October 25, 2003	Saturday	Sha’aban 28, 1424

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KARACHI, Oct 24: Top boxers Asghar Ali Shah and Meherullah would change their weight categories for the third time within a month when they join the national training camp here from Nov 3.

Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) said on Friday the two were among the 21 pugilists selected by coach Reinaldo Alveraz and invited by the PBF for the camp in a build-up to next year’s SAF Games in Islamabad and Athens Olympics.

The boxers will prepare for three qualifying rounds for the Olympic Games to be organized between January and April, and March’s SAF Games.

PBF has been under heavy fire during the last one month for frequent changes in the weight divisions of country’s two star boxers.

Asghar and Meher, originally light-welterweight and featherweight boxers, reduced their weights when asked by the PBF to switch over to lightweight and bantamweight days before the third Green Hill Cup international tournament organized from Oct 8 to 12 in Karachi.

The pair were again asked to revert to their original weight categories to participate in the ongoing inaugural Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad, India. PBF claims it was done since the two pugilists had participated in the Busan Asian Games as light-welterweight and featherweight.

It would be the third change in their weight categories when the duo would be again reducing their weight to become lightweight and bantamweight during the training camp for the forthcoming events next year.

PBF says that both the boxers have been asked by coach Alveraz to fight in lower weight categories since he feels their opponents have advantage of better height.

Just before the departure to Hyderabad, Meher had categorically stated he did not feel at ease and his performance was being hampered because of sudden changes in the weight category.

Light-flyweight Noman Kareem and middleweight Ahmad Ali Khan, who are also in Hyderabad, would also join the camp on Nov 3, while the remaining probables report on Nov 1 at National Sports Training and Coaching Centre (NSTCC).

Apart from 15 seniors, the coach had also selected six junior boxers for the camp on the basis of their performances in the recent international tournament in Karachi.

Probables:

Seniors: Light-flyweight Noman Kareem, flyweight Shoaib Rasheed, bantamweight Meherullah, featherweight Sohail Baloch, lightweight Asghar Ali Shah, light-welterweight Jan Mohammad, welterweight Muzammil Khan, welterweight Dur Mohammad, middleweight Ahmad Ali Khan, middleweight Tanveer Shaukat, light-heavyweight Allah Bukhsh, heavyweight Shaukat Ali, heavyweight Abdul Razzaque, super-heavyweight Muzaffar Iqbal, and super-heavyweight Akhtar Pervaiz.

Juniors: Light-flyweight Zeeshan Butt, light-flyweight Mushtaq Hussain, flyweight Ali Mohammad, bantamweight Tariq Zia, bantamweight featherweight Samiullah, and featherweight Karrar Hussain.