Waseem’s own people just want to use him for their interest: Andy Kim

Waseem will go in there and knock the guy out, take the belt away from the champion: Andy Kim

As Pakistan’s pride, the WBC Silver Flyweight champion is heading towards his title bout against Daigo Higa in January, his manager Andy Kim has planned to send him to Medellin, Columbia to train with former WBA World champion Beibis Mendoza.
Falcon Khan’s South Korean promoter is extremely disappointed with the lack of financial support he has received from his people and believes that they have only been used by them for their own good.
“It’s really disappointing that none of the people who want to take photos with him would actually support him financially. As Waseem mentioned in many interviews, his own people just want to use him to promote themselves and their companies,” Andy Kim told ARY Sports.
Kim feels that even if Waseem manages to win the title against all odds as Higa is most comfortable at fighting in his home Japan, the Pakistani pugilist will not get the kind of recognition he deserves. “This is impossible in other countries. I get the feeling that even if Waseem wins the world title, they would stay the same. Waseem should stop meeting them, taking photos with them, or even talk to them because he is just being used,” he added.
Andy Kim urged Pakistani sponsors to back the boxer as it will be quite beneficial for them. He advised them to identify the potential to earn through it. Moreover, a single man can make a lot of difference for a country, like Manny Pacquiao did for his.
“TV stations need to purchase the rights to broadcast his fights. Private companies need to sponsor funds and rightfully put their logos on the ring or Waseem’s outfit to promote their companies. Trust me, taking photos with him and posting them on Facebook won’t help because everyone knows you’re using him and not actually helping him,” he said.
“Think about Manny Pacquiao and how his success benefitted the whole country. One star can change a lot of things. No one’s asking for charity. If you put your money into it, then you can really use his fame for yourself. Please don’t try to steal all the hard work in a sneaky way. Everytime I talk to any Pakistani to negotiate, they all disappear when it’s time to discuss money,” he added.
Waseem has been trained on Kim’s profits that he makes from his distribution business, which makes him regret the decision of Pakistan’s ace boxer. Knowing the fact that the Waseem cannot help him make any money, it is his passion and commitment that keeping him going.
“I am paying for everything with the profit I earn from my distribution business but I am really breaking my back doing it,” Kim stated. “I regret every day signing him because it’s been minus all the way,” he added.
“I cannot afford to host world title fight. I will support his training before the world title fight just because I came all the way here and I don’t want to throw away his potential,” he explained.
Andy Kim is afraid that even if Waseem wins the title fight and brings the glory to his country, his people will not appreciate him.
“What if he pulls an upset and wins the world title on the road and Pakistan still don’t support him? He won’t even be able to train outside Pakistan for his defense. He won’t be reigning for long and retire as ordinary champion and not a legendary champ like (Manny) Pacquiao. It would be a great waste of talent and opportunity,” he expressed his concerns.
However, despite all the disappointments, Kim and Waseem have managed to keep themselves motivated and up for the coming challenges.
“True champions can go out of their comfort zone and still make miracles happen,” he said. “This is a professional sport with money involved. When a talented, dedicated fighter meets financial support, we can have a great career. Right now it’s very hard to be motivated, but we still haven’t given up and we’ll focus on the world title fight,” he added.
Kim wants to the Falcon Khan to become one of the world stars, rather than Pakistan’s hero. “I want Waseem to win the world title and get recognition from the whole world,” he told.
Waseem’s promoter has all praise and well-wishes for him. He wants to see him win the championship. Moreover, he hopes to see the boxer as one of the most respected sportsmen of the world, who have comfort and honour at his end.
“I hope this difficult period won’t last long and he gets his well-deserved rewards, live happily with comfort and honour. I feel like we are almost there. We will have a great training camp and he will put his everything into it. And then we’ll go in there and knock the guy out, take the belt away from the champion,” Kim concluded