Waseem bemoans pugilists’ poor show in Islamic Games

KARACHI: Pakistan’s top boxer and World Boxing Council’s (WBC) silver flyweight champion Mohammad Waseem on Saturday said that the performance of the national pugilists in the Islamic Games in Baku was very poor.

“Yes, our boxers played really bad,” Waseem told ‘The News’ in an interview from Quetta.

Waseem, who has started preparation for his next pro bout, said that the country’s boxing had touched a new low, stressing, Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) would have to make concerted efforts to put some life in the standard of the sport.

“I see that Pakistan’s boxing has destroyed during the last few years. It needs a major push. I think there is a need for a solid plan. We see the same boxers are being tested again and again. And with this, it is not easy to form a strong pool for the future,” the 2014 Incheon Asian Games bronze medallist pointed out.

“The authorities should pick different boxers in every event and by doing so they will be able to find those who have international temperament and can play with killer instinct. There is a need for a different approach,” Waseem said.

In the Islamic Games being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, Pakistan had fielded seven boxers and all failed to click. Four had directly entered the quarter-finals after getting byes in the preliminaries and two of the remaining three won their initial bouts to join the other four in the quarter-finals. But no one was able to move beyond the last-eight stage.

Awais Ali Khan, Suleman Baloch, Mohibullah, Tanvir Ahmed, Syed Mohammad Asif, Arshad Hussain and the 2010 South Asian Games gold medallist Niamatullah were part of Pakistan’s squad.

Waseem also called for a change in the coaching staff. “The PBF should test all the available coaches and should not stick with a couple of coaches. By giving chances to more coaches, the authorities would come to know who can coach better,” the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games silver medallist said.

He said the PBF should work at grassroots level, adding, young talent should be hunted and groomed properly.

He also stressed that pugilists should be given more international exposure. “Unless you constantly give the boxers exposure they would not become mature and will always feel a sort of fear while competing abroad in a tough environment,” Waseem said.

Before turning pro in early 2015, Waseem won several medals for Pakistan at international level.

After the batch of Asian champion Mehrullah Lassi, Faisal Karim and Asghar Ali Shah got retired at the start of the 21st century after featuring in the 2004 Athens Olympics, Waseem had been the only pugilist who left a deep imprint in amateur circuit at international level for the next decade until 2014, the year in which he earned medals both at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games at a time when the PBF had termed him a spent force.

And then his remarkable progress in pro field within short time silenced all his critics.

He is now set to play a world title eliminator in the next few months. If he wins it, he will then fight for the world title.