LAHORE: Former Pakistan boxing coach and Asian champion Ali Bakhsh has said that national boxers cannot qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics unless they are sent offshore for training.
"It's not possible and it will never be possible for any boxer to qualify for the Olympics if they only train at home. There is a need for offshore training for achieving such a milestone," Ali told The News in a detailed interview.
Pakistani boxers these days are undergoing training in Islamabad to prepare for the Asian Games which is also the first qualifying round for the 2024 Paris Olympics. There is no foreign training chance in sight.
Pakistan is sending Zohaib Rasheed, Ibrahim, Qasim and Sanaullah to the Asian Games.
"In Islamabad’s training Asian Games-bound fighters will not benefit. Yes their sparring partners, who are Pakistan 2 and 3, would benefit," said Ali, also an IBA three-star coach.
"You need tough boxers to do sparring with and when you face tough attacks and when you are beaten you learn from your mistakes. If you hold camps at home for months it will never improve you so much which could enable you to beat any tough fighter in the international circuit. It would be better if fighters are sent abroad for training before the Asiad. Still, there is time," Ali said.
"If you lose a chance to qualify for the Paris Olympics via Asian Games then there will be no chance to do so through the two world Qualifiers which are even tougher.
"I remember when we reached India for the 2016 South Asian Games India's team coach asked me from where we were coming.
I told him we are coming from Pakistan. He told me that we have come from abroad after undergoing training with the boxers in several countries. You know our result in the India's South Asian Games was extremely poor."
He said that Pakistan's past glory in boxing could be revived only through foreign training and consistent tours and exposure.
"You know former PBF and IBA chief Professor Anwar Chowdhry used to send boxers abroad consistently and that is why those fighters were bringing honours. He himself used to take keen interest, would witness our training, would award cash prizes from his pocket when we used to perform. He himself used to receive us at the airport when we would arrive after pulling off medals in international meets," Ali said. He said boxing is all about sparring with the tough fighters.
"Only sparring with tough fighters will make you a fighter," Ali was quick to add.
He suggested that engaging professional fighters for sparring with amateurs will also help. He said that the PBF should keep engaged former top boxers and bring them to the camps for few hours so that they could transfer their experience to the youngsters in the camp.
Alam Zeb Safi Alam Zeb Safi is a senior reporter for The News