August 12, 2022: Pakistani boxing prodigy Shahir Afridi successfully defended his Asian Boxing Federation (ABF) Middleweight Champion title, knocking-out his Indian rival, Israr Usmani, in less than two minutes into the first round. The highly anticipated fight, held in Bangkok, was sponsored by Indus Motor Company (IMC) under its Corporate Social Responsibility badge, Concern Beyond Cars.
Having fought five boxing matches, both in Pakistan and internationally, for the 27-year-old Shahir, his boxing career took off in 2020. Given his limited experience, he boasts an impressive boxing record of 4-0-1 (Wins-Losses-Draws). He secured his Asian Middleweight Title in May this year against a Thai opponent and subsequently accepted the challenge from his Indian counterpart to defend his Asian Title at the Asian Boxing Federation fight earlier this month. This fight was Shahir’s first title defense for his ABF title. Shahir currently also serves with the Rapid Response Force, Sindh Police.
“This fight has been an important milestone for me”, said Shahir Afridi whilst proudly holding on to the championship belt. “I am very grateful to Allah SWT for this victory and proud to make my country stand tall. I want to thank Indus Motor for believing in me and coming to my rescue at a time when I had lost all hope of defending my Asian Title. It really means a lot to me. I guess boxing is in my genes; my father too was a professional boxer and an Olympian and I look to him for guidance and advice. I am aiming to compete in the Welterweight class and have set myself a target to raise my current world ranking of 1.5 to 3.0, till next year end. This will then put me in a position to eventually go for the World Title which is my ultimate goal.”
IMC Chief Executive, Ali Asghar Jamali congratulated the boxing genius and expressed, “It was indeed very heartening to hear about Shahir’s thumping win against his Indian opponent at the ABF Championship. He has really made Pakistan proud. This is exactly what Toyota envisions in its endeavor to foster opportunities for young talented individuals such as Shahir Afridi, enabling them to excel and reach new heights.” He further said, “We at IMC are extremely proud of Shahir’s achievement. His victory is a testament to Toyota’s transformational vision, ‘Mobility for All’ and the creation of a more inclusive and sustainable society”.
Sports is one of Toyota’s leading social contribution activity fields and IMC has been supporting young, emerging people to explore and exploit their potential. Saadi Abbas, the karate champion from Lyari supported under Toyota’s, Start Your Impossible. Most recently, the company had also sponsored the 23-year-old, Asad Ali Memon, in his quest to summit Mount Denali in North America, which he successfully achieved
