Besides Pakistan’s premier professional boxer and former world No1 Mohammad Waseem who is eyeing a world title, we have another future prospect in the field in Mohammad Bilal Mehsud.

The 23-year-old, who is a real athlete, shot to fame on July 20, 2019, when he drew the World Boxing Council (WBC) Asia super lightweight silver title bout against two-time defending champion Geisler AP of Indonesia at the latter’s backyard.

It was a fight worth seeing with Bilal dominating throughout. He knocked down the 35-year-old Geisler twice in the fifth and sixth rounds.

However, eventually the bout was decided by the jury as a technical draw as the Indonesian received a deep cut.

Bilal has requested a re-match as he is not satisfied with the outcome of the bout as he boxed so well in front of a jam-packed venue. This was the first time that the Karachi-based boxer played abroad in professional boxing.

Before this fight, Bilal had played six bouts in Pakistan and won them all.

Bilal is a super athlete, wonderfully fit and has a big heart. He seems to be a boy of character and his poverty-stricken life has made him tough.

He is the son of a former Steel Mills driver Mehmood Khan, who migrated to Karachi from Waziristan 21 years ago.

Mehmood, who resides at Gulshan-e-Hadeed, has six sons. Bilal is number three.

Bilal, doing his BBA at Iqra University, has represented Pakistan in wushu and kick-boxing. He also represented KCCA Zone IV as a fine leg-spinner at the under-15, under-17 and under-19 levels.

How he left cricket and started playing wushu is an interesting story. ‘The News on Sunday’ (TNS) had a detailed discussion with the South Asian Wushu Championships 2018 silver medalist. Some excerpts of the talk are given below.

"My family conditions were very bad. I used to work in a rice godown, lifting heavy bags. I worked in the morning and used to attend classes and then used to play," Bilal told TNS after returning from Indonesia.

"Before going to narrate my story about wushu and other sports I would like to brief you about my cricket career. I was a leg spinner. I used to play for Steel Town Gymkhana. Baba Faseehullah was my coach. He is a popular coach. When I was playing cricket I was very poor. I could not even purchase a sweater. It was a hard time. My coach Baba Faseeh was very kind. He also gave me a small cellphone. I was keen to play cricket and wanted to establish myself as a leg-spinner. I used to follow Shahid Afridi but I could not do so exactly. I represented KCCA Zone IV at under-15, under-17 and under-19 levels," Bilal said. "I was very hard working and was always in the field. Once a taekwondo expert witnessed me when I was training. He told me that I was wasting my time in cricket and kept telling me for quite some time to leave cricket and adopt martial arts," Bilal narrated.

"Convinced by him, at Hospital Chowrangi in Quaid-e-Abad, I joined Ustad Zubair, a wushu master. I had some test fights and when I was sparring with Ustad Zubair’s son Amir Khan he handed me severe beating. It was painful to move for three weeks. I had thought that I had to train hard, beat Amir and then leave martial arts. But it did not happen as fate wanted me to become a martial arts athlete. I and Amir became fast friends. And so I kept playing wushu and got bronze in the National Championship. Then in 2017 event I got silver and in the Quaid-e-Aam Games in Islamabad in 2018 I secured gold. I also got gold in the last Sindh Games in wushu. In the 2018 South Asian Wushu Championship I claimed silver. I also represented Pakistan in kick-boxing in the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, where I fell in the quarter-finals," Bilal said.

"From financial point of view now I am in a good position. I am doing BBA from Iqra University and want to do MPhil in sports sciences. At the same time I am teaching physical education at various educational institutions," he said.

"I would like to play all three games at the same time. Kick-boxing, wushu and boxing are quite similar. You know I have not represented Pakistan in amateur boxing but I know the art of winning a bout. I want to master my boxing skills and in the pro field I want to give my nation a big name. It’s just the start of my career and I would continue hard work and the day is not far when I will give you a good news in the pro boxing field. My efforts of hoisting Pakistan’s flag in wushu and kick-boxing would also continue. At the national level I am silver medallist in wushu and will fight for a place in Pakistan’s wushu team for this year’s South Asian Games (to be held in Nepal in December). Some people tell me that I should focus on one game but I can do my best in all disciplines. I am fit and working very hard. The WBC Asia super lightweight silver title bout against the Indonesian has encouraged me a lot. The WBC has called Pakistan’s professional boxing body’s head Rasheed Baloch, telling him that my future is very bright and I can progress in professional boxing," Bilal revealed.

"What I need at the moment is a promoter. If I get one it will really transform my career and will make achieving my dreams easier for me," Bilal said.

"What you need is a determination. I am very determined and optimistic about my career. I want to win laurels for my country. I am the only athlete of my country who is playing professional boxing, having represented Pakistan in both wushu and kick-boxing besides having represented Karachi’s Zone IV. I will be able to achieve amazing things in the field of sports. I request the state and corporate sector to back me and I will not disappoint anyone," Bilal said.

Bilal represented Karachi Port Trust (KPT) for several months last year on stipends in various events but he eventually resigned from there because of some issues. He also follows Mohammad Waseem, a former WBC world silver flyweight two-time champion.

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