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Iraqi boxer scores first win
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-12-05 09:39

Iraq's light fly weight boxer Ali Najah on Monday beat his Mongolian opponent 33-8 on points, marking the first win for the boxer from the war-torn Iraq in the ring of Doha Asiad.

Slashing his rival with landsliding hooks and uppercuts, Najah dominated the ring in all four bouts. The 26-year-old Iraqi boxer told Xinhua after the match that he wanted the world to see Iraqi athlete's performance and to offer them more help.

"There is no organized training in Iraq. I had to stay home to practise by myself," Najah said, adding that his father, who used to be a boxer, was his coach.

The Iraqi boxer said he had appealed to the International Olympic Committee to help Iraqi athletes.

"Not only ordinary people but also athletes are dying everyday. I appeal to the International Olympic Committee to help Iraq," he said, "You know, there is so much danger around. Look at the news, no athlete can train in such a situation."

Najah said he had trained for three weeks in Kuwait which offered him an arena. "But usually I need four to six months of training," he said.

"I can't go back to Iraq. I do not know if I will go back or not," he added.

Meanwhile, Chinese light fly weight world champion Zou Shiming won a clash over his Tajikistan rival Sherali Dostiev 16-10 on point, stepping forward to the first Asiad boxing champion for China in 16 years.

Following Zou, Chinese boxer Hu Qing also came through with ease after a 29-10 win over Malaysian Paunandes Paulus.

Till now, three of ten Chinese boxers have made the next bout in the ring while two others were eliminate