Ready To Pack A Punch

Contracting polio as a child left him partially paralysed but that hasn’t stopped Adesanya from becoming a boxer and living life to the full

- Siyabonga Dzimbili

A powerful right hook slams into the punching bag, followed swiftly by a left hook. The bag takes a beating, and sweat pours off the brow of boxer Adesanya “Tony Torch” Adebayo as he shifts and moves around it, delivering a flurry of jabs, then a series of uppercuts that would destroy any glass jawed opponent.

Adesanya’s training routine would be a familiar sight in any gym offering boxing training, and while his movements undoubtedly personify Muhammad Ali’s famous quote, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” this boxer’s movements are done with the aid of his wheelchair, rather than nimble footwork.

The Nigerian-born athlete has spent most of his life using crutches, but he firmly believes nothing is impossible and that no dreams are too big to achieve.

He tells us he’s always been a sports lover, and he regularly takes part in wheelchair racing tournaments, like the one held recently by Tshwane Rehabilitation Hospital. “I like being active, I love sports and working with my hands,” he says.

Wheelchair boxing is a relatively new, fast-growing sport in North America and the United Kingdom and there is a growing call for it to become an official Paralympic sport.

In South Africa, though, it’s still in its infancy.

Adesanya was the first wheelchair boxer to showcase his skill at the All Stars African Southern Giant event at Turffontein Racecourse last November.

But, because there aren’t many wheelchair boxers out there, Adesanya (39) took part in an exhibition fight against an able-bodied fighter and comfortably held his own. That exhibition fight earned him international attention, he tells us.

“I have guys from the UK and Canada who want me to come there and train with them because they say I have potential and am very strong.