Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan Army successfully defended their National Boxing Championship crown winning the competition’s 36th edition with 125 points at the WAPDA Sports Complex here on Wednesday. Hosts WAPDA finished second with 85 points followed by Pakistan Air Force who could accumulate a total of 45 points to end as the third best side of the event. Army clinched seven gold and two silver medals while WAPDA bagged three gold medals, as many silver and two bronze medals. All fifteen affiliated units of the Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) participated in the four-day event which witnessed packed to capacity crowds almost on each day.

In the most prominent fight, spirited Ali Ahmed of WAPDA, silver medalist at the 2016 South Asian Games, showed courage to earn gold in the lightweight category, clinching victory from the jaws of defeat against Army’s Ibrahim. Ali bled from his head during the first round after receiving a strong blow from Ibrahim. The medical team and his coaches suggested Ali to stop the fight but he decided to continue. The jury and the medical team all failed to convince Ali as the fight halted for six minutes. However, after Ali was treated with first aid, the fight was resumed despite protest from the Army management that a bleeding boxer should not be allowed to continue. But injured Ali was still successful to punch Ibrahim on several occasions and eventually staged an inspirational comeback to win the bout.

Earlier, in the bantamweight category, a controversy was raised after WAPDA’s Naqeebullah was not ready to accept the decision of his defeat against Army’s Muhammad Raza. Naqeeb refused to leave the boxing ring in protest for 15 minutes before he stepped down weeping. President Pakistan Boxing Federation Khalid Mahmood said a disciplinary committee had been formed to deal with the act of Naqeeb and to take action under the AIBA rules. Army’s Muhammad Asif, silver medalist of the SAF Games (flyweight), Suleman Baloch (lightwelter weight), Gul Zaib (welterweight), Zulgarnain (middleweight), Awais Ali (light heavyweight) and Ahmed Ali (heavyweight) also won gold medals. For WAPDA, SAF Games silver medalist Muhibullah earned his first gold in the lightweight category and another gold in super heavyweight category where Mir Wais was the winner against Army’s Waqar Ahmad. Overall, Army and WAPDA puglists faced each other in five finals, out of total 10. Amer Ahmed, President WAPDA Sports Board, was the chief guest and awarded the prizes.

Shafqat Rana, Advisor WAPDA Sports, Brig Ghulam Jilani, Director Army Sports Directorate, Syed Muhammad Abid Qadri Gilani, Vice President POA and Patron Pakistan Handball Federation, Iftikhar Ahmad Tabassum, Chairman of Pakistan Taekwondo Federation, Mujahid Islam Billah, Chief Executive Officer FESCO, Mirza Khalid Mahmood, Advisor LESCO, and Rashid Mahmood Butt, Sports Officer Pakistan Railways Sports Board were also present on the occasion. Muhammad Khalid Mahmood, President of Pakistan Boxing Federation and Secretary General POA, and Saqlain Zahoor Raja, Director General of WAPDA Sports Board, thanked all the participating units, boxers (men and women), technical officials who conducted this championship and all the media friends who gave wide coverage to both these championships in a befitting manner.

RESULTS:

Men’s light flyweight 49kg

Sr. Name Unit Result

No.

1 Muhibullah WAPDA Gold

2 Daud Khan Navy Silver

3 Muhammad Naeem Punjab Bronze

4 Mehroz Ali PAF Bronze

Men’s flyweight 52kg

1 Syed Muhammad Asif Army Gold

2 Ameer Hamza WAPDA Silver

3 Inam Ullah AJK Bronze

4 Noor Ali Railways Bronze

Men’s bantamweight 56kg

1 Muhammad Raza Army Gold

2 Naqeeb Ullah WAPDA Silver

3 Amir Khan Navy Bronze

4 Afzal Rehman KE Bronze

Men’s lightweight 60kg

1 Ali Ahmed WAPDA Gold

2 Ibrahim Army Silver

3 Muhibullah Balochistan Bronze

4 Naimat Ullah PAF Bronze

Men’s light welterweight 64kg

1 Suleman Baloch Army Gold

2 Adnan Hasan PAF Silver

3 Amir Maqsood KP Bronze

4 Sardar Muhamad WAPDA Bronze

Men’s welterweight 69kg

1 Gul Zaib Army Gold

2 Amir Khan WAPDA Silver

3 Faraz Ahmed Sindh Bronze

4 Ehsan Ullah Punjab Bronze

Men’s middleweight 75kg

1 Zulqarnain Army Gold

2 Tanveer Ahmed Navy Silver

3 Arshad Hussain PAF Bronze

4 Javed Akhar Railways Bronze

Men’s light heavyweight 81kg

1 Awais Ali Army Gold

2 Naeem Khan PAF Silver

3 Hamza Butt Punjab Bronze

4 Naimat Ullah Wapda Bronze

Men’s heavyweight 91kg

1 Ahmed Ali Army Gold

2 Ghulam Shabbir Railways Silver

3 Usman Ghani FATA Bronze

4 Mehmood ul Hasan PAF Bronze

Men’s super heavyweight +91kg

1 Mir Wais WAPDA Gold

2 Waqar Ahmed Army Silver

3 Mirza Azam PAF Bronze

4 Hafeez Ullah Punjab Bronze

Published in Daily Times, January 26^th 2018.