Kolkata boxer clinches first-ever Oceania-Orient feather title

In what can be hailed as an unprecedented feat, Kolkata boxer Asad Asif Khan scraped to an impressive victory against the undefeated international player Aiman Abu Bakar of Malaysia as he clinched the Oceania-Orient feather title in the Philippines. To put the achievement in perspective, it is the sheer talent that Asad possesses, and definitely the willingness to work hard on cashing in on his innate talent -- which will see the advent of several enthusiasts in the sport.

Participated by several nations, Asad prevailed over Aiman Abu Bakar, Malaysia’s No.1 boxer in an all-win match from the beginning. It was entirely a lopsided victory for the Indian during all eight rounds. Asad is a licensed professional boxer under the Indian Boxing Council (IBC), which is the only Indian Professional Boxing Commission recognised internationally. “I am proud of Asif’s achievement and it will motivate upcoming boxers,” current president of IBC and ex-General Secretary of the Boxing Federation of India, Muralidharan Raja, was quoted as saying to the IANS.

Speaking about his achievement, an elated Asad told, "I will always say hard work is the key to achieving anything in life, all you need is a great mentor, and I was blessed with one. This victory humbles me to work harder and ask the youth of India to take up the most inspiring sport out there." Trained by Mujtaba Kamal, Asad currently trains in Bengaluru. Kamal managed his fights as a manager right from the professional debut of Asad, which was on November 19, 2011. Despite winning several accolades and attending several national camps, the 25-year-old Asad believes he was overlooked many times when it came to national selection. However, this win is a turning point for professional boxing in general.

Having made his professional debut at the age of 18 years, Asad’s professional career has seen him play a total of eight professional matches where he won four of them while having lost two and the remaining two were drawn.