Ace Pak boxer Waseem may be forced to cancel world title bout due to visa issues

Muhammad Waseem’s most cherished dream is to win a world boxing title for Pakistan. The country’s ace professional boxer has made two attempts at winning the International Boxing Federation (IBF) flyweight but fell short of achieving what is his biggest career goal.

Waseem, 34, was hoping to be third time lucky on October 4 this year at the Intercontinental Hotel in St. Julians, Malta, where an IBF bantamweight title bout has been lined up for him against South Africa's Sabelo Cebekhulu.

But Nukta understands that Waseem is considering giving up plans for the much-awaited fight after failing in repeated efforts to get a Schengen visa.

He first applied for a Schengen visa with the Danish authorities in Pakistan but his application was rejected. Later he applied for the visa through the Italian Consulate in Karachi and is still waiting for his passport.

So why didn’t he apply directly with Maltese authorities in Pakistan for the visa since his fight is to be held in Malta?

Apparently, Waseem was told that to obtain a Schengen visa through Maltese authorities he would have to go to Abu Dhabi as Malta doesn’t have an embassy in Pakistan. He was advised to apply for the visa either through Denmark or Italy.

Not much time left for preparations

Muhammad Waseem is also a former Asian Games bronze medalist.Facebook/MuhammadWaseem

Meanwhile, the world title fight against the previously unbeaten Cebekhulu, who has a 7-0 record with 3 KOs since turning pro in 2019, is just about two weeks away.

This means that even if Waseem manages to obtain a visa he won’t have enough time to prepare himself for the fight which will be presented by Blockone and broadcast worldwide by DAZN and FightZone TV.

Sources close to Waseem, known in the boxing circles as ‘Falcon’, told Nukta that the boxer has been trying to keep himself in peak shape by training at a local gym in Karachi’s Clifton locality.

But such minimal preparation is a far cry from the training program prepared by Waseem’s coach Danny Vaughn. According to that program, Waseem was to prepare for the October 4 fight at his training base in Liverpool under Vaughn’s supervision.

But due to the visa delays, there is no time for the sort of training Waseem would need against a top-notch fighter like Cebekhulu.

According to sources Vaughn is unwilling to put Waseem at any risk by fielding him in the fight without proper preparations. Waseem, too, is fully aware of the situation and has made up his mind about cancelling next month’s fight.

Big blow for Waseem

This would be a big blow for Waseem whose last major fight took place in March 2022. Then, he took on England’s southpaw Sunny Edwards in the IBF flyweight title fight at the Duty Free Tennis Stadium in Dubai. Edwards won 116-110, 115-111 and 115-111. Despite the loss, Waseem earned USD100,000 from the fight.

Waseem’s first attempt at the world title came in 2018 in Malaysia where he lost a close fight against Cebekhulu´s compatriot Moruti Mthalane for the vacant IBF flyweight title.

This is not the first time that Waseem, who was once the brightest star on Pakistan’s amateur boxing circuit, has faced visa issues.

In June 2023 his UAE visa application was rejected when he was going to play a fight against three-time world champion Donie Nietes of the Philippines. He applied again but it again got delayed and his fight eventually was cancelled.