Boxing: Abbas goes down in Olympic qualifiers

Boxer crashes out of boxing event in quarter-final.

KARACHI: Pakistan boxer Zulqarnain Abbas went down to Kazakh-stan’s Byamba Tuvshinbat 13-4 in the quarter-final of the AIBA Asian qualifying event in Astana, pinning the country’s Olympic hopes on Mohammad Waseem.

The Rawalpindi-based Abbas failed to make an impact in his last-eight bout in the 65-kilogramme (kg) category and became the country’s third boxer to have his campaign at the qualifying event ended. Earlier, Naimatullah and Haider Riaz also crashed out of the event.

Waseem, who needs a win over Tugstsogt Nyambayar to confirm his seat for the London Olympics, will face the Mongolian boxer today.

“We know our players did their best so I’m satisfied with their performance,” Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) President Doda Khan Bhutto told The Express Tribune. “We selected our team on the basis of merit and they’re competing against the world’s best.

”I do have high hopes from Waseem and I’m confident he will qualify for the Olympics.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2012.