It definitely would have been hard during that extended competitive lull to envisage sending four Guernsey boxers to an upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Even now, the Guernsey Amalgamated Boxing Club’s four-competitor target for Amdavad 2030 is a lofty ambition, but it is one backed by the depth of emerging and returning talent in their ranks.
Niall Adams is the only one of the quartet who was competing prior to Covid and has bounced back from a long absence to fight at Glasgow 2026, where he came one win away from a medal.
One particularly exciting prospect raring to take his boxing to the next level is Emile Prevel.
He only debuted in March 2023, but has built up an impressive record, having won 13 of his 14 bouts so far, including a Senior B 62.5kg title success at the Ed Bilbey Box Cup in Nottingham this spring.
The one time he did lose came in February’s dinner boxing show and in highly unusual circumstances, with his opponent suffering a cut that led to a first-round referee stoppage but then a decision being made in his favour.
Having two Guernsey boxers in the ring in Glasgow – with Tommy Teers being the other representative – has inspired him to reach the next level.
‘It really lit a fire on me to push a bit harder, train a bit harder, work a bit harder,’ he said.
‘It was good to see Guernsey boxing getting bigger again.
‘It got quite small after Covid for quite a while and it’s taken quite a bit of time to build back up to where they were pre-Covid.
‘So it just really inspired me to push and train a bit harder and really aim towards Commonwealth Games.’
Donning that Guernsey vest in India would mean an awful lot to Prevel.
‘That’s going to mean so much to me to be honest, to represent Guernsey,’ he added.
‘I know we’re a little old island and people forget about us a lot, and I think people probably quite underestimate the quality that come out of Guernsey.
‘But we’ve had such good boxers come out of Guernsey, and I just want to add my name to that list effectively.’
Still relatively new to the sport, he has been sentimental about his promising career so far, adding: ‘Every fight sticks in the memory.
‘Can remember them all just as well as my first ever time stepping in the ring, to be honest.’
But he is now seeking exposure to the different styles of boxing that will be fought on the sport’s wider stage.
He will be taking part in England Boxing’s development and amateur championship structures, together with more Box Cups, not only Britain but likely also mainland Europe.
‘So, just going to keep working, keep picking up bouts, keep training hard and just basically keep the ball rolling until then.
‘Just do as much as I can, keep as active as possible.’
Finn Walsh’s own participation in the sport arose directly from those uncertain pandemic days.
He got into the sport aged 16 just hoping to stay fit, but for the son of Matt Walsh, one of Guernsey’s all-time boxing stars, temptation took over.
He won his first bout on unanimous decision in the post-Covid comeback show on October 2021 and his progression from there has been, in his words, ‘an upward slope’.
He marked his own Ed Bilbey Box Cup experience earlier this year with a silver, losing on a 3-2 split for the Senior B 57.5kg crown.
‘You just take them as you move on,’ he said of that bittersweet moment.
Now, seeing his clubmates’ recent Commonwealths outing has left him longing to experience that on his own accord.
‘I was so proud of the both of them that went, Tommy and Niall, but just got my eyes set on it really now, thinking that I wanted to be there.
‘I like all the fight kits and that, so I was thinking, yeah, “That’ll be me, hopefully, one day.”
‘It’d mean everything to be honest – representing Guernsey would be an awesome experience.
‘I’m prepared to work very hard. I just love doing it, so as long as I’m still keen on going, I can’t wait.’
His achievement of the 57.5kg title at this year’s Western Counties Development Championships has not required the same blood, sweat and tears, at least not directly, winning by default due to a lack of opposition in his weight class.
But taking his talents to the national and international stage remains an exciting prospect for the still-young boxer.
From debut to Western Counties Development champion in less than two years – that is the startling rise of Tyler Quintal.
Quintal made his amateur bow in October 2023, making him the newest of the aspiring trio, but it is hard to argue with his results.
He went into the Western Counties Development Championships in September 2025 with not even 10 lifetime amateur bouts to his name, intent just to see what would happen.
He ended up winning.
‘I was going to wait until this year to do it, and it was one of those things where it’s like, “Put him in there for experience, see how he does,” and you surprise yourself,’ he reflected of his 63.5kg title.
‘You just keep the training up and then it went in my favour.’
He then came away with an England Boxing Development Championships medal, winning his quarter-final but then losing out in the semis to London-based Jersey boxer Charlie Corbel.
‘I think I did well and now it’s given me the confidence to go up and win this year.’
Looking beyond his coming regional and national development campaigns, he also wishes to emulate Adams and Teers in making the Commonwealths.
‘You think it’s so far away, but you just turn up every day, keep going, and then you’ll be there.
‘So definitely what Niall and Tommy have done, I can see myself – with being a bit more older, a bit wiser – I feel like I can get there.’
He added that it would be ‘such an honour’ to represent Guernsey in the ring against some of the best in the Commonwealth.
‘It’s a great opportunity that I need to grab with both hands, so yeah, 100% ready for that.
‘I’ve got three-and-a-half, four years now to do it, so a lot of graft but just doing more of the same work I’ve already done, upping levels, getting as many fights as possible, and then I’ll be competing on that sort of global stage anyway, so by the time I would say I’ll be ready by that point.’
