Sports
Buying glory: How Pakistani boxers are paying for victories abroad | The Express Tribune
Wazeer’s 17-0 record hides pay-to-fight culture that Jeff Mayweather calls ‘a side of boxing no one wants to show’
KARACHI:
“I want to make boxing bigger than cricket in Pakistan,” says boxer Usman Wazeer, who has great ambitions.
On paper, he has an impressive record of 17-0. He boasts himself to be the face of Pakistani boxing and claims that his fame, albeit on social media, is a source of jealousy for people who want to bring him down; however, his record shows that he has been fighting mostly in Bangkok. He has admitted to paying for these bouts out of his own pocket.
Usman is a key figure in propagating a harmful trend in Pakistan, which is also looked down upon globally. It is simple: the boxers pay the promoters, in Usman’s case, a Filipino Brico Santig, and the promoters set the bout for them after taking money.
In a world where things should make sense, where boxers should get money to fight, Pakistani boxers are paying money to get the fights.
“I have sold my car just to compete in this bout of the OPBF silver title, we make a lot of sacrifices to get where we are, and then it breaks my heart and hurt my reputation when people say they are fake fight,” Wazeer had told The Express Tribune last month, He had claimed the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OBBF) silver super welterweight title in Bangkok in August.
Following heavy criticism, Wazeer aims to salvage his reputation, as he announced earlier this week that he will defend his OPBF title in Pakistan next month.
However, in the local media, his title has been promoted as the World Boxing Council (WBC) title, which is false. The OPBF is more of a regional body based in Japan.
It was also a title that had only ever been fought thrice, and most boxing experts have argued that such titles are usually made after boxers have paid for them.
OBPF is indeed affiliated with the WBC, but it is not a title that is directly affiliated.
Usman came under heavy criticism from the Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) and even Muhammad Waseem, who actually won the WBC silver title in 016 and then defended it successfully twice later.
In the boxing world, there are four major organisations that are recognised, namely the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation, and the International Boxing Organisation.
So far, Muhammad Waseem remains the only Pakistani boxer who has the backing of the WBC, WBA, and IBF.
But Wazeer and other Pakistani boxers are foraying into professional boxing through a path that is both representing corruption in the sport locally and internationally.
When asked about paying for the bout, Wazeer elaborated last month that Pakistani boxers have to do a lot of work and find sponsors for themselves to first book the promoters, then pay for accommodations, and slot fees that can vary from US $3000 to $5000 at least, to get on the under-card, when they fight abroad.
On the other hand, in a regular boxing journey, which is not curated, a talented boxer usually gets signed by promoters and then receives money to fight, while his accommodation, travel, and fees are all arranged by the organisers. Or the organisers seek boxers to fight and pay them for their skills and grit in the ring.
A boxer must get paid to fight instead of the other way round.
However, this looks like an investment on the surface as Wazeer had appealed to the government to support him monetarily, and he got the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (Medal of Excellence) from the government on the back of these bouts.
Record-wise, Wazeer’s career looks flimsy with weaker opponents that he has won the fights against, whilst, as pointed out by the PBF, the boxer from Astore has never competed at the national championship. And that stays true. He has competed at the events that are considered lower-level in terms of the quality of the competition because they are extremely localised and do not entirely showcase the best of the boxers in the country.
When asked, he sent his national record to The Express Tribune:
– HEC all Pakistan 2016 and 2017 championship ( gold medal )
– Punjab Games 2018 ( gold medal )
– Quaid-e-Azam Games 2016 ( bronze medal )
– Islamabad/Rawalpindi Championship 2015 and 2016 ( gold medal )
– Represented Pakistan in the international amateur youth boxing championship in Azerbaijan (2017)
Now, one can argue, as Wazeer does, that PBF should not be commenting on his ways, as it is an amateur body that is responsible for sending athletes to the Olympics and other games, among other amateur global events.
The history behind Wazeer’s international representation, too, was due to intervention from British-Pakistani boxer Amir Khan, who was looking for talent to groom through his Amir Khan Academy, a project that never really took flight.
Wazeer has also been known to be a former orbiter of Waseem, shadowing the latter in the Philippines during 2017-18.
In his explanation, as to why he takes the route of professional boxing without a properly signing with a promoter and not going through the way of proving himself on the amateur front and then moving to the professional side, the 27-year-old said that he was disappointed in the PBF and the favourtism at the national boxing circuit, and therefore he chose to not pursue that path.
“In reality, it is the PBF who fix fights and cheat,” he asserted. “I have seen the way boxers are treated in the camps. I chose to fight professionally, and I have a national record.”
But Wazeer’s national participation is indeed limited to lower levels of competitions, as the best amateur boxers in the country compete in the National Boxing Championship, whereas the most talented pugilists are signed by departmental sides like the Army, Wapda, Navy, Police, and even the Pakistan Air Force.
That is where the cream de la cream goes, since most boxers come from very humble backgrounds, unlike Wazeer, who said that he comes from a bureaucratic family.
The typical route for Pakistani boxers, including Shah Hussain, who remains the only Olympic medal winner for Pakistan in boxing, had turned pro after the Seoul Games in 1988.
Most boxers choose amateur boxing because if they are talented, they do get chosen to represent Pakistan, and later have the choice to turn pro.
Of course, this is not the only way to turn pro, as many famous boxers have not competed in amateur bouts because they were signed by promoters who could help to further cultivate their skills and talent.
Wazeer, though, is not known on the national circuit to be a great fighter either. Many believe that the local amateurs have been able to fight better than him.
The trend that Wazeer is propagating is that the boxers never prove their worth on the national circuit, then book promoters abroad who fix their bout for money, and ultimately, those bouts are a business transaction that guarantees wins for the boxers who are paying the money for the fight.
Wazeer’s 17-0 record was made through such fights.
After these wins, he comes back to seek government support, which can be going to the boxers who really deserve that support, and that is where the PBF concerns, that is, the government money is to be spent on boxing, then it should promote legitimate talent, instead of the people who are taking a route that is dubious and unfair and something that can be decietful. This is not to say that boxing as a sport internationally on the whole, is not suffering from an image problem.
Wazeer also does not like the idea of signing with promotion companies and fears that they can scam him, but the reality is, he is participating in a practice that is also scamming the fans.
“It is the business side of boxing, and of course, the insiders do not want the fans or the media to know about it,” Former World Champion Floyd Mayweather’s uncle and renowned boxing trainer, Jeff Mayweather, told this correspondent.
“It is like getting promoters for hire. The wins in these bouts are guaranteed to those who pay.
“It is a side of boxing that no one wants to show, and people who engage in this obviously think that they are not doing anything. To them, they are not doing anything wrong…it is just business. The fans only know what your record is. You pay to get that.
He is not the only one; a recent example is Sameer Khan, getting a bantamweight title in Bangkok last month from Universal Boxing Organization, which is not considered a recognised body.
The hidden side of boxing
“But you pay to get a win, you pay to get a win, we also have boxers who go down to Colombia and come back with an undefeated streak like 6-0. Boxers do this to build their record and reputation.
“This doesn’t mean they can’t fight, but it is a guaranteed win,” Mayweather, who has spent his life in professional boxing and knows the ins and outs of the sport.
He further explained that this trend will stay in international boxing, and many go this route and take fights in Colombia, Mexico, Bangkok, among other places, where it is easy to arrange these bouts.
Like Mayweather, a Japanese seasoned promoter, who wished to stay anonymous, also added that in his 40 years in the boxing business, he has not encouraged or set up fights where he had taken money from the boxers, instead of paying them.
Similarly, when The Express Tribune asked Waseem, as he is the top professional boxer from the country to have even fought for the world title, if he had paid his promoters for fights, he replied negatively.
“The truth is I have only earned through my bouts, I had a troubled time with one of my promoters, but that too happened because it was always my promoters ptting money on me, and taking care of my expenses, so obviously, they would want a return through that investment, but I have never paid for a bout, I don’t think any top boxer has paid for bouts like this,” explained Waseem.
When Wazeer was asked about that, every fighter pays, and he tried to give an example of the Pakistan cricket team.
“This is a targeted campaign for me. If you look at the Pakistan cricket team, when they play against Afghanistan or Bangladesh, that too is guaranteed to win; it only seldom happens that Pakistan loses; that too is guaranteed, and the pitches are curated,” said Wazeer. “You think the other boxers here didn’t have weaker opponents they fought against?”
Wazeer was pointing his grievance towards Waseem, and also indirectly called Waseem’s WBA Gold title a made accolade too; however, the world’s leading boxing organisations recognise Waseem, and he had been featured on their rankings regularly.
He had also called out Pakistani journalists for not being knowledgeable enough about the sport of boxing.
He also ended up saying that foreign promoters do not sign Pakistani or Indian boxers and only a few lucky ones can get a good deal.
“If the promoters do not sign us, does that mean we should stop boxing and sit at home?” said Wazeer, while missing the point that mostly top promoters in the world hire boxers that they deem can win the fights, instead of boxers hiring the promoters to fix fights for them that they can win.
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers are keeping Matt LaFleur as head coach, sources told ESPN on Saturday.
He has signed a multiyear contract extension that a source said is “not a prove-it deal but a real commitment.”
The two sides met early in the week to discuss the future direction of the organization. They were joined by general manager Brian Gutekunst and vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball, and the first order of business was to make sure they had the right threesome in place.
Once they all agreed to move forward, LaFleur’s contract was the first order of business. It didn’t take long, and the deal was agreed to on Friday evening and signed on Saturday. Deals for Gutekunst and Ball are also in the works, sources said.
It was the first major decision by new team president Ed Policy, who took over in July for Mark Murphy. It was Murphy who hired LaFleur in 2019 to replace Super Bowl-winning coach Mike McCarthy.
The Packers are keeping their organizational structure in place even with the new extensions, sources said, as Gutekunst and LaFleur will continue to report to Policy.
The Packers lost in the wild-card round of the playoffs for the second straight season, but this time it was in a devastating fashion. Not only did they blow an 18-point halftime lead and give up 25 points in the fourth quarter, but they did it against the rival Chicago Bears.
LaFleur and Policy spoke briefly on the plane ride home from Chicago after the loss and then again after they returned to Green Bay to discuss the coach’s future.
LaFleur had one year left on the contract extension he signed in 2022. He would not say whether he would be willing to coach the 2026 season without a contract extension, but he reiterated that he would prefer to remain as the Packers’ coach even though he would likely be a top candidate for other NFL head coaching jobs.
“This is one-of-one,” LaFleur said Sunday when he met reporters the day after the season ended. “I love this place. I love the people. … I love our players, the locker room, everybody in our organization. I mean, this is a unique place. The community has been outstanding.
“I’ve lived in other places, so I think this is a unique place, and it’s a special place. My kids love it here; my family loves it here.”
Policy said last summer that he would prefer not to have a coach or general manager work into the final year of their contract, but at that time also said he was not ready to offer any extensions.
“I’m generally opposed — I’d never say never — [but] I’m generally opposed to a coach or GM going into the last year of their contract,” Policy said last June, shortly before he officially took over as president. “That creates a lot of issues. I think normally you have a pretty good idea of where that relationship is going when you have two years left — not always, but normally.
“So I think generally speaking I would avoid lame-duck status. It’s oftentimes difficult on everybody involved. But there are certain situations that probably call for it, so I would not say never.”
That ramped up the pressure on the 2025 season, which ended with five straight losses.
LaFleur has a 76-40-1 regular-season record as the Packers’ coach, the fourth-highest winning percentage (.654) among all active NFL head coaches, and his 76 wins tied for second most in NFL history by a coach in their first seven seasons.
LaFleur received a strong vote of confidence from quarterback Jordan Love after Saturday’s loss.
“I definitely think Matt should be the head coach,” Love said. “I’ve got a lot of love for Matt, and I think he does a good job. And that’s it.”
The Packers have made the playoffs in all but one of LaFleur’s seven seasons. However, after posting three straight 13-win seasons and going to two NFC Championship Games, LaFleur is 37-30-1 over the past four seasons with only one playoff win — a wild-card game in the 2023 season.
LaFleur was hired in 2019 in part to get Aaron Rodgers back to an MVP level, and that’s exactly what happened. Rodgers won the award twice (2020 and 2021) under LaFleur. He also was charged with developing Love, who three seasons into his starting career appears to be Green Bay’s franchise quarterback.
LaFleur came to the Packers after one season as playcaller with the Tennessee Titans. Before that, he was part of the Kyle Shanahan-Sean McVay coaching family.
Perhaps the biggest issue during LaFleur’s tenure was his hiring of coordinators. He fired four coordinators in his first five seasons. He retained defensive coordinator Mike Pettine from previous coach Mike McCarthy’s staff but moved on after two seasons. Pettine’s replacement, Joe Barry, lasted three seasons before LaFleur hired Jeff Hafley in 2024. LaFleur also had three different special teams coordinators. Rich Bisaccia has been in that position since 2022 after LaFleur fired Shawn Mennenga after two seasons and Mo Drayton after one.
LaFleur said he expects to lose Hafley to a head coaching job but would not say whether he planned to make any other coaching changes.
Liverpool have completed the signing of North Carolina Courage captain and Republic of Ireland international Denise O’Sullivan, the clubs announced Saturday.
The 31-year-old midfielder departs as the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) club’s all-time appearance leader after playing in 186 games during her nine seasons in North Carolina.
O’Sullivan now joins a Liverpool team that sits bottom of the Women’s Super League (WSL), without a win in 12 matches.
“It means a lot. It’s a very proud moment for myself and also for my family, who are now only a 40-minute flight away,” O Sullivan told Liverpool’s website.
“Liverpool is a massive club and I think when you join a club as big as Liverpool it comes with massive responsibility and I can’t wait to get to work and to give 100 per cent every day.”
After joining North Carolina in its inaugural NWSL season, O’Sullivan played a part in winning seven league trophies — three Shields, two Championships and two Challenge Cups.
She had been named captain ahead of the 2023 season.
“It’s hard to put into words what this club has truly meant to me,” O’Sullivan said in a statement from the Courage. “North Carolina will always be my home, and I’m forever grateful to the Club, my teammates, and the incredible fans who supported and believed in me every step of the way,”
“I’m on to a new challenge now, but I’ll always be a part of Courage Country. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything.”
The arrival of O’Sullivan, who has won 128 caps with Ireland, comes a day after Liverpool announced the loan signing of Martha Thomas from Tottenham.
The Scotland international, who joined Spurs from Manchester United in 2023, has agreed to move to Liverpool for the remainder of the season.
PA contributed to this report.
After delivering a sweeping indictment that led to the arrest of 26 individuals and busted open a college basketball point-shaving scheme that tainted dozens of games over the past two seasons, U.S. Attorney David Metcalf delivered some perspective.
“There has been a spate of these gambling cases recently,” Metcalf said. “I will say that the evidence in this case shows that the monetization of college athletics, through the liberalization and proliferation of sports betting markets, as well as the normalization of compensation in athletics, furthered the enterprise …
“But it’s complicated, right?” Metcalf continued. “As we allege in the indictment, certain players were targeted because they were somewhat missing out on NIL money and they were being targeted so they could supplement their NIL compensation.
“Whether or not they would have done or not done a particular crime based on whether other athletes were being paid, I don’t know.”
Metcalf and his colleagues out of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, not to mention the FBI, appear to have done stellar work here.
Each defendant is presumed innocent in a court of law, but anyone from the court of public opinion who reads the 70-page indictment would likely concede that evidence of malfeasance is strong.
Too many participants to maintain a conspiracy, too much money wagered on obscure games to remain under the radar and way, way too many incriminating text messages.
Some of the athletes might have had their priorities warped by legalized sports wagering and the fact that college athletes can cash in on big bucks these days through name, image and likeness.
As Metcalf smartly noted, though, it’s complicated.
And not an excuse.
If what the indictment alleges is true, then every athlete involved deliberately violated well-known laws, instinctual competitive concepts and the core bonds of team play that are present from D-I basketball down to a random 2-on-2 game at the park.
You don’t need to receive the extensive education that the NCAA provides, lectures from coaches or posters in the locker room to know what’s right and what’s wrong here.
No one should try to cry that they are a victim of a changing society. The proliferation of gambling apps or the fact that some kid at Duke or Kentucky is making millions doesn’t justify bricking a bunch of shots in the first half for a kickback.
NIL gets blamed for nearly everything in college sports these days. Can we spare it from this at least?
This is about personal accountability. This is about consciously choosing alleged criminal behavior.
That’s it.
While it is likely easier to rope in a player who doesn’t have a lucrative NIL deal, recent gambling scandals have caught up NBA and MLB players making millions as well.
That’s just society — there are more than a few doctors and lawyers and Wall Street types shuffling around the prison yard.
And yes, legalized sports wagering is prevalent these days, in your face everywhere you turn, including on ESPN.
So what?
Whether legalized betting is helping or hurting here is, in Metcalf’s terms, complicated.
The increased outlets for placing bets certainly help central figures such as Shane Hennen or Marves Fairley to allegedly wager major sums on minor games — such as $458,000 across multiple sportsbooks on a 2024 Towson-North Carolina A&T contest.
In the old days, you had to walk into a Las Vegas sportsbook to make that bet. It would have been immediately rejected. Whatever amount would have been allowed, probably wouldn’t have been worth rigging the outcome.
That said, the ever-increasing integrity efforts of sportsbooks, not to mention sophisticated state and federal regulators, no doubt played a role in flagging these schemes and then leading authorities to the charges.
Point shaving isn’t new. It was just traditionally done by organized crime to impact illegal, underground betting. That operated largely in the dark, with no protections and few prosecutions.
Legalized betting may have made these schemes easier to pull off, but also easier to bust. It, in turn, should serve as a cautionary tale.
This case isn’t about legalized sports wagering or NIL deals.
It’s about, per the feds’ narrative, a clumsy group of game-fixers convincing individual players to selfishly betray their common sense, their education on existing laws, their teammates, coaches and parents and a dream opportunity to play scholarship basketball in an effort to make a quick extra buck.
They screwed up a great deal to chase a bad one.
That part isn’t complicated.
Sources: Packers bringing back Matt LaFleur on multiyear deal
Liverpool sign North Carolina Courage legend Denise O’Sullivan
Kourtney Kardashian recalls a journey that took three years
-
Tech5 days agoNew Proposed Legislation Would Let Self-Driving Cars Operate in New York State
-
Sports1 week agoClock is ticking for Frank at Spurs, with dwindling evidence he deserves extra time
-
Sports1 week ago
Commanders go young, promote David Blough to be offensive coordinator
-
Entertainment5 days agoX (formerly Twitter) recovers after brief global outage affects thousands
-
Fashion1 week agoSouth India cotton yarn gains but market unease over US tariff fears
-
Fashion1 week agoChina’s central bank conducts $157-bn outright reverse repo operation
-
Business1 week agoSoftBank reduces Ola Electric stake to 13.5% from 15.6% – The Times of India
-
Sports1 week agoUS figure skating power couple makes history with record breaking seventh national championship