Fatima Zahra becomes first Pakistan woman boxer to secure Commonwealth Games boxing medal

GLASGOW (Agencies): Fatima Zahra made history on Tuesday by becoming the first woman boxer from Pakistan to secure a Commonwealth Games medal after cruising into the 60kg semi-finals with a unanimous points victory over New Zealand’s Jordan Wilson. The 22-year-old outclassed Wilson 5-0 in the quarter-final, with all five judges awarding her the contest to guarantee at least a bronze medal under the competition’s format, where losing semi-finalists receive bronze. Pakistan’s women’s boxing team only made its international debut in 2016 and, a decade later, the country’s flag is now assured of being raised during the women’s 60kg medal ceremony later this week. “We are developing in boxing, but it’s the sign that we are going in the right direction,” Fatima said after her landmark victory. “This is our first step. We are hoping for the gold as well, and this medal will mean a lot for Pakistan boxing as well.”

Fatima controlled the three-round bout from the outset, winning 29-28 on four judges’ scorecards and 30-27 on the fifth to complete a commanding performance. She will now face Canada’s Marie-Bathoul Al-Ahmadieh in Friday’s semi-final, with a place in the gold medal bout at stake. While Fatima shone at the SEC Centre, Pakistan’s male pugilists failed to leave a mark as Qudratullah lost his 60kg bout to Northern Ireland’s Jude Gallagher, becoming the last Pakistani male boxer to exit the Commonwealth Games. In a classic southpaw-versus-orthodox matchup, the orthodox Gallagher — gold medallist in the 57kg category at the last edition in Birmingham — made a blistering start, finding his range with a left hook and a straight right. Qudrat, fighting in southpaw stance, landed a good left but Gallagher blocked it effectively and took the first round on all five judges’ cards. The second round proved worse for the two-time national champion Qudrat as he was docked a point for not keeping his head up. Already trailing, Qudrat needed something big, but the 24-year-old Gallagher landed a sumptuous left hook to the body that left his opponent gasping. One judge ruled in Qudrat’s favour but the other four gave the round to Gallagher.

Trailing by two rounds, Qudrat needed a finish in the final round and started briskly with a shot to the body and a straight left to the head. He showed urgency but Gallagher, content to sit back and counter, made good use of ring space, pushing Qudrat back and stalling. Qudrat landed a good combination at the end but it wasn’t enough as Gallagher won on a split decision. Qudrat, believing he had done enough, fell to his knees when the result was announced. Pakistan also endured disappointment in athletics and swimming. Mohammad Ismail finished 41st among 46 runners in the men’s 400 metres heats after clocking 50.60 seconds, nearly three seconds slower than his National Games performance and well outside the top-16 qualification places. Swimmer Hamza Asif also failed to progress, placing 46th overall out of 70 competitors in the men’s 50m butterfly heats with a time of 26.09 seconds, missing out on a place in the semi-finals.