KARACHI: A Karachi-based champion Pakistani kickboxer, competing in the Senior Amateur 51-kilogram category, won at the IFMA World Muaythai Championships in Thailand on Friday, saying beforehand that his participation represented not only Pakistan but also his support for Palestine.
The World Muaythai Championships are an annual competition of Muaythai, or Thai boxing, organized by the International Federation of Muaythai Associations. Alongside the World Games, it is the highest level of world competition for Muaythai.
Speaking to Arab News, the Pakistani kickboxer, Agha Kaleem, said this year’s competition featured fighters from over 40 countries.
“I competed against the three-time World and two-time Asian Champion from Kazakhstan, and he was a very tough player,” he said. “Another participant in my weight category was from India. But he declined to fight. So, I directly qualified in the final and had a tough fight which I won.”
Prior to going into the competition, Kaleem said in a social media post he was representing both Pakistan and Palestine. The video accompanying the post showed him at the opening ceremony of the tournament waving the flags of both countries.
Kaleem, who hails from Quetta and lives in the Baldia Town area in Karachi, is a tea vendor by profession. He has been crowned the all-Karachi champion 10 times, Wushu champion thrice, Muaythai champion twice and national champion three times.
