U-14 tournament gives aspiring boxers hope

Federation to hold event next month to groom backup.

KARACHI:
Young, aspiring boxers will have a show their worth on the national level as the Pakistan Boxing Federation’s (PBF) inaugural under-14 National Ranking Tournament takes place in Karachi from November 26.

In addition to promoting the sport among children, the event will create a pool of boxers – a shortlisted squad of 15 – that will be trained in Kazakhstan next year.

According to the PBF Secretary Akram Khan, the federation is encouraging under-14 championships mainly to form a pool but various clubs hold their own events with support from the Pakistan Sports Board to promote boxing in that age group.


“Boxing is a popular sport but youngsters need guidance early on,” Khan told The Express Tribune. “We have good boxers from Quetta and Karachi but at the event we’re expecting participants from Lahore and Islamabad too.

“We are keeping future international events, including the Olympics, in mind. We can grow our own backup instead of relying on boxers from other countries to represent us.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26th, 2011.
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