Zohaib, Naqeebullah to feature in World Boxing

KARACHI: Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) plans to send Zohaib Rasheed and Naqeebullah to Tashkent to feature in the World Boxing Championships which will be held at the Humo Arena in the Uzbek capital from May 1-14.

“Yes we want to send Zohaib Rasheed from Navy and Naqeebullah from WAPDA to Tashkent and we will be making every effort to manage revenues for making the trip possible,' the PBF secretary Col Nasir Tung told ‘The News’ on Saturday.

“Arshad Hussain will be accompanying as coach during the trip which is very important as it will help our fighters learn while competing with the world's best crop,' Nasir said.

“Naqeebullah is a good fighter. We had been assessing his performance since long. He is a brave boxer and I hope he will prove to be a tough fighter in future,' Nasir said.

Zohaib, who features in the light flyweight, has already been able to win bronze medals in Asia both at the senior and under-22 level.

The World Championships is very lucrative as a huge purse will be given to the medallists in each weight category. The gold medallists will earn 200,000 US dollars with the silver and bronze medallists to take 100,000 US dollars and 50,000 US dollars, respectively.

Nasir said that due to huge currency depreciation it's now extremely difficult to manage any trip like this.

“The fares, accommodation and other expenses have been increased manifold. This tour of three members will cost us Rs3 million. The boarding fee per person per night is 120 Euros and the rule is that every participating nation will have to pay that fee for the entire 14 days event,” Nasir said.

Nasir said that they have already invited invitation for visa on arrival, saying the entries have been sent and now it depends on how they will be able to manage the required funds.

Nasir said that both the boxers are undergoing training in their respective departments as they are also preparing for the 34th National Games pencilled in for May 22-30 at Quetta.

“There is no need of any separate camp for them as they have already been preparing with their respective departments who have held camps for the National Games.

They are also getting good sparring partners there and I hope they would be ready by the challenge as we still have a fortnight at our disposal,” Nasir said.

Meanwhile coach Arshad Hussain told ‘The News’ that the World Championships exposure is very important for their fighters which will help them how to tackle the pressure at the toughest level.

The World Championships experience will also help the fighters to prepare for the 19th Asian Games slated to be held in Hangzhou, China, from September 22 to October 8.

Zohaib Rasheed belongs to a boxing family of Lyari and has emerged as a fighting boxer. His recent stints in international circuit show how talented he is. Naqeebullah, on the other hand, is a fresh boxer belonging to Quetta but has the killer instinct and the international exposure will help him gain a sort of confidence necessary for a fighter to impress in international circuit.

The World Championships will begin with the formal opening ceremony on April 30.

The finals will be held on May 13 and 14.

More than 640 boxers are expected to show their mettle in their respective zones. The finals will be conducted on May 13 and 14.