VIJAYAWADA: A Family from Vijayawada is striving hard to bring laurels to the country by winning medals in boxing. The first boxer in the family was Mohammed Khalid Ali, who now works at a private firm. Out of passion, Khalid Ali, a bodybuilder, began practicing boxing in the 90s. His dream to turn professional didn’t come true due to lack of facilities. Ali’s father late Md Afjal Ali was a noted weightlifter and gymnast in the 1960s. However, Ali and his wife Ayesha Begum encouraged their four children -- two boys and two girls -- to become professional boxers.
All four youngsters--Md Wajahat Ali (21), Rifauth Aara (19), Md Liyaqat Ali (18) and Sania Nikhat (17)-- have been selected for the sports hostel run by the Sports Authority of India, in Visakhapatnam.Wajahat began his boxing career in 2010. Since 2014, he has won five gold and two silver medals in boxing contests held across Andhra Pradesh. He secured his first national-level medal, a bronze, in 2016-17. He had participated twice in the nationals and stood fourth in the National Youth Akola Games held in 2017-18 in the under-19 (75-81 kg) category.
Speaking to TNIE, Wajahat said he wanted to participate in international bouts and bring laurels to his parents and country. The couple’s elder daughter --Rifauth Aara-- started her sports career in 2010 as a gymnast. Later, she became a boxer.
She has bagged one gold, four silver and one bronze medals at state-level as well as two silver and two bronze medals at national-level, so far. Aara, said Mary Kom is her inspiration, whose life motivated her to take the hardest training to participate in international bouts.The couple’s younger son Liyaqat Ali started his career in 2010 as a gymnast and became a boxer in 2016.
He bagged three silver and one bronze medals in the state-level boxing competitions. He also won gold in the National Rural Games in 2019.Their younger daughter, Sania Nikath, started her career as a child boxer and bagged a state-level silver medal (U-11) in 2015. She later bagged two state and two national silver medals.
While Khalid lives in Vijayawada due to his job responsibilities, his wife Ayesha spends time with her children in Visakhapatnam, taking care of the four young boxers.“My father wanted to see me as an international boxer but that didn’t come true. So I have started giving boxing training to all my children,” Khalid Ali said.He expressed hope that his family would bring laurels to the country.