Pak boxer Waseem picks Casimero as sparring partner

KARACHI: Pakistan’s professional boxer and former two-time WBC world silver flyweight champion Mohammad Waseem has got a good sparring partner which the boxer said would help him prepare in 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 Philippines, a former two-time world champion, as my sparring partner. Last day I had a ten-round sparring with him. And having 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 his coach Jeff Mayweather at the Floyd Mayweather Gym in Las Vegas. Jeff

is the uncle of Floyd Mayweather Junior, the world’s most dangerous 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.

“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 greatest of boxers.

“Here the people are very friendly and are fond of boxing. When I go to bazar 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,” Waseem said.

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

“Now Ramadan has also ended. I would switch to more harder training 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.

Following his excellent performance Waseem also 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 for certain period before an English promoter Sean Gibbons rushed to his help and engineered a deal with the Manny Pacquiao Promotions which enabled the boxer to find himself once again on his feet.