KARACHI, Dec 30: While Pakistan faced humiliation in the fields of cricket and hockey this year, the boxers made the country proud by adding silverware to their huge collection.
And it would not be an overstatement that it was only in the boxing ring where Pakistan made its presence felt.
Although the boxers, most of them belonging to the downtrodden section of society, grabbed laurels round the year, it was the Busan Asian Games at the end of the year when boxing really came into spotlight in Pakistan.
Meherullah, a diminutive featherweight from Karachi’s slum area of Lyari, burst into limelight when he grabbed the solitary gold at Asiad. It was not the only gold in boxing but it was the solo gold bagged by any Pakistani at the Games.
The feat achieved by Meher not only earned accolades in the media and from boxing lovers, but government, for the first time ever, recognized the potential in boxing by announcing Rs10million annual grant until 2004 Athens Olympics.
The sport got another shot in the arm when the government announced Rs10million more for the construction of a international standard boxing arena and a five acre land adjacent to National Sports Training and Coaching Centre in Karachi.
Prof. Anwar Chowdhry, the Pakistan boxing chief and the driving force behind the victories, also vowed to raise Rs10million for the construction of the boxing stadium which he said would be one of the best in the region.
Pakistan pugilists won the hearts of their countrymen as, apart from Meher, they pocketed five more medals, four silvers and a bronze at the Busan Games.
Flyweight Noman Karim, light-welterweight Asghar Ali Shah, middleweight Ahmad Ali Khan, heavyweight Shaukat Ali, clinched silvers, while super-heavyweight Muzaffar Iqbal got the bronze.
The number of medals claimed by our boxers was the highest and almost half of the total number of medals Pakistan won at the Games.
Like the Asiad, it was boxing which saved Pakistan’s blushes when featherweight Haider Ali scooped up the gold at Manchester Commonwealth Games. It was not only the single gold but also the solitary medal captured by Pakistan.
However, sadly Haider, following the success in Manchester, has opted to move to England in search of greener pastures with an intention of becoming professional.
Altogether Pakistan clinched 21 medals in boxing this year, including six golds, seven silvers, and eight bronzes during the year which saw more popular sports cricket and hockey hit rock bottom.
The boxers took a triumphant start by winning the silver and four bronze medals at Al-Fajr international tournament in Tehran. Ace pugilist Asghar won the light-welterweight silver, while flyweight Abdul Hameed, bantamweight Meher, featherweight Haider and middleweight Ahmad were the bronze medal winners.
In Baku, Asghar secured the gold, while Ahmad won the silver at Prof. Anwar Chowdhry Cup international tournament where the former was also adudged best boxer of the contest.
Shaukat grabbed the gold, Asghar and Ahmad silver and bronze respectively at the King’s Cup international tournament in Bangkok, before the Asian championship in Kuala Lumpur where Haider and Shaukat won the golds and Asghar the bronze.
Pakistan has an array of talented boxers but Meher, Asghar, Haider and Shaukat have emerged as the most promising pugilists of the country at the end of year. Asghar bagged the highest number of medals (five), Haider and Shaukat got three apiece and Meher got two medals.
Pakistan not only displayed and proved their prowess in the ring but also sustained the domination at sport’s world governing body — AIBA.
Chowdhry created history when he was elected president of AIBA unopposed for the fifth consecutive time in Cairo where 97 countries nominated him for another four-year term. He was also elected president of the Federation of Asian Amateur Boxing (FAAB) in Busan.