hardly wait to step up to the professional ranks and follow in the footsteps of other Bermudian fighters, such as Clarence Hill, who won the island’s first Olympic medal (bronze) at the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal, Canada.

“I am really determined to turn professional this year and just going forward and changing gears to that,” he said.

“I'm looking forward to turning professional and capitalising off the trail that people like Nikki Bascome, Andre Lambe, Troy Darrell, Clarence Hill and Michael Parsons laid out for us on the island, people that have gone professional previous to me and done big things in the sport. I am really looking forward to that and I am just glad to have been recognised.”