INTERVIEW: PAUL WHEELER
“I WAS born with talipes – also known as club foot. It’s impacted my life – both inside and outside of the ring. Since starting out in boxing, I’ve had to gradually learn how best to manage the condition. To this day, I have to carefully monitor and handle certain aspects of my training – especially roadwork. I can’t do too much running because of the shortened tendons in my foot. I haven’t got full movement in my ankle and it can get painful grinding on the joints. Away from boxing, the condition has also affected my personal life, like having the mickey taken out of me when I was at school. It affects my confidence because of the muscle wastage on my leg, but my youthful exuberance outweighs that!
I started boxing when I was only a kid. My dad, Gary Gething, was a former pro. I remember him taking me to the old boxing gym in Pontnewynydd – the one that was run by Jack Evans decades before. At first, I wasn’t that interested, so I stopped going. I didn’t get back into the sport until my younger brother, Connor, asked me to go to the boxing club above Pontypool Market with him. He was having some trouble with bullies there. Being the older brother, I thought I could help! I was 12 years old at the time. I’ve been boxing ever since.