Muhammad Waseem – Another Phoenix Rises from the Ashes

Ladies and gentlemen we have another hero amidst us!

*Drum roll*… Let’s have a big hand for Mr. Muhammad Waseem!!!

Mr. Waseem is a 26 year old flyweight boxer from Pakistan who has just made us all proud by securing the silver medal at the 20^th Commonwealth games held in Glasgow.

Humble Beginnings, but Strong Determination

Mr. Waseem hails from Quetta, the capital of the troubled province of Balochistan. However, Waseem’s determination for success has led him to the world stage and made him a winner in the eyes of all Pakistanis whom he has made proud.

This is despite the difficult run up he had to the games as training camps were completely disorganized. In his own words before the event,

“This time I am not so satisfied with the training in the national camp, which was conducted for a short period of time, but I will try to do my best”

The Road to Silver

The 26 year old had an almost dream run at the games but ended up with the silver

The loss in the finals was much debated as some thought that Waseemhad an upper hand in the first two rounds but got overpowered in the last round, eventually ending up with the silver.

However in my humble opinion, Andrew Moloney, the Australian, fought smart as he fought a controlled fight. He made good use of his fast hands and picked good spots to land a number of clean blows.

Although Waseem’s performance was great, Moloney won both the first and second round and also cut open Waseem’s cheek in the third. Waseem tried to make a comeback but unfortunately Moloney kept his discipline and claimed gold in a unanimous decision by the judges.

The Clear Winner

Waseem was visibly upset on losing. “This is crazy,” a visibly upset Waseem protested after the five judges awarded Moloney the fight. “He cheating, the referee, the judges they’re all cheating. Not happy with silver.”

However on social media he was a bit more composed. His post on Facebook after his second place win was as follows:

“I’m sorry to my nation and to all my supporters. I [tried] my best, I am very disappointed with the decision. I’ve been waiting for four years for this moment. In the last CWG, I won a Bronze medal in India, and now after four long years when I was so close to [winning] Gold, one bad decision took it away.”

Although Waseem could have displayed a better attitude in response to the unanimous decision by the judges and a 3-0 win for Moloney; he has still managed to win the hearts of his nation, managing a silver medal without proper infrastructure and amenities which Moloney no doubt enjoyed back home in Australia.

For me it is clear that even with the silver Muhammad Waseem is the winner!!

Image Credit: Tribune.com.pk