Andre Lambe is eager to step back into the ring and resume his burgeoning professional career.

The 25-year-old made a scintillating start to life in the paid ranks with a first-round stoppage against Canadian Mat Hinchey in front of a capacity home crowd at the Fairmont Southampton almost exactly a year ago.

However, since then, Lambe has been denied the opportunity to build on that momentum, with the Covid-19 pandemic not only halting his professional journey but curtailing much of the sporting calendar for the past 12 months.

“It’s a little crazy to think it was a year ago that I had my first professional fight,” said Lambe, reflecting back on that memorable evening. “That was definitely the highlight of my boxing career so far.

“I had done everything I wanted to as an amateur and it was just incredible to have a professional debut like that. I had maybe been a little overshadowed in the boxing community up until that point, but I think I showed everyone what I’m capable of.

“After that first fight, I wanted to be as active as possible and keep that momentum going. The past year has been really frustrating because I was hoping and expecting to have had at least five professional fights by now.

“It’s been difficult, though, because everything was starting to click and then it all just stopped. I’m just trying to remain ready and keep my skills at the highest level possible so when the time comes to get back in the ring, I’ll be ready. ”

That return to the ring is as yet still scheduled for March, when Lambe is set to face Jamaican Toriano Nicholas in a rescheduled bout from last year.

“I haven’t heard any different from the organisers, so I think it is still going ahead,” added Lambe, who is poised to once again form a triumvirate of local professional boxers fighting on the same card, along with Nikki Bascome and Michael Parsons.

“I’m really eager to get back into the ring.”

Whether or not that bout goes ahead as planned, one opportunity the super-light weight is determined to grasp in the coming weeks is the chance to head over to United States to link up with Impact Boxing Gym in Florida.

“As soon as I get my passport back, I’ll be looking to head out to the United States,” added Lambe, who spoke of his desire to venture out of the comfort zone of Bermuda and broaden his boxing horizons.

“I’ll be linking up with Impact Boxing Gym to spar and gain some more experience with them. The eventual plan is to also hopefully get some fights out of that gym, too.

“It’s a really exciting opportunity because they’ve got some top guys at that gym, so it should be a great experience. I just want to get back in the ring and get back into the swing of it.

“The plan was always to try and head out to the US and train. For me it’s all about gaining some experience and seeing different things.

“Boxing in Bermuda is great for such a small place, but there is only so much you can do here. At some point you have to venture out and see different things.

“I feel like I need to experience different things and step out of my comfort zone to help me grow further. It’s about testing myself and not being comfortable.

“You can be a bit too comfortable in Bermuda and that can be a negative in some ways. There’s a danger of becoming lazy; being tested gives you that hunger to push on, and that’s what I want.”