Commonwealth Boxing: Pakistan’s Afzal Khan and Fatima Zehra secure dominant opening victories
Pakistan’s boxing team makes an impressive start in Glasgow as Afzal Khan advances to the round of 16 and Fatima Zehra storms into the women’s quarter-finals.
Pakistan's Afzal Khan and Fatima Zehra celebrate victories at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
GLASGOW: Pakistan enjoyed a strong start to its Commonwealth Boxing campaign on Friday as Afzal Khan and Fatima Zehra recorded convincing victories at the SEC Centre to progress in their respective events.
Afzal advanced to the men’s 65kg round of 16 with a unanimous decision over Jovanie Bouzin of Seychelles, while Fatima booked her place in the women’s 50kg quarter-finals after forcing a second-round stoppage against Realeboha Segoete of Lesotho.
Afzal Khan cruises into round of 16
Afzal delivered Pakistan’s first boxing victory of the Games with a composed performance against Bouzin.
The Pakistani boxer relied on accurate punching and disciplined defence to control the opening round before increasing the pressure in the second. Despite Bouzin’s aggressive approach, Afzal landed the cleaner shots and won the round on all five judges’ scorecards.
In the final round, Afzal sealed victory with a powerful left hook that sent his opponent to the canvas, prompting the referee to issue a standing count. He secured a unanimous decision to advance to the next stage.
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Fatima Zehra dominates women’s contest
Pakistan’s momentum continued in the women’s 50kg division as Fatima Zehra overwhelmed Lesotho’s Realeboha Segoete.
The 22-year-old knocked her opponent down once in the opening round before delivering two more knockdowns in the second. The referee stopped the contest after the third knockdown, handing Fatima an emphatic victory and a place in the quarter-finals.
Her aggressive attacking style and ring control left little opportunity for her opponent to recover.
Swimmers miss qualification
Pakistan’s swimmers were unable to progress beyond the heats.
Jehanara Nabi finished first in her women’s 50m butterfly heat with a time of 29.99 seconds, placing 40th overall among 52 competitors and missing the semi-final qualification.
In the men’s 200m individual medley, Ahmad Durrani recorded a time of 2:09.79, finishing 17th among 22 swimmers and falling short of the final.
Lawn bowls setback
Pakistan also suffered disappointment in lawn bowls.
Ayub Qureshi lost his opening men’s singles match to Wales’ Ross Owen, who claimed a straight-sets victory after winning 12-5 and 17-0.
Despite setbacks in other disciplines, Pakistan’s boxers provided an encouraging start by keeping the country’s medal hopes alive in Glasgow.
