Born in 1964 and having grown up fighting and struggling on streets of Karachi, Hussain Shah is a boxing icon in Pakistan.

The naturally-gifted boxer started the sport for self-defense, which won Pakistan colour for him and he became Pakistan’s first -- and till now the only -- boxer to win an Olympic medal.

Hussain Shah won gold medal in 1984 South Asian Games, which was his first international appearance. He continued punching down his opponents in SAG of 1985, 1987, 1989 and 1991 to win a record five consecutive gold-medals in the event.

But his real punch was in 1988’s Seoul Olympics where he won bronze medal for the country. It was Pakistan’s only medal in the event.

He turned pro in 1992 and faded into oblivion. The News on Sunday recently interviewed Hussain Shah during his visit to Karachi in which the legend boxer spoke about his childhood, his journey and the treatment he received in the country despite winning all the laurels.

The News on Sunday: How did your journey begin?

Hussain Shah: I was seven years old when I started boxing. My mother died when I was four or five years old and my father married another woman and after that circumstances turned against me. My stepmother didn’t like my boxing habit because she considered it as something wrong.

But I kept my passion for boxing, left home, started living on footpaths and at a Mazar in Lyari. I started boxing because I felt insecure in the environment. I opted for boxing for self-defense and Allah helped me, but I struggled a lot. Sometimes I slept empty stomach. Sometimes women of the vicinity who knew my mother came forward to help me with food and dresses.

But I continued with boxing. I first got a job in Railways. It was a very low category job. I used to train without basic equipment. I remember I was playing the national games in 1983, where I won a fight against the then best boxer. Fortunately PBF’s chief Anwar Chaudhry (late) was also sitting there who picked me from there and invited me to the national camp.

Anwar Chaudhry did a lot for me. If I have become something today, it is because of Anwar Chaudhry.

TNS: Many people say that he used to pressurise judges to manipulate results in Pakistan’s favour?

HS: I don’t agree with this, there were boxers before me and boxers came after me too. But only I managed to win a medal. If Chaudhry had been able to influence results, then other boxers should also have won medals. And I should have won the Gold medal in Seoul.

TNS: What an Olympic medal meant to you?

HS: I actually didn’t know what Olympics was. I never thought about a championship beyond South Asian Games or the Asian Games, so I didn’t have the idea about the importance of Olympics games.

I could have done better. I still believe that I could have reached the final in Seoul Olympics.

I was not completely fit in my semi-final bout. I fought that game with a hairline fracture in my hand and that’s why I lost.

TNS: What response did you receive in Pakistan after Seoul Olympics?

HS: My news was among top stories in Khabarnama of PTV. When I returned home people picked me on their shoulders and tons of promises were made. But 95 percent of those promises were not fulfilled. The government announced a plot for me in Karachi, in Gulistan-e-Johar. At that time the area was developing. I even got the papers. I paid the processing fees from the amount I received as incentive from my department KESC, but when I inquired about the land, it was nowhere. It existed on papers only. I am an illiterate person, so I have no idea what actually went wrong, but some people say that my plot was illegally occupied by someone.

I felt they denied my children their due rights, but I’ve still pardoned them and have left my case to Allah.

TNS: So you didn’t get anything despite winning an Olympic medal for the country, and five gold medals in South Asian Games?

HS: No, I didn’t get anything. That’s why I didn’t push my son into boxing in Pakistan. When I didn’t get anything what could my children get? Pakistan is my homeland and I love this place. But the corrupt people at the helm of affairs have ruined everything.

I feel that I didn’t get what I deserve. During one of my visits to the country, some officials of Pakistan Boxing Federation took me to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani. He promised to resolve the matter, but nothing happened.

TNS: Why did you leave Pakistan and started living in Japan?

HS: What could I have done in Pakistan? I didn’t have a home to live. I didn’t have any shelter to keep my family secure.

If I had stayed here, I would have died of hunger, or may be still struggling, maybe my children would’ve become gangsters.

I got more respect in Japan. I am working as a coach at a local club there, but thanks to Almighty I’ve been able to look after my family well.

But I am still proud to be a Pakistani and I still wear my green blazer of 1988 Olympics whenever I travel. That green blazer makes me feel proud of myself and my country.

I want to come back, but then I think where would I keep my family? If I get the land promised to me by the government, then I will have a house to keep my family respectfully and I will also build a boxing gym to prepare more Hussain Shahs for the country.

TNS: Which one is your most memorable bout?

HS: It was in 1987 South Asian Games, when I defeated an Indian Boxer in Calcutta. It is memorable for many reasons. Everyone in the hall was chanting against Pakistan. Some people were throwing different things for us so it was very emotional moment for me. I didn’t let all these affect me and concentrated on my bout and downed my Indian opponent.

It was great to hear Pakistan’s anthem in India. That gold medal is the most memorable for me.

TNS: Do you think boxing gets enough attention in Pakistan?

HS: If boxers get even half of what cricketers are getting, I am sure they’ll bring more laurels for the country.

If we need medals in Olympics then we must invest in sports other than cricket. Like boxing and judo.

TNS: What do you expect your son, who is into judo, to achieve?

HS: Shah Hussian Shah is very talented and has done well at big events. He’s training at university level in Japan and he’s number one there, but I am worried about his post-university training expenses. He gets university scholarship at the moment, but once he completes his studies, then we’ll have to bear expenses for his training which I am afraid I am not capable of. I know he can bring an Olympic medal for Pakistan, if he gets some sort of support and sponsorship to continue his training. I couldn’t win Olympic gold, but I am sure my son can bring a gold medal for the country.

TNS: There was a time when Pakistan was doing well in boxing, but in last 10 years, we’ve seen the sport hitting rock bottom. What’s the reason?

HS: The main reason for this is the people sitting at the top. Our boxing officials are there for joy-trips and photo-ops. What has Doda Khan Bhutto done for boxing? He is president of Pakistan boxing, but he didn’t have time for our boxers who were preparing for the Asian Championship. But he didn’t leave any opportunity to have a photo-session with boxer Amir Khan who was visiting Karachi.

TNS: Do you think a biopic on you will encourage people to opt for boxing?

HS: It already has. The secretary of Pakistan Boxing Federation has informed me that people are contacting him to find opportunities to learn boxing.

Boxing used to be the game of poor people, but now I have been told that people from good financial background are also opting to learn boxing, which is a good sign.