Top Pakistani boxer Waseem eyes world title bout at home

Muhammad Waseem, Pakistan's ace professional boxer and three-time World Boxing Council (WBC) world silver flyweight champion, is set to begin his journey under Manny Pacquiao Promotions (MPP) in the first week of November.

And among his plans for the near future is a fight for the world title on home soil.

The boxer plans to head to Liverpool soon for training, with his next fight likely to take place in the United States.

“Yes, I am planning to leave for England on November 1, where I will start training in Liverpool,” Waseem told Nukta.

Fighting under MPP

A few days ago, he signed with MPP, a promotion owned by legendary boxer Manny Pacquiao, the only eight-division world champion and a politician from the Philippines.

Waseem and Pacquiao go way back — they fought on the same card in 2018. That night, Waseem took a tough loss against South Africa’s Moruthi Mthalane in Malaysia, missing out on the world title.

“Hopefully it will be a good beginning. The plan is that I will first go to Liverpool and after a month-long training there, I will then head to the US for a ranking fight as a precursor to a world title bout,” Waseem said.

MPP also have training facilities in the US, where Waseem will continue to train and spar with quality partners. Waseem is no stranger to the US, having previously trained in Las Vegas under Geoff Mayweather during his time with Korean-based AK Promotions, owned by Andy Kim.

Visa issues sorted

He is relieved to have secured both US and UK visas, avoiding the visa issues that have previously hindered his progress.

Earlier this month, Waseem was scheduled to face South Africa’s Sabelo Cebekhulu for the WBF bantamweight world title in Malta, but the fight was canceled due to visa complications. However, after acquiring a 29-day Schengen visa, Waseem traveled to Malta and easily defeated a Georgian fighter in a ranking bout, marking a successful return to the international boxing scene.

Muhammad Waseem before his fight with Georgian Jana Memisishi in Malta.Facebook/muhammad.waseem.3348

Before the Malta fight, Waseem trained briefly in Liverpool under Vaughn Promotions. In the bout against Georgian fighter Jana Memisishi, Waseem secured a third-round knockout with a powerful body shot. This victory was Waseem’s first international fight in two and a half years, following his last bout in March 2022, where he lost to England’s Sunny Edwards in Dubai, despite a strong performance in front of a large crowd, including many Pakistani supporters.

Goal to fight at home

Sources close to Waseem say that the fighter is eager to bring a future world title fight to Pakistan, a goal shared by MPP and his coach, Danny Vaughn. If successful, it would be a significant achievement for Waseem, who turned professional in 2015 after winning a bronze medal at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.

Muhammad Waseem with former Chief Minister of Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan in 2020.Facebook/muhammad.waseem.3348

The last time Pakistan hosted one of Waseem’s fights was in December 2020, when he knocked out Jeny Boy Boca of the Philippines at the Governor’s House in Lahore.

Waseem’s professional record stands at 15 fights, with 13 wins, including nine knockouts, and two losses. Both defeats were in world title fights against Moruti Mthalane and Sunny Edwards, where Waseem had performed strongly but was unable to secure victory.