An amputee boxer is imploring the sport’s UK authority to grant him permission to fight in amateur bouts.
Matt Edwards, 24, from Havant in Hampshire, was previously refused a licence as England Boxing held concerns that his prosthetic leg would give him an advantage.
In a statement to the BBC, the boxing authority said that it was “investigating potential options for inclusive competitions” but had previously been following its own safety rules.
Mr. Edwards had his leg amputated below the knee after a motorcycle crash five years ago and said that England Boxing’s decision had ended his boxing dream “before it’s even started”.
Speaking to the BBC Mr. Edwards explained that he “went off the rails” after his accident. “I turned to drinking every day and did a few drugs”, he said. “I eventually got sectioned and went to rehab”.
He took up boxing after being advised to adopt a hobby in order to aid his rehabilitation.
“I instantly felt like this was my sport”, he added. “As soon as I got into that ring it felt like I had two legs again”.
Mr. Edwards soon wanted to compete in an amateur bout, but England Boxing denied him a licence.
Knowing that the spring in his prosthetic leg could give him more power in his punches, he “got a leg made that was solid”. Unfortunately, he is now “at a disadvantage in [England Boxing’s] eyes”.
“They’re not really assessing my case individually”, he said, complaining that the authority has “fobbed me off into a disability zone that I don’t want to be in”.
“I’m not that disabled bloke, I’m a differently abled bloke. Why stop my dream before it’s even started?”
A spokesperson for England Boxing explained that, in the past, the authority has “needed to follow a set of rules that did not allow for inclusive boxing to take place”
“As part of our current strategy, we are investigating potential options for inclusive competitions,” the governing body said.
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