There are many unsung heroes in Pakistan who can get overlooked due to many reasons, like the deadly pandemic. One such hero, Hussain Shah appeared in many emotional videos with heartfelt appeals and critical warnings. The subject was a British-Pakistani Boxer Amir Khan, who has won the hearts of many fans in Pakistan. In his honor, the Government of Pakistan has named the boxing club in Islamabad after him; something that has made Hussain very upset.
Hussain claimed that Khan being recognized as a Pakistani Boxer was not fair and he should be sent back to the UK. He pointed to the fact that Khan was a British boxer who had no contribution in Pakistan’s boxing industry.
British Boxer Amir Khan Goes Against The Legendary Hussain Shah
Amir Khan finally fired back after two years by implying that Shah’s contribution to Pakistan boxing wa not remarkable. He has a knack for going viral no matter the reason. Three years ago he went viral for divorcing his wife on social media. And now he is blasted for comparing his achievements against the legend Hussain Shah. Only two Pakistani boxers have won the Olympic bronze medal and Shah is one of them. Amir Khan on the other hand represents The Great Britain in Olympics and has won a silver medal at the age of 17.
Shah won the Olympic bronze medal at the 1988 Olympics and was awarded Sitara-E-Imtiaz in 1989 by the Government of Pakistan. He was the best boxer in all of Asia from 1980 – 1988 and won 5 gold medals in the South Asian Games from 1984 -1991. No other boxer in Pakistan achieved that level of prominence. Amir Khan has not won a medal since 2004. His last three Gold medals were in European Students Championships, Junior Olympic Games and World Junior Championships. However Khan’s biggest achievement is the Amir Khan Boxing Academy in Islamabad that was named after him instead of the local legends..
Round 1
One of the first videos of Shah surfaced in 2018 in which he claimed that it was unfair to name the Islamabad Boxing Club after an international boxer who has not won anything for Pakistan. Shah referred to himself as the rightful name bearer for the particular club because he has fought and bled for Pakistan. He mentions being helpless in this situation as he is in Japan but hopes that somebody would do something about this.
According to Shah, boxer Amir Khan has not competed in any tournament for Pakistan so the decision to name the boxing club after him is not fair. Shah has also accused Amir Khan for forcefully getting it in his name. Khan often gets caught in scandals like pleasuring himself during an obscene skype call. Shah believes that it is a wrong move by the Government of Pakistan and it should have been his name on the club. He also encouraged fans to study and support Pakistani boxers like Muhammad Waseem who have achieved so much in boxing.
Round 2
Boxer Amir Khan defends himself by stating that he did not approach to purchase the club but the Government of Pakistan wanted him to invest in that club. https://twitter.com/AaliHasan10/status/1250095436540461056
Khan meant that Shah had not done much for boxing in Pakistan and left the country after making a name for himself. Khan said unlike Shah, he visited Pakistan many times after making a name in the UK. He mentioned his charity work and investment in Islamabad Boxing Club to make it capable of training professional athletes.
Shah was however not impressed by this comeback and shared his response by referring to Khan’s statement as bogus. He thinks that it is his right to grace the academy with his name. Both fighters are not ready to admit each other’s achievements in the world of boxing.
Shah has also criticized the training style used by the Academy of Boxer Amir Khan. The athletes are being trained at a professional level which takes out the chance of competing at Olympics, and Asian Games.
Will The Fight Go On?
Shah mentioned that Khan has only established his business ventures and has no interest in improving the level of boxing in Pakistan. How will boxer Amir Khan respond now? Will he still take as long as before? Or do we finally get to see a 1-on-1 bout that involve both of them beating the hell out of each other and entertaining the fans during the lockdown situation?
Shah urges the people to study the situation carefully as Khan can seriously damage the essence of boxing in Pakistan. He has differentiated between Khan’s pro-style of boxing and the kind of boxing that will be beneficial for Pakistan. Now, it is upto the fans to decide which corner they are going to pick.
