KARACHI: After a gap of one year, the country’s pugilists will play a competitive event when they feature in the Commonwealth Games which are being held from April 4-15 in Gold Coast, Australia.
Pakistan’s boxers last international assignment was the Islamic Games, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from May 12 to 22, 2017.
The light heavyweight boxer Awais Ali Khan is the only exception as he competed in the World Boxing Championships in Hamburg, Germany, from August 25 to September 2, 2017. He bowed out early, losing his first fight.
The boys will be rusty when they fight at the competitive stage in Australia. Pakistan’s coach Arshad Hussain admits that. “Our boxers did not get any foreign tour ahead of the Commonwealth Games and it is a big problem. Had the boys got one-month foreign training it would have been of great value,” Arshad told ‘The News’ from Islamabad on Monday.
However, Arshad was quick to add that he still was hopeful of a fine show from his pugilists. “Our boxers can still reach finals,” said Arshad, a former international.
“We have some fighting boxers in the camp. Although we have not yet finalised the squad for Commonwealth Games, we have good stuff which can click in Australia,” the AIBA 3-star coach said.
Pakistan will field four boxers in the Commonwealth Games and Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) has sent a tentative list of six boxers to the organisers. “We have kept in the camp boxers in all six weights. The selection committee will meet in the next few days to decide who will go to Australia,” Arshad said. There are 20 pugilists in the camp being in operation since February 14 at the Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad.
Arshad said that he had been working hard with the boxers. “I am working hard to prepare a fighting lot. We practise twice in a day, for a total of five hours. In the morning we focus on physical training and in the evening session work is done on technical and tactical aspects,” the coach said.
“The boxers rest on Sundays. From Monday to Wednesday we train both in the morning and the evening. On Thursday training is held only in the morning. On Fridays and Saturdays again we train in two sessions,” the coach said.
“The boys have passed through the national championship, an Army event and Inter-Services competitions and they are 70 percent in shape. We still have one month at our disposal and I am very much confident that a solid lot can be prepared for the Commonwealth Games,” Arshad said. He added that in the two weeks before leaving for Australia the training load would be reduced on the boxers. “In the last ten to 15 days load will be reduced. It is very important,” the coach said. The boxing competitions in Australia will be held from April 5-14 at the Oxenford Studios, Gold Coast.
In the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Pakistan won a silver medal in boxing. It was done by Mohammad Waseem, who is now a professional boxer. He lost to Australia’s Andrew Maloney in the flyweight final. Pakistan is set to feature in ten disciplines in the Commonwealth Games: boxing, hockey, shooting, table tennis, squash, badminton, swimming, shooting, weightlifting and wrestling.