IBF flyweight world title bout: Waseem gets ‘good sparring partner’

KARACHI: Pakistan’s professional boxer and former two-time WBC world silver flyweight champion Mohammad Waseem has got a good sparring partner and he says it would help him prepare in a better way for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) flyweight world title bout against South Africa’s Moruti Mthalane next month.

“I have got Johnriel Casimero of the Philippines, a former two-time world champion, as my sparring partner. Last day I had a ten-round sparring with him. Sparring with the Filipino will help me a lot,” Waseem told ‘The News’ from Las Vegas, United States, on Friday.

He said he had been training hard under the supervision of Jeff Mayweather at the Floyd Mayweather Gym.

Jeff is the uncle of Floyd Mayweather Junior, the world’s most accomplished boxer.

The 30-year-old Quetta-born fighter Waseem will face Moruti on July 15 at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur in the IBF world title shot.

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.

Waseem will move to Kuala Lumpur on July 7 to play what could be the fight of his life.

When others will be celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr on Saturday (today) Waseem will go to the gym at 8am for his routine training. “Yes, my Eid here is to train. Ramadan was very difficult for me as I had to train hard in it. The people here were amazed to see me training so hard in Ramadan,” the fighter said.

He is very happy with the way he is being treated by the US media and boxers. “Here the people are very friendly and are fond of boxing. When I go to bazaar people meet me as they know me that I am a fighter from Pakistan training for the world title,” Waseem said.

“The local media give me good coverage as boxing is the most favourite sport of the people here,” he said.

“Yesterday, Floyd Mayweather Junior came when I was training in the gym. He waved his hand to me which was encouraging for me. It’s a huge gym in which 200 to 300 boxers train,” said Waseem, who aims to increase his training after Ramadan.

“I will train harder as I have only one month at my disposal,” the 2014 Incheon Asian Games bronze medallist said.

Waseem turned pro in early 2015 after serving Pakistan for over a decade in amateur circuit. He shot to fame when he won the World Boxing Council (WBC) world silver flyweight title by beating Jether Oliva of the Philippines on July 17, 2016, in Korea.

In November the same year he defended his crown by whacking Giemel Magramo of the Philippines, also in Seoul.

Waseem remained World No1 for quite some time in the WBC books. He was expected to face Japan’s knock-out artist Daigo Higa in the WBC flyweight title bout early this year. But financial constraints denied him the chance to meet the Japanese.

He remained in a fix before English promoter Sean Gibbons arranged a deal with Manny Pacquiao Promotions which enabled the boxer to find himself once again on his feet.