Waseem KOs Panama's Ivan Trejos

Boxer bags his second win of the month and takes his win/loss tally to 7-0

KARACHI: World Boxing Council (WBC) silver flyweight champion Muhammad Waseem continued his winning run as he knocked out Panama's Ivan Trejos in the third round in Panama on Sunday.

Waseem, who was also honoured with Pakistan's Pride of Performance award, had earlier knocked out Eliecer Valdez, another Panamanian, in the second round on July 5.

This was Waseem's second bout of the month and a victory means the Quetta-born boxer has managed to keep his undefeated streak alive.

Waseem, who turned pro in 2015, won the WBC silver title in July last year with a win over Philippines' Jether Oliva before successfully defended it against Filipino Geimel Magramo in November.

While talking to The Express Tribune, Waseem revealed that it took him two rounds to understand the opponents’ game.  "It was a good fight, I enjoyed it against Trejos," said Waseem. "Trejos threw some very strong punches in the first two rounds and my strategy was to exhaust him first. Basically, he gave his all in the first two rounds and I understood his game. I had never seen any of his fights before so I took my time and then I did all I could to win.

The 29-year-old added: “He got a few powerful body shots from me and also a cut above his eye. I feel he began to give up by the middle of the third round. But he put up a good fight."

Waseem further reveals that the fight was important to improve his rankings, and it also fulfills the WBC requirement of its champions to stay active in order to keep the title.

"It was for both, the title and the ranking," he explained. "I fought in the bantamweight class but the fight was important to keep my ranking steady and to show the WBC that I'm active and that I deserve a chance at the world championship bout. Hopefully that can be arranged soon too."

Waseem, who has been training in Panama with his coach Jeff Mayweather for almost a month now, went on to dedicate the victory to the soldiers and martyrs of the Pakistan Army, who have been fighting against terrorism in Pakistan. "I want to dedicate this win to the soldiers and martyrs of Pakistan Army as they have sacrificed many lives fighting to protect others, fighting against violence," said Waseem.