Renowned Pakistani champion boxer, who topped world flyweight ranking, Muhammad Waseem ‘Falcon’ has recalled his struggle, victories and Pakistan Boxing Federation’s (PBF) ‘bribe’ from his earnings.
In a recent interview with Daily Scoop TV, Waseem Falcon revealed the dark side of the boxing authorities in Pakistan that destroyed the future of many boxers besides recounting his journey from the streets of Quetta to the world state.
Waseem Falcon revealed that then PBF had demanded him to pay 20 per cent of his earnings to let him allow signing a contract with a Korean promoter.
He said that he had no option but to pay the bribe as he feared that they would sabotage my career as had been the case with thousands of promising fighters before him.
Champion boxer Muhammad ‘Falcon’ Waseem (@iamfalconwaseem) reveals he had to pay 20% of his earnings to #Pakistan Boxing Federation president who wouldn’t let him sign a contract with a Korean promoter without the bribe.
Full interview: https://t.co/qawbo6pB5U
#DSTV #Boxing pic.twitter.com/Tm2UkguHFi— Daily Scoop TV (@DailyScoopTV1) January 17, 2022
“In Pakistan, coaches and trainers sleep in air-conditioned rooms while boxers spend the night in rooms with fans and often without electricity.”
He said that he had been offered a professional contract with a Korean promoter on a condition to get permission from the PBF president at that time. Falcon said that the PBF president had asked to okay another contact with him to pay him 20 per cent of his earnings from prize money, monthly allowance or sponsorship money.
“For example, at the 2007 National Games, despite being the best performer in the final, I was declared a loser. After that, I quit boxing.”
Recalling his problems, the boxer said that he had neither received any support from his family nor backed by the boxing federation and local associations and then the boxers faced lack of basic facilities in the training centres like electricity, proper gear or nutrition diet.
“Becoming a professional boxer is a lifelong struggle [in Pakistan], he added.
This is revealed by Quetta-born Muhammad Waseem also known as Falcon who is the first-ever Pakistani boxer who topped the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) flyweight division list in December 2021.
He said that he grew up in an area where there was a lot of violence, drug abuse and other problems and a lot of fights between youth gangs and then he had started boxing training when he was in class two without informing his family and proper gear.
“But gloves available at the gym. So, I used the ones at the gym, like many others which I would return after training before going back to home.”
Waseem said that his family knew about his boxing career when he went to the ring and they permitted him to continue his passion. “Once, I went to Peshawar for a national-level boxing competition, but my family wasn’t aware of his stay in Peshawar.”
‘Politics’ in sports
He admitted that there is a lot of politics in the sports for promoting the blue-eyed sportspersons to the next levels on the basis of personal contacts, influences and connections.
“At that time, I was selected for a championship. I won fights during the trials. But there were certain people who did not let me participate in the event. I don’t want to name them because they are still involved in boxing.”
Falcon said that they sent another boxer of their own preference who had lost the fight.
“The person who is training me now has helped me a lot. His name is Muhammad Tariq. He is from Lahore who actually trained and helped me. He prepared me for the national championship of 2005 in Lahore. If you become the national champion, then you become part of the national boxing team and a lot of opportunities open up for you.”
“In the semi-final, I met the same guy who was sent to the championship instead of me. I gave him a good thrashing.”
He said that he then participated in various tournaments including President’s Cup in Indonesia, and won silver medal for Pakistan, won bronze at Turkey championship, bronze medal at Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, gold medal at World Combat Games in Beijing, China, won gold at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto International Tournament in 2012, lost in quarter-final of World Championship in Azerbaijan, participated in Milan, Italy, won silver medal at Scotland’s Commonwealth Games in 2014, bronze at Asian Games in South Korea from where he met a promoter there to get an offer of a professional contract.
“I signed with him. In my first sight, I won the Korean Boxing Commission (KBC) title. I won the match on a technical knockout (TKO) against a Korean fighter in the ninth round.”
‘Many fighters still waiting’
Falcon said that there are so many fighters of Pakistan from Lyari, Quetta and elsewhere whose talents have gone to waste. “They didn’t get an opportunity like I did. If they had gotten similar opportunities, they would have been giving interviews right now as well.”
He said his biggest goal is to identify the many talented youth who continue their boxing struggle in lanes and gyms similar to where I started.”
Pakistani boxer Muhammad Waseem, also called ‘Falcon’ had topped the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) flyweight division list for the first time in four years in December 2020 after he beat Colombia’s Robert Barrera in Dubai and won the WBA flyweight title eliminator fight.