KARACHI: Olympian Ahmed Ali ended his long career with a gold medal as Army won the crown of the 35th National Boxing Championship which concluded here at KPT’s Benazir Sports Complex on Sunday. The 38-year-old Ahmed from Army defeated international Sanaullah of WAPDA in the first round of the 91 kilogramme final after the latter received a deep cut at his right eyebrow. “This was the last bout of my career. I am satisfied with my boxing life. I played for Pakistan from 1997 to 2015 and collected 40 gold medals (four in international events), eight silver and four bronze,” Ali told ‘The News’. Ahmed, who was part of Pakistan’s squad for the 2004 Athens Olympics, also has to his credit a silver medal in the 2002 Busan Asian Games. “I will now opt for coaching,” said Ali, who is the only Olympian and international boxer from Gilgit-Baltistan, who made their debut in this championship. Army, who have been invincible so far, once again lifted the trophy with 85 points which they collected by virtue of three gold, two silver and four bronze medals. “I am very satisfied with the way my team played,” a senior Army official Col Nasir Tung told this correspondent. “This time we had inducted six youngsters who played well. Four or five of our boxers could make a place in Pakistan’s squad for the Asian qualifying round for Olympics,” the official said. Pakistan Air Force (PAF, 65 points) ended as the runners-up with three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals. WAPDA (60 points) claimed the third position with two gold and three silver medals. Navy (60 points) grabbed one gold, two silver and five bronze medals. Higher Education Commission (HEC, 25 points) secured one gold and two bronze medals. Sindh (25) picked five bronze medals. Railways (10 points) and Karachi Port Trust (KPT) bagged one silver medal each. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (5 points) and Balochistan (5 points) clinched one bronze medal each. In the 49kg final, international Mohib Bacha defeated debutant Hasnain of Army in a tough fight that lasted three rounds. “It was an equal fight. Mohib had the experience of 14 international tours while Hasnain was playing his first final at the national level,” an Army official said. Dawood of Navy and Shehroz of HEC claimed bronze medals. The 52kg gold went to Syed Asif of HEC who defeated Mohammad Nisar of Navy in a hotly-contested final. Mohammad Farooq of Army and Badshah of Sindh won the bronze medals. Naqeebullah of WAPDA claimed the 56kg gold medal when he whacked Army’s frail-looking Mohammad Farhan, who offered tough resistance to his rival. Nadir Baloch of Sindh and Nadir Khan of Navy secured the bronze medals. The 2010 Dhaka South Asian Games gold medallist Niamatullah of PAF clinched the 60kg gold when he snatched a fine victory over equally good Ali Ahmed of WAPDA. Shehroz of Navy and Salman Baloch of Army got the bronze medals. The 64kg gold medal went to international Gul Zeb of Army who defeated Qadir Khan of Navy in the final. Sajid Farman of Sindh and Zubair Ahmed of HEC claimed bronze medals in the category. In the 69kg title clash, international Arshad Hussain of PAF outgunned Amir Khan of WAPDA on points. It was one of the best contests of the event and lasted three rounds. Arshad, a cousin of Pakistan’s top karate player Saadi Abbas, exploited a few weak points of Amir who looked a bit emotional. Muneer Ahmed of Navy and Mir Balach of Sindh secured the bronze medals. Tanveer Ahmed of Navy prevailed over Javed Akhtar of Railways in the 75kg final. The bronze medals in the category went to Mohammad Amjad of PAF and Mohammad Asif of Army. Pakistan’s current player Awais Ali Khan of Army won the 81kg gold when he defeated Naeem of PAF in the decider. Noor Ali of Sindh and Asmatullah of Balochistan claimed the bronze medals. Pakistan’s top super heavyweight boxer Mehmood-ul-Hasan of PAF did not make any mistake and grabbed the gold medal by beating Yasir Jameel of KPT with an enviable ease. Faisal Shah of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and international Yasir Javed of Army claimed bronze medals in the same weight. Pakistan Olympic Association’s (POA) chief Lt Gen (retd) Arif Hasan gave away trophies to the leading sides. In the five-day affair, as many as 130 boxers from 15 units of the country showed their worth. In the 91kg semi-finals on Saturday, Sanaullah of WAPDA defeated Mirza Azam Ali of Sindh, while Ahmed Ali of Army got the better of Majid Ali of Navy. In the 91kg+ last four fights, Yasir Jameel of KPT beat Faisal Shah of KP, while Mehmood-ul-Hasan defeated Yasir Javed of PAF. In the 81kg semi-finals, Awais Ali Khan of Army beat Asmatullah of Balochistan, while Naeem of PAF got the better of Noor Ali of Sindh.
