Preparing for IBF world title bout Waseem to leave for Birmingham soon

KARACHI: Pakistan’s professional boxer Mohammad Waseem will leave for Birmingham in the next few days to train for his International Boxing Federation (IBF) world title bout against Moruti Mthalane of South Africa later this summer.

“Yes, all training arrangements have been made. I will apply for England visa on Monday and it will take a week. I am very much confident that I will be able to leave for Birmingham in the first week of Ramadan,” Waseem told ‘The News’ from Islamabad on Friday.

Waseem-Moruti fight will be held on July 15 at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur. The title was left vacant by Filipino fighter Donnie Nietes, who held the crown for several years before rising to the super flyweight category.

The Waseem-Moruti fight was previously set as an elimination bout but after Donnie Nietes vacated the belt the fight was elevated to IBF flyweight title bout.He said he would train at a place which was visited by several world champions for training.

The two-time former WBC world silver champion is currently training in Islamabad. “I have achieved hundred percent fitness and I am in a great shape now,” Waseem claimed. “I am working hard. I train for eight hours a day and don’t get any protein. I am very excited for the coming fight. I hope I will live up to the billing,” the boxer said.

A few months ago, things looked bleak for Waseem when his flyweight world title bout against Japan’s Daigo Higa could not be arranged because of financial issues.

But the boxer did not lose heart and waited for the good days to return. And it happened when England’s Sean Gibbons came to his help and arranged the IBF flyweight world title bout against the South African under Manny Pacquiao Promotions. To a question, Waseem said that around two and a half months were enough for him to train solidly.

“It’s enough. It will be great training in England and benefit me a lot ahead of the fight,” the fighter said.This will be the first time that Waseem will be training in England in his professional career.

During his association with the World Boxing Council (WBC) he mostly underwent training in Korea, Japan, Las Vegas and Panama. He held WBC world No1 spot for months. But as he could not defend his WBC world silver title in the specific period he was stripped of his title which affected his ranking.