"It was a dream that has come true and I can't thank my people enough for it," the newly crowned World Boxing Association World Gold Bantamweight champion Mohammad Waseem said in his hometown, Quetta which staged Pakistan's first professional boxing event.
Waseem has been chasing not only another world title but also his ultimate dream to win it in front of his home crowd in Pakistan, to give them a taste of proper boxing bouts. The former three-time World Boxing Council Silver Flyweight Champion grabbed his title against Venezuela's Wiston Orono in front of a crowd of thousands.
He knocked out Orono in the ninth round after a flurry of body shots, culminating in a final knockout punch.
"I felt so good was also because this is my natural weight," Waseem admitted, while his previous world title bouts included International Boxing Federation fights against Sunny Edwards in 2022, and
Moruti Mthalane in 2018 has been in the flyweight division.
With his result, a decision given by judges who were in Pakistan from Germany, Spain, France, Venezuela, and Panama, Waseem registered his 10th knockout win of his professional career.
"Orono was so good in the first three rounds, and he was just dominating, I felt," Waseem told this correspondent on Monday Morning, after soaking in the historic victory over the weekend.
"My opponent was too good, but then I felt I started to get more ground in the fourth round, and by the sixth round, I could intuitively tell that he was wearing out. By the time I returned to my corner after the sixth round, my coach Danny Vaughn said that Orono looks like he wants to get out of the fight. So I capitalised on it. I was sure that he would not last beyond the ninth or tenth round with the way he was moving."
The show went on despite the India-Pakistan conflict.
The event took place, featuring boxers and officials from around 13 countries on Saturday night.
The constant preparations for it began in January.
"I'm feeling very good, I could not have done this without the help of DHA Quetta, the Chief Minister of Balochistan, Mir Sarfraz Bugti, has been very kind, and so was the Corps Commander for Quetta, Lieutenant General Rahat Naseem Ahmed Khan.
"The CM Balochistan sent his private jet to make sure that the boxers get to Quetta safely, on Friday, when there were news of war between India and Pakistan everywhere, our boxers were stuck in Dubai for two days and then they managed to land in Pakistan, but from Islamabad they were brought through private plane," he disclosed.
The event saw eight bouts, including the WBA Asia South Super Lightweight title won by Tarik Zaina.
Alex Dilmaghani won the WBA Asia Middle-East Lightweight title. Jesus Saracho won the bout for the WBA Asia Middle-East Welterweight title.
Two women's boxing title bouts also took place.
The 2010 World Combat Games gold medallist and the 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, Waseem, feels that the challenges to hold the event did not deter him from giving his best in the ring.
"I have had 300 amateur bouts and now in my professional career I have won my 14th fight, so I am used to facing difficulties and I don't get nervous or lose my focus," said the resilient pugilist who has seen it all from troubles with Pakistan Boxing Federation, to lack of sponsorships, bad managements, to constant visa issues in the past.
'It meant everything'
The success of the event was more personal for Waseem.
"I trained in Liverpool for two months, but the day I was leaving for my training, my wife gave birth to our daughter, and that was the hardest thing for me to be away from my newborn, but I had to train," he explained. "I got to experience my daughter for the first time since her birth on May 3, when I returned to Pakistan.
"Boxing can be so lonely. But I am glad I won this world title, and I feel my daughter is very lucky for me. My wife and kids couldn't be there because of the complete airspace shutdown. But my parents, my siblings, and my relatives saw me win the world title at home, among my people of Quetta, Balochistan, and that felt like a dream."
He thanked American matchmaker Roberto A Diaz and Chris Glover, who helped bring the international event to Pakistan.
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