Mr. Muhammad Khalid Mahmood – Boxers in Pakistan demonstrate a passion for boxing

Photograph - Muhammad Khalid Mahmood

Mr. Muhammad Khalid Mahmood is the President of the Pakistan Boxing Federation who replied to the questions of the Asian Boxing Confederation. Mr. Muhammad Khalid Mahmood and the Pakistan Boxing Federation are not only focusing to their elite athletes, but trying to build up competitive youth, junior and women teams as well.
Pakistan has got great traditions in boxing and their athletes competed in all levels of the sport in the recent decades. Pakistan has got medal also from the Olympic Games and from the AIBA World Boxing Championships and according to their total population the South Asian country has got all of the potential to regain their places in the Asian boxing map.

– Could you please introduce your country’s boxing life?
– Pakistan Boxing Federation was founded in 1948 and Pakistan’s three boxers first participated in the London Olympics in the same year. Pakistan won its first international boxing medal in the Tokyo Asian Games in 1958 which was won by Sultan Mehmood who achieved silver in Japan. Pakistan has seen success at amateur level boxing, despite lack of necessary equipment and facilities. Our boxers have won medals at the Olympic Games and also at the Commonwealth Games.
Examples include Quetta-born Haider Ali who won gold at the 2002 Commonwealth Games at featherweight, and went on to become a professional boxer and Asgher Ali Shah who is a two time Olympian with 13 gold and 10 silver medals at the international level. The two biggest examples we can get are Hussain Shah’s Olympic bronze medal at Seoul 1988 and Muhammad Waseem’s Commonwealth Games silver from 2014. Both of them became Pakistan’s first professional boxers.

– Would you like to tell us your strategic plans for the future and the key developments in your country?
– The Pakistani pugilists, both the youth and elite, demonstrate a passion for Boxing. Mostly the pugilists come from the remote areas and belong to lower middle class. Despite scarcity of financial resources their love for the game defines what they are. There have been many national heroes coming from the boxing family. They are living in an exceptional way defeating the circumstantial difficulties for their Boxing.
With an emphasis on the youth, we have planned to organise the district, provincial and national camps, and championships particularly for the women interested to demonstrate their Boxing skills. We are already engaged with relevant quarters to allot coaching courses to Pakistan to uplift the sports. We are also partnering with local sponsors for sponsorship by organising the National level Championships of junior, youth and elite categories both in men and women.

– What are the main strengths and issues in your boxing life?
– The passion for Boxing and a huge number of potential pugilists are our strength however scarcity of technical and administrative knowledge coupled with financial resources are the weaknesses.