PBF confident four boxers will qualify for Tokyo 2020

KARACHI: A senior official of Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) has said that at least four national pugilists were able to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“You know our boxers last featured in 2004 Athens Olympics. We are working on a plan and I am confident that at least four of our boxers would be able to make it to Tokyo 2020,” PBF secretary Nasir Tung told ‘The News’ in an interview on Wednesday.

“We have a few brave fighters like Mohammad Asif and Awais Ali Khan who can qualify for Olympics. We also plan to bring in professional boxer Mohammad Waseem to feature in the Olympic qualifiers if he gets time. But for that we will need permission from AIBA. We will do everything we can,” the official said.

He said that the PBF has prepared a comprehensive plan for preparing the pugilists for the tough challenge ahead. “If we are to return to Olympic fold we will need to provide maximum exposure to our budding boxers,” Nasir said.

“Next year Pakistan will feature in the Commonwealth Games in Australia and Asian Games in Indonesia. We have written to the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) that our boxers will need foreign training tours ahead of these events,” the official said.

“I hope that the Board will realise that we desperately need such training tours because when you don’t give top sparring to your boys they are not able to produce the desired results in any international event,” Nasir added. He said that Kazakhstan, Korea, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were ideal destinations for Pakistani boxers. “These countries have splendid boxing environment and good facilities for training. We will try to send our boxers to these countries,” Nasir said.

He said that the PBF had been working hard to get the services of a foreign coach. “We desperately need a foreign coach and have talked to the Board about this,” the official said.He said that the PBF wants to pick 30 boxers for national duty during the National Games. “If National Games are held, it will help us select 30 top boxers for the camp which will be set up for preparing boxers for Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. If not, we will select boxers in the National Championship which we plan to hold in Karachi in November or December,” Nasir said.

“I have visited all the provinces and have seen the clubs. Some of the clubs are working very well. We have planned to hold competitions of under-14, under-16 and under-18 boxers. We will try to pick at least three boxers each in these age-groups who will be put in a combined camp for a few weeks,” Nasir said. “Besides seniors we will provide exposure to the youth who will gradually replace the seniors,” the official said.

However, he was quick to add that for handling these things the PBF would need not only a huge state funding but also sponsorship from private sector.He said that the PBF would try to get the services of former Pakistani boxer Hussain Shah for preparing mainstream boxers. “Shah trains boxers in Japan. Through his support we can send a few pugilists to Japan for getting training in his gymnasium,” Nasir said.

He said that the federation was also working for hiring a foreign coach from Cuba or from central Asian states.Nasir said that Pakistan’s light heavyweight boxer Awais had been training hard in the Army’s camp in Rawalpindi for the World Championship to be held in Hamburg, Germany, late next month. “I hope he will produce a positive result in Hamburg,” the official said.