Pakistani boxers Syed Asghar Ali and Shaukat Ali Chatta are hoping to win gold medals in the commonwealth games starting in Manchester from July 25.
Syed Asghar Ali was a silver medalist in the 1998 games in Kuala Lumpur in the lightweight category. This year he will be competing in the light welterweight category.
He won gold in the Olympic qualifiers in South Korea in 2000 before losing in the quarterfinals of the Sydney Olympics the same year. Ali was declared the best boxer in the 25 team Chowdhry International at Baku, Azerbaijanin March this year and went on to clinch silver in the kings cup in Thailand in April this year.
There is a glimmer of hope of gold for Pakistan in the heavyweight division from Shaukat Ali chatta, a strapping boxer from Faislabad. Chatta, 29, has won back to back gold medals at the kings cup for the last two years and grabbed gold in the Asian boxing championship in Kuala Lumpur last month. He also won a silver medal in the Asian games in Thialand in 1998.
Professor Anwar Chaudhary, the head of Pakistan boxing Association, lamented the lack of government support for boxing in Pakistan and said that these boxers can become world hampion provided they get financial security and better treatment and facilities.
[This message has been edited by ehsan (edited July 18, 2002).]
good man de lal-taan…***
khuda inko Kamyabi atta karay…ameen…
God bless u all…
DerVaisH
Ai khuda jazba-e-ehsaas na bakhsha hota…
Acha hota ager pather ka tarasha hota…
Waja-e-tehQeer hon insanon mein insan ho ker…
Pather ka hota to inhe insanon ne pooja hota…
Pak boxers have won medals in the Olympics b4, yet we never hear about them after. For example in Seoul olympics, some 'Shah' won gold, why don't they turn professional?
Pakistan’s Haider Ali (L) fights Canada’s Benoit Gaudet during their semi-final 57kg bout at the 2002 Commonwealth Games August 1, 2002. Haider won a place in the final. REUTERS/Ian Hodgson