Pakistan will participate in the ASBC Asian U22 & Youth Boxing Championships to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan with four boxers.
Pakistan won historic medals at the 2022 ASBC Asian U22 Boxing Championships and ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships. Zohaib Rashid, the best elite boxer, won bronze medals in both Tashkent and Amman.
Boxers born in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 will be eligible to compete in the U22 age group in Astana, Kazakhstan. Boxers born in 2006 and 2007 are eligible to participate in the youth generation group of this particular continental event.
Their U22 national team was selected by Arshad Hussain, who has an illustrious career as a boxer and is the most experienced coach. Pakistan has organized several domestic tournaments in 2023 and Pakistani boxers have also competed in the international boxing arena.
Two female boxers have been selected for the competition, and both will compete in the U22 division of the championship. Zahid Malaika achieved his first national success in 2019, with the flyweight (52kg) boxer returning to the team following his performance in the competition.
Fatima Zahra is still one of the top elite female boxers in the U22 age group and the 20-year-old talent has a chance of medaling at featherweight (57kg). She also competed in the recently held Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Two U22 male boxers have been added to the national team and both are Pakistan's best options to win a medal in Astana. Afzal Khan won the national selection trials at the age of 18 and the bantamweight (54kg) boxer also has experience in the 2022 ASBC Asian Youth Boxing Championships.
The second male boxer in Astana will be middleweight (75kg) Jahanzeb Rizwan, who was born in 2004, the same year as Afzal Khan. He won the National Golden Gloves Tournament last year, and the New York-based boxer returned to his Pakistani roots.
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