Rejected by England, Haroon has a point to prove

Younger brother of English boxer Amir Khan, Haroon will fight for Pakistan in the CWG and the 19-year-old hopes to win a medal for his ‘mother country.’

“There are a lot of allegations against Pakistan cricketers. It had happened while they were playing in England, so it’s tougher for me to hear such charges against them. It’s bad if it’s true and it will be a blot on the nation. But hopefully, Pakistan will be able to win a few medals in the CWG and it will soothe the pain to some extent. Hopefully, I too can chip in with a medal,” Haroon told Deccan Herald.

However, Haroon admitted that it was disappointing not being able to represent England in the CWG. “I have won the National Junior Championship in England, but still I did not get selected for England for the CWG. I don’t the reasons, the authorities are in a better position to answer that. It will be tough fighting against my friends from England in the CWG, but that’s the way sometimes sports goes, doesn’t it?

“But then, I got a call from the Pakistan federation asking if I could represent them. I discussed it with my parents and friends, they all said I should represent Pakistan.

“I am happy I have got a chance to represent my native land, and that too in a competition to be held in India. It’s a special occasion for me. I have a lot of Indian friends back in England and I have heard a lot about India from them. I’ve always wanted to visit this country,” Haroon said.

Haroon admitted that his task would not be easy in the CWG, where a lot of good boxers will be vying for top honours. “There are some really good boxers in the fray. The Indian boxers have real quality. Guys like Vijender and Akhil are world-class. Then there are boxers from England, Wales, Canada and South Africa, and African boxers too can be very dangerous on their day,” he added.

But Haroon too can grow fangs on his day. Beware!