Boxing fades, four fight on

Pakistan sends two men, two women to Japan Asian Games as funding, exposure remain hurdles

KARACHI:

Once regarded as one of Pakistan’s strongest prospects for medals at the Asian Games, boxing heads into this month’s continental showpiece with modest expectations and a four-member squad.

Pakistan has not won an Asian Games boxing medal since the 2014 Incheon Games, when Mohammad Waseem secured bronze. Waseem has since moved into the professional boxing and has become a WBA World Gold champion.

The drought continued at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and the 2023 Games in Hangzhou, with Pakistan’s boxers failing to reach the podium.

This time, the country will field two men and two women at the Games in Japan, which formally open on September 19.

Sumama Rahman will compete in the 55kg category, while Irfan Khan will enter the 92kg division. Fatima Zehra will fight at 60kg and Maria Rind at 51kg.

The squad has been training at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad since August 24 after the Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) conducted an earlier camp in Rawalpindi with the assistance from the army and the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA).

“Yes, the army backed us, more especially administratively, and we are thankful to them,” PBF president Col Nasir Tung told The Express Tribune.

Tariq Siddiqui of WAPDA and Liaquat Mughal of Navy will accompany the boxers to Japan.

The financial constraints surrounding the team underline one of the sport's biggest problems in Pakistan, the limited resources for international competition.

Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) will sponsor one male and one female boxer, while the federation will cover the remaining members of the delegation.

“Yes, what we can as Board sponsors only two boxers,” Nasir said.

For the federation, the challenge goes beyond funding a single Asian Games campaign. Nasir said Pakistan’s boxers lacked the international exposure needed to build rankings and gain experience against stronger oppositions.

“We don’t have corporate sector support and state also does not back us that much and it’s not easy to ensure maximum participation of boxers in international circuit,” he said.

That lack of competition has a direct impact on Pakistan’s prospects at major events, he added.

“Unless you give exposure to boxers they will not improve,” Nasir said.

The Asian Games draw will be particularly demanding, with established boxing nations from Central Asia joined by strong contenders from countries including Iran, India, Thailand and hosts Japan.

“It’s not easy to win medal in this belt,” Nasir said.

Despite the difficult road, he identified Fatima Zehra as Pakistan’s chance of making a deep run.

“Yes, she is capable of reaching the podium provided she gets good draws,” he said, while pointing again to the problem of rankings caused by limited international exposure.

Zehra’s prospects are supported by her recent performance at the Commonwealth Games, where she won bronze after an extended development programme backed by the federation.

Nasir said the result demonstrated what greater preparation and exposure could produce.

“You know we groomed Fatima Zehra too much and the result was also inspiring as she won bronze in the Commonwealth Games,” he said.

The federation’s financial limitations have also affected the selection and participation of other promising fighters. Maria Rind, who comes from Karachi’s Lyari area, was included in Pakistan’s Commonwealth Games squad but ultimately could not travel because of a lack of resources.

Rind has competed at a handful of international events during her career and will now have another opportunity to test herself on the Asian stage.

For Irfan Khan, the tournament will mark a bigger milestone. The fighter from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is set to make his international debut, stepping into one of the sport’s toughest competitive regions without the benefit of extensive international experience.

Sumama Rahman and Fatima Zehra, meanwhile, already have experience and will be looking to build on it in Japan.

The team is due to leave for Japan on September 17, two days before the opening ceremony.