Qambrani eyes SAFF women’s title

Coach bouyed by positive feedback from first-ever camp in Karachi

KARACHI: The humble beginning of female boxing in Pakistan is ready to change perceptions. At the first-ever training camp for female boxers held at the Pak Shaheen Club in Lyari, coach Muhammad Younus Qambrani said he had set his sights set on the South Asian Games (Saff) women’s title.

The camp has been organised by the Sindh Boxing Association (SBA) in collaboration with the Sindh Government at Lyari and one other venue – North Karachi Gymkhana. “This camp is just the beginning,” Qambrani told The Express Tribune. “Although we’ve been training for just a week, I was inspired to kick-start female boxing in the country two months ago because of a girl from my community who wanted to learn boxing for self-defense.”



The coach added that his two daughters were also taking part in the camp.

“The camp made history for the sport in Pakistan. If this continues and the SBA continues to support us, we can send our girls to the Saff Games too. I bet I can prepare them in three months’ time.”

The 10 girls at the Lyari camp are under the age of 18 and the youngest of them, nine-year-old Areesha and her 12-year-old sister are dreaming of making a career in the sport.



The two have been inspired by Qambrani’s daughters – 17-year-old Anum and 15-year-old Urooj who are impressive with their techniques and have already won against their counterparts at the North Karachi Gymkhana having sparred for only four days at the training camp.

The group of girls from both camps will compete against each other once more – this time at the ring inside People’s Stadium on November 8.

According to Anam, boxing is in her blood as three generations of her family have given boxers to the country. She feels that it is time for her and her sister to carry on with the mantle.

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“I feel I can win against anyone with proper training, even foreign opponents,” she said. “Right now we don’t even have a ring but we manage. I’m glad that we’ve at least got gloves and some new equipment at the camp.”

Meanwhile, teenage boxer Nadir Kachhi, who trains at the club at night and assists at the camp, believes the girls are quicker in picking up techniques compared to their male counterparts.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2015.

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