Visa Delay Costs Waseem Five-Fight Deal, Boxer Seeks Diplomatic Passport
Pakistani professional boxer Mohammad Waseem says a Mohammad Waseem visa delay cost him a five-fight deal with a Mexican promotion company, the latest in a career repeatedly dented by travel paperwork.
Waseem, the WBA bantamweight gold champion, submitted his passport for a Schengen visa at the Spanish Embassy in Islamabad on July 29. Nearly three months on, he is still waiting.
Mohammad Waseem visa delay kills Mexican deal
“Yes, I was going to sign a deal with a Mexican company, but due to the visa delay, I could not finalise the agreement,” Waseem told The Express Tribune on Sunday. “Under the proposed deal, I could have had five fights, and it is a huge loss for me.”
The former three-time WBC world flyweight silver champion said he did not know why his application had stalled. “I don’t know what the reason is,” he said.
For a professional boxer, five guaranteed fights is career oxygen: steady opponents, steady paydays, and a ladder toward another world title shot.
A career pattern, not a one-off
Waseem says visa trouble has followed him for years. “In the past, too, visa issues denied me several golden opportunities,” he said. He missed a WBO title fight in Dubai in 2022 because of a visa problem, then had to rush to Malta on the eve of a 2024 bout after another delay. He has also been unable to obtain visas for international training camps on several occasions.
“This problem has dented my career,” he added.
The complaint will sound familiar to Pakistani sports fans. Athletes travelling on a Pakistani passport routinely face long processing times and high refusal rates for Schengen, UK and US visas, and for fighters whose bouts are booked weeks out, a delayed stamp can erase months of preparation.
The diplomatic passport appeal
Waseem has appealed to the federal government to issue him a diplomatic passport, arguing it would smooth his travel for fights and training camps abroad.
“I need a diplomatic passport. I have requested the federal government several times in the past, but there has been no response,” he said. “Had I received visas on time, I could have won several world titles by now.”
Diplomatic passports are normally reserved for officials, but Pakistan has occasionally granted them to prominent figures whose work requires constant international travel. Waseem’s argument is straightforward: his job is fighting abroad, and the state’s paperwork keeps stopping him from doing it.
He also asked the government to financially back his bigger ambition: staging a world title fight in Pakistan. “I aim to hold a world title fight here and I request the federal government for support,” he said.
The fighter behind the frustration
Waseem’s record explains why the losses sting. Since turning professional in 2015, he has fought 17 bouts, winning 15 and losing two. He won the WBC world silver flyweight title in only his fourth professional fight, defended it three months later, won it again, and stayed the WBC’s number-one-ranked boxer in his division for an extended spell.
His only two defeats came in world title bouts against South Africa’s Moruti Mthalane and England’s Sunny Edwards, both strong performances in fights he could have won. As an amateur he represented Pakistan for over a decade, winning Commonwealth Games silver and Asian Games bronze. He recently won back-to-back WBA bantamweight gold titles in Quetta and Lahore.
That is the resume of a fighter who should be headlining, not waiting on visa counters. Whether the government answers his appeal will say something about how Pakistan treats the athletes who carry its flag into the ring.
FAQ
What deal did Waseem lose?
A five-fight agreement with a Mexican promotion company, which fell through because his Schengen visa, applied for on July 29 at the Spanish Embassy in Islamabad, was delayed.
What has Waseem asked the government for?
A diplomatic passport to ease travel for fights and training, plus financial backing to stage a world title fight in Pakistan. He says earlier requests went unanswered.
What is Waseem’s professional record?
17 bouts since 2015, with 15 wins and 2 losses. He is a former three-time WBC world flyweight silver champion and current WBA bantamweight gold champion.
Has this happened before?
Yes. He missed a WBO title fight in Dubai in 2022 over a visa issue, rushed to Malta on the eve of a 2024 bout after a delay, and has missed international training camps for the same reason.
