Dil Dil Pakistan part of me, boxing champion Hamzah says

LONDON: British Pakistani boxing star Hamzah Sheeraz has said that playing “Dil Dil Pakistan” to over 100,000 people at the Wembley Stadium - after clinching the Middleweight European Boxing title by defeating British boxer Tyler Denny – made his enormous win extra special.

On September 21, at London’s Wembley Stadium, Sheeraz completely dominated Denny. As Hamzah knocked out Danny, the Dil Dil Pakistan by Vital Sings was played out to the capacity crowd. Its video went viral. The right cross and left hook combination early in the first round resulted in the first knockdown. Sheeraz downed southpaw Denny once more in the second round with a powerful left hook.

Speaking to Geo and The News, the British Pakistani star said he has never set foot in Pakistan but said that “Dil Dil Pakistan is part of me”.

He said: “Dil Dil Pakistan was played first when I won in Saudi Arabia. When you get a knockout win and your fellow Pakistanis enjoy it with you then everyone is happy and it’s special. Dil Dil Pakistan is part of me. This was to connect with my roots but also to connect with fellow British Pakistanis. This made the winning extra special for me.”

Hamza Sheeraz said winning the European title is a “great feeling”. “Once you have been in camp and it comes to fight and you get a knockout win then it’s a great blessing. Alhamdulillah for this huge win. I am blessed and thankful.

“I have won 21 fights so far and the last 16 have been knockouts. Now I have got the European title. Next I am aiming for the world title. I have built my way up and have worked really hard for this.” On knocking out his rival in the first few seconds, he said: “This is all in practice and tactics. I knew his weakness and bowled him out with a knock. I worked on the hooks because I knew what I would do. I caught my opponent at the start and knocked him out. For this fight I was in Los Angeles training six days a week, eight hours a day. It’s very hard work. In one day, eight hours of hard training and sleeping in between the sessions and then back up again.”

The Middleweight European Boxing champion said he would go to Pakistan in two weeks and would love to meet Pakistani youth. “I am going to Pakistan next week. I will do all I can to help the future of Pakistan. I will be happy to help the youngsters of Pakistan. There is so much talent in Pakistan but they don’t get the opportunity. If I can be a beacon of light through gyms, etc. then why not.”

The 25-year-old also won the Commonwealth and WBC ‘Silver’ titles. Denny, on the other hand, dropped to 19-3-3 and lost the strap. The defeat broke the English athlete’s six-fight winning streak.