Para boxing helped this N.B. man regain his confidence, now he wants that for others

CBC

2 days ago

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Andrew Lawlor has spent the past eight months getting ready for his first-ever boxing match.
But he isn't like most boxing newcomers. He's 57 years old and has one leg.
"When you go from being reasonably able-bodied and you get hurt and a lot of your abilities are taken away, you lose a lot of confidence in your own physicality, your own ability to do things," he said.
Lawlor had his left leg amputated above the knee after a car accident in 2018. As a result of the same accident, he also has partial use of one eye, and one arm that "doesn't really work."
"But I'm not going to tell you which one because I've got to fight in a week," he joked.
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Andrew Lawlor is ready to get in the ring, but there are few other Para boxers he can compete against. He's fighting an athlete who is not disabled instead.
Although he wouldn't have called himself an athlete before the accident, he was a longtime rugby player, so he soon began playing wheelchair rugby.
That's where he met a man who would become his mentor: New Brunswick Paralympian Hal Merrill.
"He told me something and I will never forget it. He just said, 'It's gonna be OK' and he rolled away," Lawlor said.
"And I didn't know what he meant at the time, but I know now. And he's right. It is OK."
Merrill passed away in March, but he's still an inspiration to Lawlor.
"He helped me believe in myself," he said.
Lawlor's wife Lesley has also been a support every step of the way. She said she wasn't surprised when he took up Para boxing.
"You can never tell Andrew no for anything," she said. "He just continues to get stronger and stronger and stronger, and he's unstoppable."
Getting into the ring
As Lawlor began to regain his physical strength, he started taking boxing classes for the cardio workout. He met Dave LeBlanc and Rennie Bradford at Fight 4 Fit 'n Health Fitness Centre in Minto.
"I fell in love with the sport, and Dave and Rennie showed some faith in me and my ability to maybe get in the ring," said Lawlor.
From there, they started looking for someone who Lawlor could fight against. But there aren't many other Para boxers in the region. So Lawlor's first match, on Saturday, will be against a non-disabled boxer who will use a wheelchair for the fight.
"He's half my age. Twice as big. He's got a ton of experience which I don't have, so I've kind of got him right where I want him," Lawlor said with a laugh.
LeBlanc said there have been some challenges in training Lawlor, because when a wheelchair boxing match happens, the two chairs are locked together in the centre of the ring.
"This is like us going into a whole new realm of boxing that we've never dealt with," LeBlanc explained. "I've always been able to throw a punch, move to the side, roll back, do a couple slips. You can do the slips, but you can't roll back, not when you're tethered together."
Now, only days away from the fight, Lawlor is as excited as he is nervous. But the outcome isn't what's important.
"I've already won," said Lawlor.
Expanding the sport
The match is not going to count toward any official standings, because Para boxing isn't an officially recognized sport in New Brunswick. And that's part of the reason why Lawlor isn't fighting another Para boxer.
"Because it hasn't been promoted or supported here in New Brunswick, there haven't been many developed," Lawlor said.
He and his coaching team are working with Parasport New Brunswick to try to get the sport officially recognized.
"We should have the opportunity to play any sport we want, or pick up a guitar or a bass or go sing on stage or act in a play." said LeBlanc. "There shouldn't be any barriers to this life and we're working together to reduce one more."
CBC News reached out to Parasport New Brunswick for an interview, but did not receive a response by publication time.
There's also a larger push coming from Atlantic Canada to try to get Para boxing recognized by the Paralympics.
In Nova Scotia, Aaron Kinch is a Para athlete and coach of two Para boxers. He's hosted several unofficial Para boxing matches.
"They're all exhibitions as of right now due to insurance purposes," he said. "No winner, no loser, just like a demonstration."
About five years ago, he founded the International Adaptive Boxing Federation, which now has members from 20 countries, including Canada.
Kinch said his group hopes to have Para boxing officially recognized in time for the next Paralympics in 2028.
"These guys go from not being able to compete in boxing … and then they train, they get in the ring and they have a lot of fun, and that would mean the absolute world to all these guys," he said.
Lawlor may not have Olympic aspirations, but he does want to see the sport continue to grow. He's looking to get certified as a coach, so he can be a mentor to others the way Merrill was for him.
"I do almost all the things I used to do now, just in a different way, and the toughest one to convince that, was me," he said. "And if I can help someone else shorten that journey, I think this is all worth it."