Nikki Bascome hopes to make inroads towards a shot at another title in his welterweight bout with Kevin “Busboy” Hylton, which will headline Epic Entertainment’s Bermuda versus Jamaica fight card at The Shed, in Dockyard, tomorrow night.

The 31-year-old made the revelation in response to queries about his future in the sport at this stage of his career.

“I still want to fight for another belt and move up to ten rounds,” Bascome told The Royal Gazette. “But right now my focus is on Saturday night. I want to win this fight and go from there.”

The Bermudian captured the International Boxing Association welterweight title via a unanimous decision against Mexican David Martínez at the Fairmont Southampton in 2018.

Bascome then vacated his title a year later in favour of pursuing fights at super-lightweight.

He is going into his next foray in the ring boasting a record of 10-1, compared with fellow orthodox fighter Hylton’s record of 7-7-1.

Bascome prepared for the bout in Las Vegas training under former IBO super-featherweight champion Jeff Mayweather, who is the uncle of five-times world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr, and has vowed to entertain the crowd in pursuit of victory.

“I train hard so I have no doubt I am going to put on a good show,” he added. “I have done all my hard training and just getting off the last bit of weight.

“I am pretty much on weight. It’s now just maintaining so I am ready to go.

“The fans can expect a good night. I am going to give it my all like I always do and I plan to be victorious.

“I am going in there and do all the things that I have been doing in training and just get a good victory. I don’t know if it’s going to be by knockout or by decision, we’ll see.

The fight will be Bascome’s second of the year, having secured a unanimous points decision against Canadian Dylan Rushton in the main event of the Fight Night Champion promotion at The Shed in January.

Hylton, who is scheduled to arrive on island today with the rest of the Jamaican contingent, was unavailable for comment at press time.

Bascome is one of two local professionals competing on Saturday as Andre Lambe is scheduled to clash with Jamaica’s Dwayne Lawrence, also at welterweight, on the undercard.

Orthodox fighter Lawrence, who is making his professional debut, says he is confident of inflicting a first defeat on Lambe whose unblemished record stands at 4-0.

“I am confident because I train hard and work hard,” he said. “Just look for the best from me because I am coming to perform.”

Lawrence has done his homework on his Bermudian rival.

“We are looking at a pressure fighter so we want to pick him apart,” he added. “We talk about what we are going to get down in the fight, so we are going to work on where he is weaker at and where his strength is we are going to break that down also.

“I am expecting him to come in good but I am going to break him down. Wherever he is good, I am just going to work on that and weather the storm.”

In response to Lawrence’s remarks, Lambe said: “Everyone has a plan until they get hit. And the fact is that I hit hard.

“On another note, he can say he’s done his homework but I fight differently every fight.

“I know how to fight many styles and I know how to adjust to anything. So I’m prepared for whatever he brings.”

The 26-year-old southpaw secured a first-round stoppage win over American Dajuan Robinson in his maiden headline bout at The Shed in March.