Boxer Fatima Zahra on the brink of making history for Pakistan
This can be a new chapter for women's boxing in Pakistan, where it remains a male dominant sport
Pakistan’s boxer Fatima Zahra is on the verge of creating history in her next bout at the 2026 Commonwealth Games 60kg quarterfinals.
Winning it would mean a spot in the semifinal that would confirm at least a bronze medal for Pakistan.
With that, she will become the first Pakistani woman to ever bag a Commonwealth Games medal in her sport.
In her opening bout of the round of 16, she completely dominated her opponent from Lesotho, Raeleboha Segoete, on July 24, as the referee had to stop the bout (Referee Stop Game) due to the latter’s inability to reply in the ring.
Coach Nisar Khan, who trained Fatima, 22, at the national camp in Islamabad along with the other four Pakistani boxers in the Games, and the Pakistan Army sports official and Pakistan Boxing Federation Secretary Major Irfan Younis believe that she can achieve a good result in the quarterfinal too, where she will face a seasoned boxer, New Zealand’s Jordan Wilson, 35 on July 28.
“We are very hopeful for a good result in the quarterfinal for Fatima,” Younis and coach Nisar told Lost on the Desk. “We are preparing our plan now and are analysing what weaknesses and strong points Wilson has. So we can work on it.
“We are hopeful that Allah will help us in this. She will be our first woman to win a Commonwealth medal, and that will be a huge achievement.”
Fatima’s opening bout showed that she is feeling confident in her ability to deliver good results as she did at the Islamic Solidarity Games 2025 in November, where she also became the first Pakistani woman to win a medal in boxing.
Before last year’s performance in Riyadh, Fatima said she was considering quitting the sport because doubts were setting in as she was not getting the results she wanted after outings at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the Asian Games previously.
However, shifting from the 57 kg category to 60 kg has helped the pugilist last year. Shedding weight had hurt her performances at the international stage before that.
She stands 5 feet and 6 inches tall, and believes that her strength lies in her right-hand jabs that ensure good finishes.
“The last fight was great for her; her right hand is very dangerous, and she has a great range as well; her opponents would have a tough time against her,” said Fatima’s personal coach away from the national camp, who trains her in her hometown Sargodha.
“Since she won this fight of RSG, her confidence must be very high, but she will need to do something extraordinary to win the quarterfinal. It will not be easy for her; she will need to be more strategic with her punches, score as much as possible, and be quick as well.”
Trivia
Previously, Pakistani women’s boxer Mehreen became the first from the country to compete at the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
She lost in her first bout in the round of 16.
Fatima Zahra’s profile at a glance
Undefeated national champion in featherweight from 2021 onward.
International achievements:
International medal: Islamic Solidarity Games 2025, bronze in featherweight, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Participated in the 2022 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China.
Participated in the Olympic qualifiers round 1, Italy.
Qualified for the Youth World Championship, Spain.
Competed at the 3rd Belt & Road International Boxing Gala, China.
Participated in a training tour for the World Olympic Sports Awareness, China.
National achievements: Youth national champion held in Karachi, 2022
Youth national champion held in Quetta, 2022.
Gold medalist in DHA 2nd Women Championship
Gold medal in KPT National Championship 2023
Gold medal in the 34th National Games in Quetta, 2023
Inter Department Championship, gold medal in Abbottabad, 2024
Gold medal in the National Championship in Karachi and declared Best female boxer in 2025
Gold medal at the National Games 2025 in Karachi.
Professional Boxing Achievements: Pakistan Pro Green featherweight belt holder from the WBC boxing event in Islamabad