LAHORE: Mohammad Waseem, Pakistan’s first professional boxer, says he will fight his next bout against a Japanese for the world title in January next year and for its preparation he is soon going to the United States.

Waseem, who has won his last eight fights at the world level without any defeat, said that the Japanese was a tough rival as he had knocked out his rivals in the last 13 fights he had fought. But Waseem vowed he would lift the world title after beating the Japanese. Waseem said he was going to South Korea where he would address a press conference about the fight.

Waseem appreciated the government of Punjab for fulfilling all its promises it had made with him to promote him as a world-class boxer, but he lamented that his own provincial government of Balochistan was still reluctant to come forward to complete its promises with him.

Waseem also met the director general of the Sports Board Punjab Aamir Jan who disclosed that a Punjab Academy was being established at the cost of Rs500 million.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2017