Pakistan’s first women’s boxing ring under construction in Lyari

Structure to be completed within a week at Pak Shaheen Boxing Club

KARACHI: While the neighbourhood of Lyari earns most of its attention through crimes and gang violence, this time it’s the construction work being carried out for Pakistan’s first-ever boxing ring for women that sheds the spotlight on the run-down locality.

The name plate of the club hangs on the wall. PHOTO: AYESHA MIR/ EXPRESS

The Pak Shaheen Boxing Club, a club which has made the nation proud by producing celebrated boxers including Olympian Rasheed Qambrani, South Asian Games gold-medallist Majeed Qambrani, Nisar Sona, Asif Kachi and Noor Badshah, has taken another huge step in the promotion and development of the sport with a dedicated boxing ring exclusively for women; an unprecedented achievement in the country’s boxing landscape.

Sponsored wholly by textile giants Gul Ahmed, who are not only funding the construction of the ring but are also renovating the entire club, the ring has already started generating interest with a rise in the number of female boxers signing up with the club.

A man is working on the corners of the ring. PHOTO: AYESHA MIR/ EXPRESS

"We are extremely excited to finally get to train in a ring,” said teenage boxer Anum Qambrani, trainee at the club and daughter of club coach Mohammad Younus Qambrani. “Everyone is now talking about this ring and even though the construction is going on, the news of the ring is spreading awareness about female boxing and more girls are coming in since this started.”

Practicing equipment in the club. PHOTO: AYESHA MIR/ EXPRESS

Younus, meanwhile, cannot believe the fact that he is seeing the development of a ring at his club, something he never thought he would be ‘able to witness in his lifetime’. “I cannot thank the sponsors enough for this. I have been waiting for this moment since a very long time and had even given up hope that this could ever happen in my lifetime,” he said.

“Even though we still don’t have all the facilities, we still have enough now to train our female boxers on professional standards,” he added.

Female boxing gloves in different colors. PHOTO: AYESHA MIR/ EXPRESS

The club has been training female boxers since almost a year now with the pugilists training on a hard concrete floor which hampered their training process.

"We've been training without a ring for a long time and because of it when we enter professional tournaments [where there is a ring], our boxers find it difficult to adjust because of the ring’s softer surface. Plus maintaining our balance on the ring is difficult as well,” revealed Anum.

After completion of ring, female boxers are expected to rush in to learn boxing. PHOTO: AYESHA MIR/ EXPRESS

Sindh Boxing Association Secretary Asghar Baloch, meanwhile, hailed the construction of the ring and added that this would encourage a lot of women to pursue the sport. “This is a great initiative and would increase the number of training venues for women which will definitely encourage a lot of women to pursue the sport.”