Clarence Hill has urged Nikki Bascome not to waste his “special talent” and believes that the boxer must leave Bermuda to fulfil his potential.

Hill, Bermuda’s only Olympic medal-winner, fears that Bascome is in danger of missing his window of opportunity and should move to the United States, where he will experience better sparring and have greater opportunities.

Undefeated Bascome has had five bouts since turning professional three years ago, and at the age of 26, Hill believes it is time for the welterweight to step out of his comfort zone.

“Every time I see Nikki I ask him, ‘Do you have family living in the States?’,” said Hill, who won bronze in the heavyweight division at the 1976 Montreal Games. “He said he does, so I suggested to him, ‘Why don’t you ask if you can stay with them for four or five months, get some good sparring and more fights under your belt.

“He goes away to Orlando to spar, so why doesn’t he just stay there — why come back home? If people saw him fight over there, trust me, they would fall in love with him.

“Nikki has a small window and it’s only open for a certain amount of time.

“If you don’t jump to it, it will close on you.”

Hill admits it is important for a prospect to build confidence with winnable fights, but after several one-sided bouts he believes that Bascome needs to be facing higher-calibre opponents.

“You don’t want to put him in there with anyone who will give him a hard go at the start,” Hill said. “You want him to get a few wins to make him feel good about himself, but he’s done that now so what are they waiting for?

“It gives Nikki a false sense of himself and he needs to be in the ring with someone who can give him a challenge, so he can see what he’s capable of against high-quality opponents.”

Bascome made light work of Donny Miller in his previous bout at the Berkeley Institute last month, stopping the American journeyman in the second round.

Although Miller, a 39-year-old with seven wins in 29 bouts, was the most experienced opponent Bascome has faced, Hill doubts how much the Bermudian actually gained from such a lopsided outing.

“The last guy he fought was nearly 40, a journeyman; he was just here to make money and not actually try to beat Nikki,” said Hill, who won 17 and drew one of his 20 professional bouts before retiring in 1986.

“What’s the point of putting Nikki in the ring with someone like that? You can’t keep giving him walkovers; you’re walking him down the wrong aisle.”

Hill considers Bascome as the best boxer the island has produced in decades and believes he has the ring smarts and attractive style to make a name for himself overseas.

He rates him higher than Roy Johnson, another welterweight, who represented Bermuda at the 1972 Munich Olympics before turning professional, winning 12 and drawing three of his 23 fights.

“Nikki is the best we’ve had for a long time,” he said. “Roy Johnson was pretty good, but he ain’t got nothing on Nikki Bascome.

“I’ve seen Clarence Hill at heavyweight, and Clarence Hill ain’t got too much on Nikki Bascome. He has the ability to go far in the game as he’s a talented and intelligent fighter.

“Nikki doesn’t go out there and fight you like a pitbull, he thinks the game of boxing. When he gets you in trouble he knows how to take you out. I love the guy and I see the talent the young guy has.”