Amir, Waseem react to boxer’s death

LAHORE: Former champion Amir Khan on Monday raised questions about the rival of boxer Muhammad Aslam, who died on Sunday of a head injury which he sustained during a fight in Karachi on Saturday.

“The bouts of the rival boxers show that he was of more weight than that of the deceased,” Amir tweeted. He emphasised that doctors and medical teams must be present on the occasion for treatment of the players.

The 33-year-old boxer from Pishin received a deadly knockout blow on face during a “Boxing Night” organised by Rasheed Baloch-led Pakistan Boxing Council at a club in Karachi. Aslam, who was known as a kick-boxer, was contesting against Mohammad Wali in cruise weight category bout during “Fight Night Series”.

The boxer was knocked by a left hook during the bout. He immediately fell unconscious. Videos on social media showed there was no proper medical response. Some eye-witnesses mentioned that Aslam was immediately taken to a private hospital at the Stadium Road where he was shifted to ICU. However, he passed away on Sunday afternoon.

Pakistan’s top professional boxer Mohammad Waseem demanded that government should take immediate action against those responsible for this accident. “Professional boxing is not a joke, you need to prove yourself before you can obtain a license to become a pro boxer. But here anyone can stand up and organise his own professional event. This is a very dangerous practice,” Waseem said. “Do these people even know what professional boxing is? Do they know what the rules and requirements are?” he said.