Asian Boxing Championship: Pakistan’s last hope for world tourney crashes out

Mehmood loses 3-0 to Tajik opponent in quarter-finals.

KARACHI: Mehmoodul Hussan, Pakistan’s last standing boxer in the ongoing 2015 ASBC Asian Championships in Thailand, faltered in the quarter-finals of the 91kg category on Tuesday, missing out on the chance to qualify for the world championships that will take place next month.

Out of the eight Pakistani boxers competing in the event, the 28-year-old was the only one who managed to reach the last-eight but lost his crucial bout to Tajikistan’s Jakhon Qurbanov 3-0.

The national contingent was eyeing at least one place in the semi-finals in order to qualify for the world championships in Doha.

“Mehmood lost, but this is not the end,” Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) secretary Iqbal Hussain told The Express Tribune.  “This event will only push our boxers to improve and get rid of their weaknesses.”

Hussain further said that participation in the Asian championship was necessary as now the pugilists understand the level of competition at the Olympic qualifying rounds. “We still have a chance in March at the AIBA Continental Olympic Qualifiers,” he said. “I’m confident that a win in that event is possible as the top boxers from the world championships would have already qualified for the Olympics.”

According to Hussain, the PBF has proposed to call former world champion Comas Aguilera Bernardoas of Cuba in the capacity of a coach to prepare the boxers for the March event, adding that he has also asked a Taiwanese physiotherapist to join the camp.

“We have five months to prepare with these coaches, if the government agrees to help us get them here,” said the official. “Boxing around the world has changed a lot and our pugilists need coaches who can train them on new techniques.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 2^nd,  2015.

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