Waseem falls to biased judgement

Pakistan to return from boxing event empty-handed.

GUIYANG:

Mohammad Waseem raised his arms in jubilation as the bell heralded the end of his quarter-final bout against Rey Saludar of Philippines at the China Open of Boxing, thinking he had sealed the deal.

But his joy was short-lived as shock followed when the Saludar was announced the winner.  “I’m really disheartened,” Waseem told The Express Tribune. “It’s discouraging to see my hard work fall prey to biased judgment.”

Trailing 12-10, Waseem fought back in the final round  but the result showed only two points for him which gave Saludar a 15-12 win. The Commonwealth Games bronze medallist said it was part of his strategy to tire out his opponent and then bounce back towards the end.

“It was my strategy to attack in the final round. I succeeded in doing that but failed to beat the referees.”

Difficult to protest

Pakistan coach Ali Baksh said it was almost impossible for him to protest.

“It’s a process that requires paying a lot of money which we don’t have,” he said. “But I’m satisfied with their performance. They showed remarkable improvement and fought bravely.”

The end of the Pakistan campaign

Amir Khan’s 14-9 loss to Kazakhstan’s Sakenov Ermek brought curtains to Pakistan’s campaign in the championship.

After levelling the first round 3-3, Amir allowed his opponent to score easy points and secure a hefty lead of 9-5. The Kazak also dominated the last round by claiming five points to seal his victory.

Sardar Mohammad and Nisar Khan ended their runs earlier in the championship.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2011.