Boxing: Waseem eyes top league performance

Pakistan boxer disappointed after professional boxing snub.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s ace boxer Mohammad Waseem has said that he aims to play in the top leagues of the world after his dream of joining professional boxing ended in dismay.

Waseem, who is currently playing in the 52kg category, was offered the chance by the AIBA Professional Boxing (APB) and he was all set to play at the biggest stage. However, when it looked all well for him, his dream was shattered as his participation never got confirmed.

“I was all set to join professional boxing but in the end, I don’t know what went wrong,” Waseem told The Express Tribune. “The federation was dealing with the matter and then nothing evolved out of it, which is really disappointing. I wanted to take on the best boxers of the world but my dream was shattered.”

The player, who represents Wapda on the national circuit, revealed he requested his department’s coaches to help him play in foreign boxing leagues, where he could make a name for himself.

“As a player, I want to be playing in the top leagues instead of just attending camps in the country and playing a big tournament once in a year. There is lot of money involved in boxing globally whereas we hardly earn anything here.”

Waseem won the gold medal at the second Shaheed Benazir Bhutto International Boxing Tournament in Islamabad and clinched third place at the Commonwealth Games in 2010. He also won a gold medal at the 2010 World Combat Games in China and bagged a silver at the 2010 Dhaka South Asian Games. The Pakistan boxer also added a bronze medal to his name at the 2011 President’s Cup, after a earning another third-place finish at the 2009 King’s Cup.

The player is currently undergoing training at a camp in Islamabad and said that he aims to achieve top fitness in order to do well in the upcoming international events.

“The only thing I can do is to continue winning medals in international events to bolster my reputation and I may be offered a contract by top leagues or promotional companies.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd, 2013.