“I was roaming around the streets when fate brought boxing to me,” exclaims Qudratullah, looking back at how he began boxing in Quetta. Qudratullah is currently one of the most underrated performers in the Pakistani sports arena.

Little did he know that, as a 16-year-old at the time, his hard work would result in him becoming an Islamic Solidarity Games medal-winner in a matter of four years. The 20-year-old took the bronze medal in Riyadh last month in the 51kg event. But this was not his first international medal.

He took his first international medal at the Belt and Road International Boxing Gala 57kg event that took place in China last August. And in December 2025, Qudrat secured a silver medal for his departmental team, the Pakistan Army, during the National Games, where 13 other sides were competing.

But the real success for this resident of Pashtunabad in Quetta, a city that has given numerous international boxers to Pakistan, has been that of fighting against the odds in day-to-day life too. Qudrat is following his passion in a society and a staunchly capitalist system that is designed to disempower him and keep him stuck in a cycle of poverty.

In a just world, a 20-year-old talented boxer who has won accolades for the country would not be working as a labourer just to make ends meet. But that is exactly what Qudrat does. He juggles regular training and keeping fit with working as a line cook at a local restaurant kitchen, where he makes parathas. He needs to work at least two jobs to make ends meet, take care of his family and stay fit as a professional athlete.

“At 16, I was working at a hotel as a labourer, when my coach and ustaad [mentor and teacher] Moulvi Ishaq Muhammad noticed me and he invited me to box,” explains Qudrat. “That was the luckiest day for me, as boxing chose me. The sport gave me a greater purpose.” He now trains at the Al Muslim Sports Academy in Karachi.

“I remember when I first went to the club, I just chose to show up and see what happens,” recalls Qudrat. “I didn’t have the shoes or the gloves, but my ustaad, Moulvi Ishaq, was kind to me. He gave me gloves and shoes, and he took care of me. He is the reason why I am getting these medals, because he believed in me. He did everything for me, and he never charged fees from me, which was a massive help.”

Moulvi Ishaq remembers the first time he saw Qudratullah. “I saw him, and I thought he had that fight in him.” Ishaq had been a boxer himself, boxing since 1990 and becoming the Balochistan champion, before switching to coaching and opening his own club in 2001.

“It is like a scholarship programme,” he says of his club. “I pick an athlete and see how he does at the local club level, then district level and when I see he has the talent and potential to become better at boxing, I support him in every way I can. Many boys from my club have gone on to compete at the national and international level, and departmental teams pick them. So it is a breeding ground of future champions from Balochistan,” says Ishaq, who has also served as the Wushu coach for Wapda.

But Qudrat also remembers how difficult it was for him to prove his mettle, even at the club level where many talented boxers trained. “It was a challenge. There were extreme economic constraints at home, but I needed to train hard. Overcoming such difficulties was the key for me. It really was about survival, and it still is about survival.”

The hard work, fuelled by the desire to make his life better, helped Qudrat make his national debut in 2022, as he competed at the U-18 and U-17 National Boxing Championship in Karachi. He ended up bagging silver medals in both the U-17 and U-18 events, to mark his arrival on the national circuit. Qudrat then competed at the 34th National Games that took place in Quetta, representing Balochistan. Today, he is a three-time All-Quetta champion in his weight category. All this while he has been working as a labourer when not training and competing.

This captured the attention of Maj Irfan Younis of the Pakistan Army and the secretary of the Pakistan Boxing Federation, who helped him get a departmental job with the Army. Qudrat made him proud by winning gold at the 4th Inter-Department National Boxing Championship 2024, which featured the crème de la crème of Pakistani boxers.

But 2025 was truly Qudrat’s year, as he was finally crowned the national champion at the 41st National Boxing Championship. He managed to take the Inter-Services Championship gold medal too, along with international successes in China and at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh.

“It has been a good year,” accepts Qudrat. “I know I competed well at the national events, but also in international events. I gave a tough time to my opponents, Cuban and Uzbek boxers in China, and these are the athletes who are training to compete at the Olympics.

“I feel I have the fight and the skill, though there is not much support for it. I joined the Army two years ago, and I can’t thank Major Irfan enough for it. He has helped me with international events, and we have delivered almost 100 per cent results.”

Qudrat adds a note of caution, however. “I say 100 per cent because I have won two medals in both international events I was sent to, but the truth is that we need government support in terms of money and facilities, along with expertise,” he says. “We need the systems that can help us, we need stability.”

Qudrat hopes for professional camps, international coaches and tours, and having enough money to solely focus on training for events without worrying about how to meet his day-to-day expenses on a shoe-string budget.

“I am running on self-belief,” he asserts. “In China, at the Belt and Road International Boxing Youth Gala, we had competitors from 26 countries and it was such a learning experience for me, it gave me confidence. Then I went to the Islamic Solidarity Games, where 57 countries were competing, so that was tougher, but I kept the faith that I could deliver. When push came to shove, I gave it my all and fought and survived in the ring. I am just grateful that Allah blessed me with success and the medal.”

Survival is more of a skill than an instinct in an unstable economic and political environment. Qudrat points out he is not the only one facing this issue. Many other boxers come from humble backgrounds like his. They have no money for gloves or shoes or kits, and yet they persevere.

“Poverty can be a blunt force to stop youngsters from progressing in life and pursuing careers in things they are passionate about,” he says. “My ultimate dream is to compete at the Olympics, but that needs a proper diet, and we need government support for that kind of preparation. Like, right now, I have a job with the Army, but I also need to work as a labourer because I need to make ends meet and then save something for myself for a rainy day.”

When asked if he has a special diet, he laughs and says that he has no specific diet, but he has the hunger to get to the top.

“I give half of my salary at home to my family. The other half that is left is for me to take care of myself as an athlete, take care of the expenses and then to save some, but it is not a lot of money. However, I will do everything I can to compete at the Olympics and win a medal too,” he says.

The writer is a sports journalist.

Published in Dawn, EOS, April 5th, 2026

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