Jonathon Tyson took up boxing to develop his arm muscles. Photo / Judith Lacy
The blue gloves approach the red bag. The boxer gives it all he has and then some.
His legs hang over the footrest of his wheelchair as he makes his punches.
Jonathon Tyson, who has been a wheelchair user all his life, joined the Palmerston North Boxing Club about 18 months ago.
He is keen to develop his arm strength to help with his goal of making the New Zealand Wheelchair Rugby squad, the Wheel Blacks.
Tyson, 34, says he has never let being a wheelchair user stop him.
“As far as I’m concerned, if I can do it, I will do it.”
Tuesday and Thursday nights he has boxing training and Wednesday it is Manawatū Wheelchair Rugby Club night.
“The middle of my week is loaded without even trying to be loaded.”
Tyson, known as JT, has been playing wheelchair rugby for about 15 years and a mate calls him a veteran.
On Saturdays, he does his own training for rugby and says he is pushing himself pretty hard.
At home, he has a 9kg medicine ball he holds with outstretched arms.
Over Christmas, he took just 10 days off rugby and boxing training. If he stops training for too long his back starts getting sore; he thinks his body has got so used to training that when he stops his body doesn’t like it.
Tyson says as soon as he puts his rugby chair in his car his body goes into training mode.
He is a big Speedway fan and Palmerston North Panthers supporter. He has a Speedway wall at home with memorabilia and buys a new Panthers cap each year.
Tyson knows all the Panthers drivers plus just about all the other drivers.
He has been around Harrisville Speedway Ōhakea on the back of a sidecar.
A mate told him he would have to be nuts to do that. Tyson replied: “Yep, that’s me.” The experience was fun.
He has participated in about four Relay for Life fundraisers and this year did 107 laps on grass.
Come Monday it was “not much fun”.
Boxing coach Malcolm Nicol admires Tyson, not just his work ethic and determination but that he helps put out and pack up the gear each session.
Police said those involved were known to each other.