“I am trying my best and doing everything for the big fight night on November 29,” Pakistan’s solitary World Boxing Association Gold World Bantamweight champion Muhammad Waseem exclaimed as he is staging the biggest boxing event, where he is defending his title against Thailand’s Jakrawut Majungoen.

Waseem had been training in Liverpool with his coach, Danny Vaughan, and he will be fulfilling his dream of defending the title on home turf.

The 38-year-old also held the fight in Quetta in May, with the help of the Pakistan Army and the Balochistan Government, where international boxers and officials came to the country to witness the first professional bout backed by one of the four recognized boxing bodies in the world.

On Saturday, November 29, the main card flaunts more than seven bouts, and the event features at least 38 foreign boxers and six Pakistani pugilists at Lahore’s Garrison Club.

Waseem, also known as Falcon, has also been working with WBA to promote boxing in Pakistan.

With this bout, he will be bringing boxers from the United Kingdom, the US, Mexico, Germany, and France, according to details shared by Punjab Minister of Sports Faisal Ayub Khokhar, who also toured the Garrison Club for the ‘Fight for Glory’ event.

The provincial minister is also ensuring excellent security arrangements, as this will be the first time the country is hosting 38 foreign boxers at once.

However, with all the hype, Waseem, with his orthodox stance, will be taking on south paw Jakrawut, for which he has worked hard.

“I’ve been training very hard because there is a lot on the line for me,” Waseem told this correspondent from Liverpool, where he was training and putting in at least five hours every day.

“The game plan will be different against Jakrawut than my previous opponent, of course, and mainly there is a focus on combinations; he is a south paw as well, so I am training accordingly.

Later, he took on Sunny Edwards for the International Boxing Federation World flyweight title in 2021, which he lost, but finally won another major bout with the WBA Gold World title in May this year.

Waseem has won accolades for Pakistan in amateur boxing, too, but his professional record is also impressive, with 14 wins out of 16 bouts, and posting 10 knockouts in them.

“Most of the efforts go into strength training, weight, and technique, but also it becomes very hectic at times, because I have to travel at least two hours to Manchester, where I have to spar,” he added.

He added that sparring partners he had in the UK were all helpful in preparing for the fight, as he also gets support from the boxing community in the UK.

“I had amazing sparring partners, and a few of them were also professional boxers, one of them was Indian as well, but the rest of them were English.

“Normally, it is not easy to find sparring partners in the UK, but they are helping me for nothing, only out of goodwill.

“It is encouraging, and for that I have to travel 40 miles from Liverpool. A lot of my time is spent in travelling after training for the fight, and at times, it does become difficult to be out here, away from my two children, and my family, but I believe that this event can be a great trendsetter for Pakistan,” said Waseem, who has previously won the World Boxing Council silver flyweight title in 2016, and successfully defended it as well the same year.

He is also getting American rapper Mr Cappone-E to open for him, while at the heart of it all is to give a taste of professional boxing to the Pakistani sports lovers and, more importantly, a chance to Pakistani boxers to compete in an international event.

With this event, the goal is to make boxing an accessible sport for both the fans and the boxers.

“I am coming from Quetta, and I am always connected to the boxing community, and it breaks my heart that most of the time they are ignored and deprived of opportunities that can change their lives.

“So my goal is to provide exposure for them, help professional boxing take root in Pakistan, too. “We are also making sure that we assist women boxers to have their spot in our event, because at the end of the day, all of this will build our boxing community up.

“I am also grateful to the government of Punjab and the Army for helping me in this, because holding an event of this magnitude wouldn’t be possible without their support,” he concluded.