Pakistani boxing champion Mohammad Waseem missed out on a potential five-fight agreement with a Mexican promotion company because the Spanish Embassy in Islamabad failed to issue his Schengen visa on time after he submitted his passport on July 29, according to The Express Tribune.
Waseem explained that the delay stopped him from completing the contract. "Under the proposed deal, I could have had five fights, and it is a huge loss for me," he stated.
The athlete noted that officials gave no reason for the wait, pointing out that visa troubles have consistently harmed his professional journey. He mentioned missing a 2022 WBO title bout in Dubai, rushing to Malta just a day before a 2024 match due to slow paperwork, and losing multiple overseas training chances.
"This problem has dented my career," Waseem said.
As a solution, the former three-time WBC world flyweight silver champion asked federal authorities to grant him a diplomatic passport to prevent future travel hurdles. He stated that past appeals went unanswered.
"Had I received visas on time, I could have won several world titles by now," he remarked, while also asking for financial backing from the state to host a world title match inside Pakistan.
Recently, Waseem claimed consecutive WBA bantamweight gold titles in Quetta and Lahore. Since entering the professional ranks in 2015, he has triumphed in 15 out of 17 bouts, with his only two losses happening in world title contests against South Africa's Moruti Mthalane and England's Sunny Edwards.
Earlier in his career, he secured the WBC world flyweight silver title during his fourth professional appearance, defended it successfully three months later, won it back again, and maintained the top WBC ranking in his division for a long duration. Before turning professional, he spent over ten years as an amateur competitor for Pakistan, taking home a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games and a bronze medal at the Asian Games.
