All over the place at the moment. It's emotional. I can't explain it unless
you're inside my head at the moment. I mean, to come from doing what I'm doing.
Yeah I did... I've come from nothing and now I've got something which
I've stood up and I've got the whole world watching me at the moment.
NARRATOR: December 2015 would mark a groundbreaking achievement in UK
sporting history. Two men were set to travel from their respective
areas in Britain, meeting in England's capital to compete in a form of boxing
unheard of by much of the population.
NARRATOR: Phil Bousfield and Paul Robinson both derived from a sporting background and
their similarities didn't stop there.
Dramatic circumstances had arisen at a point in each of the men's lives which
would alter their abilities and encourage them to adopt an advanced
approach to exercise their need to engage in physical competition.
My wife sort of was my reality check in things in life. I've done lots of challenges
over the years and she always sort of like brings it to reality and says: "Are you sure
you know what you're doing?" But, having said that, and we've talked it
through, she's a hundred percent behind me. You don't really know how...
friends and family, you don't know how they're going to react. It seemed, might
seem a bit crazy to a lot of people but I've had a hundred percent support
from friends, family, people want to come down to the event and be involved so...
JOURNALIST: They must worry, naturally. Yeah, yeah.
I grew up near Widnes, just out of Cheshire. I was born with a club foot and
after 47 operations to try and recorrect my condition, we decided in 2013 to
go down the road of amputation. Five months after the amputation,
I started playing wheelchair rugby league for North Wales Crusaders and then
for Wales and I've 11 caps for Wales now.
And I was always in and out of work because, I couldn't work because the pain
was so bad. And all the medication I was on, I was on a lot of medication,
so it was best for the leg to come off.
NARRATOR: Their introductions to striving fight promoter Colin Wood established the team
that would be driven to forge a public exhibition to showcase a derivation of
the sport of boxing.
I can honestly say that after working with them, they didn't work with people, but
I actually pride myself on knowing that I can actually read someone.
Paul Robinson's got a long reach and Phil is short , in certain aspects, stocky.
So really, the two it's like Lennox Lewis vs Mike Tyson, yeah? And it's basically the,
you know, one is going to be basically coming out and trying to.. at jab,
you know, put off obviously because of the way that... and that would be Paul,
Paul would be jabbing.
NARRATOR: The fight was set to take place at the Troxy Arena in east central London.
A venue where numerous up-and-coming fighters had competed in various stages
of their career. The promotion company hosting the fight was Dave O'Donnell's
mixed martial arts organisation UCMMA.
COMMENTATOR: A nice champ and local guy. I like the way he's changing his levels quite nicely.
Nice work from Maguire, over the top and one through the middle. Oh! Beautifully!
I've been doing this now for years. People just think that you put a case
together, put some fighters together and it works. No, it doesn't.
I've got office staff, you know, as soon as someone phones me up I get the fights
made up but, you see today, I'm running off my feet non-stop running here, running
there. It's not a great profession to be in but I love this shit and that's why I do it.
JOURNALIST: You say it's not a great profession to be in. You mean money wise or?
Yes, a lot of people think it's an easy buck. Let me tell you, I've seen promoters lose
70 grand, I've seen them lose 100 grand like the days of the Wembley Arena.
We lost shitloads of money, you know, but it's knowing where to make a little bit,
where to lose a bit, but you've got to have a passion for it. If you haven't got a
passion for it please don't do it. Go and be a baker, go and be a banker,
do something really that you like doing. I love this, that's why I do it.
NARRATOR: With six hours left before the show, Paul Robinson made an appearance
at the venue. The two men were set to compete first on the evening's fight card.
It's been a roller coaster since I got up this morning. I woke up quite nervous and
then I just wanted... got my head straight and feel quite relaxed and it's a steady
journey down and feeling really good. Coming here and it's all very real when
you see the cage over there in the corner, ready to go but, yeah, feeling good really.
Just really want to get on, get on to do it now.
Absolutely. Yeah, yeah a bit of nerves. It's totally natural. You're gonna get in the ring
and get punched. I don't think anybody would not be nervous so... but it's
a good thing. Quickly go, want to get in there and all.
NARRATOR; For Colin Wood, this day had been an increasingly long time coming and
an endeavour he had been devoting his life to try and achieve.
NARRATOR: I first met Colin in the summer of 2013 and we began filming the year after.
He was born and grew up in Welling on the outskirts of south east London.
However he had lived in the Midlands for over 10 years for what he described to me
as logistical reasons.
NARRATOR: He had invited me to stay at his family home and made me feel
immediately welcome for the time I was there. Colin himself had developed a
disability in his teenage years. He was suffering from UVeitis which is an
extreme sensitivity to light. A condition which could also render the sufferer
partially blinded in some long-term cases.
I asked him to share some of his experiences.
When they told me they were going to remove the cataract state, they did tell
me but, like an idiot, you know what I mean, I just sat there and just let it go
in one ear and out the other. It was just sorry, you know what I mean, I think
it's like everybody, you just want to get it over and done with because you know
you've got to go in for an op which could be life-changing anyway. But yeah when they
went in, it's basically, they put something in your eye to numb it or whatsoever.
They lay you there, I mean you're awake, ain't it? But this is to remove the cataracts.
It was basically the, I had the one eye open all the time.
Now it's so blurry, it's unbelievable. I can still see colors and everything
else but when I had cataracts it was like frosted glass,
looking through frosted glass. Now when they took that out,
they slit it, my eye, and they take the lens out. Now that is the most,
strangest feeling in the world. It's not the feeling, it's the vision that you
have when you're doing that because... JOURNALIST: Was it painful?
It's not painful. When they took it out it was like being sucked underwater.
Take me through on Facebook, Jimmy, what you want to be called, right.
NARRATOR: I spent most of the summer with Colin and began to study his
character and attempted to grasp an understanding of what it was he was trying
to achieve in developing an excessive belief for disabled people in sport.
We've got to look at boxing with the rules, I can bring those up to you.
NARRATOR: He showed me various designs he had constructed for
wheelchairs that he believed would create opportunities for people to compete in a
way that had not been possible before and he had a team of professionals
working out of their own goodwill to help him materialise his ideas.
My aim is basically to have able and disabled coming together on big shows.
Whoever it was like say, Arsenal Football Club, you would have, before that you
would have a wheelchair football team playing in front of the crowd as a
professional unit. Now, you know, it's basically the same as boxing, the same as
everything else with sports or whatsoever but you can see that if you've done that
right, you can have a great day's worth of entertainment and the boxing was to have
able and disabled in that with boxing and mixed martial arts, but also putting it into
a cage because the ring is not acceptable for a wheelchaired person. You'd have to
pick them up, put them in, which would cause... If I don't want this to be a joke,
then I don't need being picked up and put into a box with me.
NARRATOR: Colin needed subjects to trial and error his innovations and had created a network of
people around the country who were interested in his objectives.
As a sports enthusiast, I do enjoy all aspects of sport, every sport there is
just about. It's just really me being me I like causing pain and I like seeing pain
so martial arts and fighting's one of those things that I like to see.
There is that, you know, people don't want to see like two disabled people fighting but,
like I say, it's down to the individuals if they want to go and do it, you know. They've
got martial arts sports in the Olympics as well so what's stopping paraplegics doing
it as well in the Olympics, you know. It's down to the governing body at the end
of the day because you know they'll be saying obviously, yay or nay, but come
along, have a look, see what they think. It's like, you know, letting people give it a go.
Do you know what I mean? And obviously if they think it's too rough, now it's down
to their decision.
Thank you.
I mean each person is held accountable for their own actions and you can't
expect, I mean most of these guys that get in the ring, they're able-bodied or play
professional sport. Any professional sport, it's down to that person.
To make the commitment which a lot of people don't realise is that there's
a lot of commitment to one person who wants to go and play professional sport.
There are people out there on the planet that are being absolutely tortured
day-to-day by able-bodied people just because they're in a chair or they can't
read, or they can't write, or they can't spell very well, or they don't pronounce words
that normal people can. It's not... it's completely disgusting.
I actually lose what I'm going to say when I start thinking about it. I forget. I can't
bring myself to talk about it. I don't have the words to explain those people.
The only reason people bully is because they're either different or the person
has got something better going in their lives than the bully has. It's just, what's
the point? You're wasting your effort to make us feel as bad as you are.
NARRATOR: Sean Bramley lives in Leicester with his long-term girlfriend.
A car accident led to him becoming a paraplegic at just five years old.
As an adult Sean formerly played basketball for the Leicester Cobras
and now trains in various different forms of martial arts.
The sooner we can get it out there locally, nationally, the more people we
can get involved from in and around the areas in the country, the sooner we can go
and help more people across the world and being disabled from such a young age
is all I know but I can see what happens to people when they become disabled and all
the rage after learning life one way then having to teach yourself life another.
It's not a very nice place I can imagine.
NARRATOR: The initial combat wheelchair design featured flexible motorised paddles
that would be adjusted by the fighter's elbows to control movement.
Colin explained to us how a standard wheelchair had proven to be
counterproductive for boxing.
If he puts his arms up now, yeah, that's all very well but the stability of the chair,
especially if he wants to throw it, is two ways. A, he's going to throw a good punch
but then he's also going to outwit himself by being thrown backwards in the chair,
which means that he could end up backwards on the chair, when really
he's the one who's just thrown the punch at the other opponent.
And the other bloke should be on the floor, not me.
Yeah. Or you could have a double knock- out but, really, the referee will count
you out because... I'm under. Yeah.
Basically I've taken ten years in bringing out all sports and bringing it to have the
advantage taken away. Meaning that basically an able-bodied person has
all the fruits and the labours of sport, where disabled are pushed to the side
as to say sports it's about adapting around those people that can't match and equal,
you know, from disabled to able there's a big gap. But it was about participation
in more ways than one because, at the end of the day, it's about involvement as well
for families that are living at home.
It was one person in particular that basically made me get off my
backside and do something. It hit me in a big way especially when
you're a quadruple amputee and you're doing a cage fight against an upstanding
person. You can see that basically it's a joke. It's been made a joke out of with
the amount of people that have abused this one man that was put into a cage and
I think that what they should have done was have a little bit more heart and care and
attention instead of thinking about their pocket.
NARRATOR: Col's innovative ambition was hindered by his inability to fully finance the concept.
With the prototype wheelchairs manufactured he spent much
of his time reaching out to be able to generate a business interest in a
product that did not appear to be obviously profitable.
He demonstrated further downfalls that any potential fighter
using a standard chair would come up against.
Most chairs, yeah, right, basically this is what people
have to do. Yeah, Right? When they go into a person
and I'm coming up close to you right now, right? We're in close quarters.
I'm fighting away, yeah? All this time I'm getting smacked
about like a blue-ass fly, yeah? Right? I don't like it. How do I get out of it?
JOURNALIST: You'd try and wheel yourself backwards, wouldn't you?
And that means? JOURNALIST: And that means you're left open to attack.
Right. This now means I'm vulnerable to a couple of hits. If I'm like this, yeah,
I'm meant to be, yeah, that's how it is. That's how it's going to be
in these wheelchairs. Any wheelchair that's like this
or whatsoever that's how it's going to be in boxing. Right?
That's boxing. Now you know what boxing looks like, yeah?
That's boxing. How can you have staticness? Yeah. That's static.
That's not like dancing or, you know, Thomas 'The Hitman' Hearns
or Ali or Tyson. Dancing around the ring you hear most of the
commentators say. Well that's what I try, we are trying to do, is make them
so that they're dancing around that ring. But actually...
NARRATOR: Meetings with the potential sponsors and investors came one after
another, and maintaining support and enthusiasm appeared to be
a challenge from the start.
I didn't know about it, that it was motorised.
Yeah? I didn't know that.
Right up 'til today I didn't know he was talking about a motorised chair.
I thought it was a... It was all about giving the ability to...
If I'm in a wheelchair now, I have to put my
arms down. Yeah, I know that.
I'm just saying I didn't know. You didn't actually say it was
a motorised chair. Oh, I thought I did.
No. No, you never! What's your views on it now then?
The first opinion on seeing that chair was... I don't know. I'm just, I'm pleased with it.
I'm not technically minded, am I? Right. So you're asking the wrong guy.
My first opinions on seeing the chair, they're accepting the wheelchair
thing now worldwide in every building that you make, our service.
Accepting the wheelchair and come back fine will be a lot easier if it's not
motorised. It's another whole set of rules, you know.
But I'm very pleased with the chair.
If you've got a veteran that'll make it more of a Sun story
because obviously they want to back the veterans and I think of it
being just, you know, what's the veteran story? Why is he doing it? You know.
Ok, is he doing it for self-defence? Is he doing it because he
wants to prove himself again? Is he doing it to keep fit?
You know, they don't know, you know, that's the story.
That's what they'd want, the full package and it's quite a high bar
to get through in terms of getting a story in the Sun with the benefits to you.
You'd get some good publicity I mean what are you after? What's your
motivation for doing it? I'm going blind.
The motivation was because I saw something of a business and I thought
I'd do it, not for jealousy and greedy, but doing it for something...
To serve the common good? Yeah, yeah.
So what would you... Why do you need a story? or do you want
to publicize this or what? Because basically we want to get
people out there to show that I'm here to help, if that makes sense.
I know that's a hard thing to swallow but it's the truth.
It's the truth, yeah.
NARRATOR: Days turned into weeks and months, and the lack of conviction from those
reached out to induced stress and an aura of despondency around the idea.
You can't keep flogging a dead horse with anyone. It's about... With me, it was about
learning not only by my own mistakes but also by other people's, like yours or
everybody else's. So over time, over years, you learn by other people's mistakes,
which means that I won't make those mistakes later on or future, do you know what I mean?
NARRATOR: Some idle time passed before Colin made the decision to associate himself with a
bare-knuckle boxing organization dubbed AKO. His first move is a representative
of the company was to sign a young talent from Carlisle to fight under the label.
... able and disabled all together in that one arena.
I''m hoping having everybody connecting with each other.
NARRATOR: Decca 'the machine' Heggie had recently shocked the boxing underworld with
a surprise knock-out on an undefeated veteran of the business and was a rising star
that every underground fight promoter was keeping their eye on.
NARRATOR: The pressure of the fight game politics seemed to begin to alter Col's initial
intentions and people around him saw him take on too much responsibility. He found
himself torn between the unrelenting obligation he was making to further Decca's
career and the uphill battle he faced in advancing the world of disabled sport.
You can't see no people here. I tell you what, right. People don't say this, Mark. Yeah.
When we go out and we first done training, we had to build a team, yeah?
And we had to understand each other. Right? But people don't realise that when we
were on that pitch I was taking most of the shit because basically this man's
biting his lip everyday because of the arseholes that threatened to fucking
kill him which, I mean I'll speak directly because I'm his mate. I'm never his
manager and that was always stipulated. And then the best thing about it was it
was him and he said that I had control of his destiny, not me.
I was a part of AKO, yeah, fair enough. I've got respect
for him but at the end of the day, you know, what happened was between
Decca and his dad. I was a middleman because at the end
of the day, I was AKO but then I was a friend. And hopefully people can
understand why I had to walk away because people started realising, hang on...
NARRATOR: Some decisions he made took an effect on his personal life and
numerous people we had filmed with previously began to withdraw their consent
to be associated with him.
Saves a lot of jealousy and greed.
NARRATOR: Col's next strategical ploy appeared to be a frantic attempt to escalate himself
in the political rat race of British underground fighting.
He arranged to put on a show in Birmingham with
a respected promoter by the name of Keith Webb.
So Colin got in touch, I think it was about 2-3. That was only like four or five
months ago he wanted to do some shows, to help at some shows. Then he went a bit
quiet and then about a month ago he got back in touch again. He wanted me to run
the shows for him, do the whole promotions. He's going to bring all the fighters in.
All I've got to do is run the show for him, get the dancers, get the lighting.
Do everything to organise the show.
NARRATOR: Of 10 fights scheduled only three took place. The fighters competed to a nearly
empty venue and the word after the show was that not all the fighters got paid.
Colin's financial investment in the event had vanquished, serving him with a reality
check and a sizeable problem which had to be solved.
Unfortunately because of business it's basically split me and my wife up, which,
it's not only the business, it was a lot of things and when you come to an
end after 20 years it is a hard pill to swallow but unfortunately I had to make
some changes. If people have stepped away from me, it's
because basically they've listened to one side of the conversation. Nobody's
spoken to me in regards to anything or even asked me a question. I mean I'm not
being funny, Mark. People want to say something about me and and the one thing
was, in all the time we've known each other have I ever taken crack?
I mean, at the end of the day, some certain persons have been following people up
and everything else, life goes on or you try to go on but
unfortunately I've stepped away from the promotions which, I was going to work
with James Quinn, which I've got all the respect in the world for,
but unfortunately after 10 years and after hard thinking, I need
to stand on my own two feet.
You've got things to do where you've got to get up every day and
you've got to make sure that you do things, yeah? I haven't got to do that, Mark.
I'm signing on for a reason because at the end of the day I'm looking for a job
which is setting this business up which I've always been in contact with the
Jobcentre. I'm classed as disabled so I've got 24 hours in the day when I'm fucking
bored, alright? And I hate myself for it because I'm a person who actually, years
ago, I played rugby. I love my rugby, you know. I'd be training everyday.
Now I just look like I'm ill. With this, it's the business.
NARRATOR: I hadn't seen Colin for nearly six months. In that time his life had seemed to
take on a much more placid direction. He'd moved back in with his wife and was
regularly training with an amputee by the name of Carol Lane.
You're ready there?
You get that first bit of edge from doing some training.
It takes a few weeks and you're not really feeling the benefit
and then you sort of just get past the point and you start to feel the difference and
that's when it starts feeling nice. And that's when that buzz and that hook is there.
Oh it's hard. If you were going to be fighting at anytime on PFC with the MMA
Wheeled Warriors and I said if it would be then it would be somewhat of a sparring
sort of session, you know what I mean? To show people. But it means that you
wouldn't be getting in that ring until I'm happy that you're ready for it.
I'm not stupid. What's the point in getting in the ring if you're not ready?
It doesn't prove anything. It just proves how dumb you are.
If you don't know... you've got to know your own body.
1, 2. That's it! Strike. You've got a lovely shot.
Martial arts and combat sports is something I've always always had interest in,
I trained in wado ryu when I was young, young and just sort of kept my hand in
practising that, did some moderate, light taekwondo work with a friend who
was training then. But it's always been because of having mobility
difficulties, it's always been the sort of thing
I've been able to do even when I can't walk too well I can still stretch out, I can
still pick up weights, all that kind of things. So it's been my way of keeping
fit. You sort of try to refocus on what you still can do and make the best of
that because there's no point, you know, re-jigging and going over
all the things you've lost because they're not coming back
anytime soon. It's just not a healthy cycle to be in.
JOURNALIST: Would you be willing to just give us a little bit more details about the accident you had?
Yeah, yeah. Travelling to a scooter rally in Aberystwyth. We got about halfway there
and we were at a petrol station, weren't even on the road,
which is a great story because even at that tender age I'd clocked up
quite a few miles travelling around and a car just came bombing down the road and
ploughed into myself and two others. We were hospitalised. He was a drunk driver.
So don't do it. You know, we were lucky to survive it,
we really were and that was that.
You put the hours in training and they're not going to get that far and it's quite
quick and easy to sniff them out on that basis alone, isn't it?
Anyone can talk the talk but are they walking in the gym and putting
in the hours? No, they're not, a lot of them.
NARRATOR: During the break in filming a new approach to the combat chair had been put in place.
The motor was no longer a feature on the frame and two prototypes had been
designed and fabricated with the help of two professional engineers.
And these people now, I mean, like you know yourself, Mark, but the people I've
spoken to, wheelchair users, they're loving what's going on.
You know, I mean, by the time Sean, maybe, this is about boxing. This was always about
boxing at the moment. Because that chair there, you had to help to progress people
so that they could get in the gyms a lot more. But then it's opened my mind now
with what I've discussed with two great people who understand about engineering,
as well as talking to various people who are both amputees, paraplegic,
cerebral palsy and most of them are all in the wheelchair. To tell you the truth,
if you're a fucking good coach then you should be able to look at a person,
see the faculties of what that sport is and go "Oh hang on, that's wrong,
that's wrong, that's wrong. Let's improve that, let's improve that and
let's help that person become a better sport spokesperson."
It was about a month ago that Colin asked us if we wanted to do it and we said yes.
Well, I was excited about the idea of doing it and because I wanted to be involved
with it, at the forefront really of what's going on. It's going to develop, it's
going to evolve from here and a little bit better fighters are going to come
along I'm sure, more dedicated, stronger, faster. But it's got to start
somewhere and this is it.
Well exclusively now, with Sean Bramley on board, we've got to find someone
equally matched against him. We've got two guys that are coming
down this week to come and test out. See what their views are and if they're up
for it then yeah, basically we'll have another two, so we'll have two fighters.
I think we've both approached each other at it, you know. Asked me if I'd come on
board and there's something I wanted to do but having a disability
and coming to see an able-bodied class, sometimes you feel a bit
embarrassed and with this being on board it's great because it opens
new doors for people with disabilities.
I train three days a week, one and a half hour per session, a one to one
instructor doing wheelchair work, moving, learning how to use the wheelchair and also
doing bag work in the wheelchair and doing a course of training with weights.
I do use the wheelchair quite often because of having a prosthetic leg. It is easier to
use a chair for training.
On the weekends, when I'm not working, I'm out on the bike on the road.
Normally a boxer would be running so obviously I use a hand like so Saturday
and Sunday I go out and do that, doing one-on-one with a thai boxing coach in
Leeds in my local area. He's never done anything like this before but he's totally
enthusiastic about it.
NARRATOR: In Leeds Paul Robinson lives with his wife and young children.
He works as a freelance highway engineer.
I became disabled 18 years ago when I was 27. I was doing karate and the surgeon said
through the rough-and-tumble of the spar I had suffered a blood clot on my spinal
cord which left me paralysed from the neck down initially. It was a worrying time.
After I spent six months in hospital, I had to learn to walk again. I still walk with
the elbow crutches now but it's sort of limited how far I can walk
and the further I walk, the walking degenerates. It's like
tripping above my own feet, that sort of thing. I got quite depressed,
very dark and, you know, I contemplated suicide a couple of times but I never
would have gone through with it. I always felt that, even at the darkest period,
I always said to myself well see what tomorrow's like, if you still feel like
killing yourself then that's tomorrow.
With respect, the reason that I chose both these gentlemen, as to saying in the way that
I'm doing things, was because basically a lot of people are busy but also, you
know, these two guys were enthusiastic and very, totally different
from each other.
Her name's called Darcy and we're her owners and she is a puppy and she is
a poodle. Me and my mom and my dad and my sister,
we take her for lots of exercise every day.
NARRATOR: Phil Bousfield lives just outside of Wrexham with his wife and two daughters.
When speaking to me about his eagerness to enter the match-up, he explained to me
that his principal motivation for fighting was to bring the first disabled title
belt back to Wales.
You have Paul who is quiet. He's very, you know, he'll think and
he is listening. Phil is more extrovert, you know,
he'll come out, welcome with open arms, if that makes sense.
Phil came into the gym about five weeks ago. Said what he was going to be
doing, taking part in this boxing match. Would I be interested in working
with him? So we sat down, we had a chat, talked about it,
what I can offer as his trainer. How I would work and looking at his strength
and conditioning side of it. He's very much the bull in the china shop.
He just wants to keep going and going, and keep pushing and
pushing himself. And sometimes you have to try and rein him back in a bit.
Communication is key to everything we do and I think a lot of people don't
communicate rightly. I think, you know, as a coach you've got to open your mind.
NARRATOR: In the lead-up to the fight, I managed to visit the hometowns of both men to
monitor some of the training methods.
They were both training in relatively isolated environments with one-on-one
personal trainers.
Both coaches seemed intimately dedicated to the cause.
Wales wheelchair rugby league was big but this is better than that. You're making
history in the UK, you know, that's why we train hard so that we're not going to let
people down and prove to people with a disability,
if you put the effort in you can do it.
Keep up. Keeping that left, Tommy, just up and down. Well done! And if that
gives your shoulder energy, tilt it a bit. Always think above and beyond so
think three now, think two, think one. Thank you.
It's basically now we've got the stepping stones and if people can understand that
then the only way I can explain it is that Phil and Paul will be the best ambassadors
to highlight what my madness has always been trying to express.
JOURNALIST: Do you think they're ideally suited for the job?
Yeah. Oh very much so. I think they can show a lot of professional
fighters how to behave as gentlemen as well. I think the two gentlemen
deserve the respect and I hope they get the glory as professional
athletes due within boxing and mixed martial arts.
JOURNALIST: How have you seen their relationship progress?
Oh, it is like two brothers.
He's a decent lad. He's a professional and he's keen on his sports.
I think we're both coming from the same page really and I think we'll be fine.
Come the day, come the fight, yeah we'll both go for it. I know because
we're both competitive. But it's good to have, you want somebody
level-headed who you can train with at this stage. It doesn't really want to be
too hard core at this stage. The idea is to promote.
I've got a big respect for Phil and Paul and, to me, I want to do
everything I can to make them look like professionals. And the funny thing is
that we all work together on that one and yes, ok, like I've said to
the film crew like BBC and ITV and everybody else, they've got to do both.
They can't just look at one man, because it's not about Phil when it ain't
about Paul, you know. Because it's both of them that are going to be communicating
to the world what wheelchair boxing is all about.
Why do you just discriminate against the guy who's got no legs or no arms, you know?
It's really hard but you've got to find the right kind of match.
Of course these two guys are perfect. They've both got the same
disabilities so to me I jumped at the idea. I'm like, I love something
different, you know, and I hope the crowd warm to it. I hope they
actually respect the guys who are in it. You've got to give them 110 percent
respect. People come up with ideas all the time and ideas are just
ideas until you actually make it happen.
Tonight I think we're making history. It's the first time wheelchairs
have been into a cage so that's what I want to do, make history.
The box in itself is basically that we're showcasing two human
beings in an adaption from the norm. And it means that basically we're showing
it as close as you can get that sport to be.
NARRATOR: Professional boxer Jamie Hearn was scheduled to guest referee the fight.
Upon his arrival, the rules and regulations were discussed.
So when do I step in, or when do I need to step in?
Right. When you step in is when the chair is halfway around.
When the chair is halfway around... If they're fighting sideways?
Yeah. If they're like that and the chair is halfway around...
I split them up and they turn themselves around.
They'll turn themselves around, get yourself set and then you call them in
and go "Right, fight."
You can push them around. You can push them around?
Yeah. You can push them about but once you spin them around
you can open up this side here. For a couple of shots.
Yeah but if they rely on the couple of shots...
If you think they've spun too far and then it's going to be, as you know,
you can't hit in the back, can you? at the back of the head,
then stop it. They'll spin themselves round and bring it back together again.
When he's spun around and it gets to a point where
he can't defend himself, I'd step in, yeah? Step in.
My view is, if he goes half way and goes round to the
half way through like that, your side... Just up until they're struggling.
Then stop. Yeah. Then give him five second, 10 second count. Right?
So get the count for that? Yeah, they get the count for that. If they
feel like they've been over pressured... I stop it and I get a count.
Step in and get a count: "Are you ok to carry on? 5, 4, 3", then
carry on. If not, whoever is wins but it's three rounds two minutes,
it's the same rules as the points. They're going three rounds two minutes.
Three rounds two minutes? Three rounds two minutes and
it's exactly the same as the points system. That's all I want to say
although they are able to fight each other. As simple as that.
It's on your call, Jamie. Cool.
Alright? Louise, you look after him.
Does it matter? Does it matter at all where the corners are?
But you really only want to go in yeah, the other man will be at the outside
just, you know what I mean, give him whatever he needs. If he needs the towel
over or whatsoever, do it, you know what I mean.
Everything else. All I ask is just fucking look after him.
If you feel like something's fucking wrong, or whatever...
Call him. Just fucking say to this man because
then he can make a call, or I can make, well, I'm going to be over on
the other fucking side, probably crying my fucking eyeballs out.
Are you alright, mate? There you go.
I've got the biggest set of fucking balls now to actually compete at a
level, if things go right. And that, to me, that means that basically people have
to listen to the truth and I won't cut corners, Mark, you know that. It's got to
be by the book. Professionalism at all times. You know I wanted to be
a professional myself. I learned a lot here off good people, good coaches that actually
fucking tried to teach me but because my brother committed suicide,
I couldn't turn professional. It fucked me up.
Sorry, but after three fucking suicides, there's a line, you know what I mean?
And you start learning about yourself. So yeah, I'd have to say that there's a
lot that can be put into question to this and there's a lot of answers that
could come from it at all angles, you know. You're going to have the doubters,
you're going to have the haters, you're going to have the people who
are sheep, who are going backwards and forwards like rats on a ship.
There's so many... it's numbers mate, isn't it? It's a numbers game.
Welcome to Troxy, London, England. We are back, Granite Grant Waterman.
I just can't wait because I love the fans down here my friend.
We've got 20 hardcore fights but to start it off, Grant, this is something
completely different. Something completely different, Dave.
Something very courageous, something people haven't seen before.
It's boxing in wheelchairs.
The Easton Warriors. Fighting under the red corner,
representing MMA Wheeled Warriors, here is Phil Bousfield!
And finally under the blue corner, also representing MMA Wheeled Warriors,
here is Paul Robinson!
Ladies and gentlemen, your referee in charge of the action
is none other than Jamie 'the real deal' Hearn!
Oh, fucking hell. Oh, I shit myself.
And remember ladies and gentlemen, you share the heart of their fight!
Go lads!
Go on, first shot. First shot, come on!
Come on, boys. Get behind them, you cunts.
Yeah, they're testing themselves. It's the first round.
This is the first fucking fight ever.
Nice shot there.
Yeah. Getting into it now, in the last few seconds.
End of the round.
Footplates positioned on the chairs had proved to present as an
obstruction, not allowing the chairs to close in to a comfortable punching
distance. This gave Paul Robinson a distinct advantage
being the fighter with the longest reach.
Good quiet lad!
It wasn't about knocking each other out. A lot of people think I was just scared of
putting these two fuckers in the ring to be barbaric. You know what I mean?
Right nutcase.
And after all, it's only points. People, you know what I mean?
Ladies and gentlemen, before we announce the decision, please give both
warriors a round of applause.
But after three rounds of wheelchair boxing, we go to the judges
scorecards and we have a majority decision
in favour of your winner...
It's Phil.
No man, it's probably Paul.
Paul Robinson!
And ladies and gents, please show your appreciation for a gunner runner-up,
Phil Bousfield!
Ok. Listen, again thank both of these guys, the Wheelchair Warriors!
Really exhilarating and it's so hard!
He's just working us all the time, you know.
JOURNALIST: There's nothing you can really do to prepare for it in training, is it?
Nothing prepares you for that, no. No, nothing at all.
The last 10 seconds seemed to take forever because he was really
going for it like.
If he'd connected.
JOURNALIST: Was there a point in the fight when you thought
to yourself, I'll put him in a bag sort of thing?
No, never, never once. No. Yeah, yeah.
Hard to tell really. Your mind's just... just on what you're doing and... yeah.
Amazing! Thank you very much.
I think the way that it's worked out, worked in your favour because
next time we do it for real. I want to go for the re-match.
Yeah, but whoever wins then goes on and fight for competition. Alright?
And that's amazing, alright? You've both fucking done the world
a justice. Alright? And you're both fucking champions. Alright?
Even though I thought Jamie was harder.
It's out there already. There are people with limb loss that are,
you know, they're doing MMA already all over the world. So it's just a matter of
bringing it together into something that can be developed as a sport in its
own right for those people that can then go further to things like Paralympics and,
you know, international level. That's what we want to see really, rather than
just little, you know, someone working here independently, someone working there,
you know it starts getting pulled together. There are so many fighters out there that
want to do this that are disabled. And there are so many people that
are so negative about it. At the end of the day, we're human beings
first, we're people first. Anyone can end up disabled like that,
in the blink of an eye, whether it's through an illness, an accident,
an injury. It can happen to anybody. Nobody's immune from that and
you're still a person. But the fact that you survive a trauma or a serious illness
to bring you to be disabled means that you're a fighter already
before you've even started.
With you boys, you threw more shots in six minutes than they throw
in a 15-minute fight. Trust me. I'm telling you. I've done
both things. And the way you boys have got to work, because if,
if one of you stops, you're getting punched.
You can't get out of range, you can't keep coming in out of range.
So you've constantly... if you stop punching, you're getting punched.
I've never seen a fight that was non-stop. It was unbelievable and I
take my hat off to you, honestly! I want title after Christmas.
Re-match is on. I'll sign this now then, then Jamie
is going to do the re-match after. Yeah, yeah.
I'll give you that 50 quid next time, alright mate!
Boys, honestly. Well done, well done! Thank you for that.
It's alright. Paul banged him a tenner!
Have you got your phone with you?
Yeah, here. You take a picture and then send it to me.
Guys, can we get some photos?
After all the emotions, after 10 years... In fact, actually let's go back.
After two years of doing this filming with you, you've seen a lot of shit
that I've gone through to get to this point today.
What a buzz. What a fucking buzz about people that are saying
thank you, you know what I mean, because they didn't realise what was happening
in there. But then, what's the difference between a
disabled man who's got one arm, no leg, or someone who's got spina bifida, or
fucking, you know, like G Money with Downs syndrome or cerebral palsy? Why can't a
person compete on the professional scale? No reason at all, mate.
NARRATOR: Nemo Llewellyn is the latest fighter Colin
has signed to fight under him and is currently
scheduling an event in August for him to contest in an upstanding kickboxing bout
in which only elbow strikes, knee strikes and kicks are permitted.
And the best thing about this documentary now is actually I stand up against those
people because I've got the biggest balls now knowing that what I say actually is
fucking true. Give a fucking doubt, give the benefit to
the likes of Nemo. Give the lights to Phil or fucking Paul because they
want to compete at a high level and if you actually turn around and tell those
people that they can't do it. Boy, mate. I tell you what, I challenge any cunt to
come out and challenge this man now. If we look at it, if a man fits the criteria
then he should become professional. And if we can challenge that then
fucking bollocks, I've got to do it, mate. Because now I'm putting the challenge
out to everybody. You want to earn your credit as a fighter, you have to fight
everybody. Don't fucking run from this man. Don't run from Phil. Come out and
push your challenges. And that's all I've got to say on the matter. I've just proved
one of the biggest points that wheelchair boxing can be done. But also this man
everyday proves a point which actually he has a brick wall in front of him that
other people think hang on, no, fuck it. It's a bit
umming and ahhing. No! This man's got a fucking right because
unfortunately he's one hard cunt.
What those two men have done is basically done what was asked of them.
I can't express my gratitude to those two. I don't think words could ever explain
that. It's emotional. It's a joy, but then look at the amount of arseholes that
have tried to take me and abuse me. That's how much joy it means to me.
I've finally found a team worth living with.
That'll be more on that one, is it?