Boxing: Good day for Pakistan in the ring
Pakistan suffered a shock in the opening bout of the day when India’s Madan Lal beat Haroon Khan 23-16.
“I tried my best to punch him as much as I could, and even I took good start with 6-4 in first round,” said Haroon.
“But in the second round, Lal played much better and I got little defensive because of that. It’s hugely disappointing to not qualify for the semis but I’ll try and do much better in the Olympics qualifiers that take place in March.”
In the second bout, Mohammad Waseem beat Sri Lanka’s Mvir Senevira 26-12 in the 52-kilogramme category, winning his rounds 8-4, 12-5 and 6-3 to move into the semi-finals.
“I’m really happy to have made it to the semis,” Waseem told The Express Tribune. “I’ve won all my fights so far and hopefully I’ll win a gold. For the last two weeks, I’ve been practicing for this event and that has paid off.”
In the 91kg category, Syria’s Manaf Assad beat Ahmed Ali 22-19 but there were better fortunes for the hosts in the 81kg where a local boxer managed a 25-17 win over Nepal.
Meanwhile, it was also a good day for Iran who won all three of their bouts and qualified for the last-four of their respective categories.
British boxer Amir Khan, though, remained the highlight of the day when a large crowd turned up to see him at the venue where he turned up to see Haroon’s match.
“I wish Haroon could have reached the semi-finals but unfortunately he lost,” said Amir. “However, winning and losing is part of the game.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 27th, 2011.
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