“I was roaming around the streets when fate brought boxing to me,” exclaims Qudratullah, looking back at how he began boxing in Quetta. Qudratullah is currently one of the most underrated performers in the Pakistani sports arena.

Little did he know that, as a 16-year-old at the time, his hard work would result in him becoming an Islamic Solidarity Games medal-winner in a matter of four years. The 20-year-old took the bronze medal in Riyadh last month in the 51kg event. But this was not his first international medal.

He took his first international medal at the Belt and Road International Boxing Gala 57kg event that took place in China last August. And in December 2025, Qudrat secured a silver medal for his departmental team, the Pakistan Army, during the National Games, where 13 other sides were competing.

But the real success for this resident of Pashtunabad in Quetta, a city that has given numerous international boxers to Pakistan, has been that of fighting against the odds in day-to-day life too. Qudrat is following his passion in a society and a staunchly capitalist system that is designed to disempower him and keep him stuck in a cycle of poverty.

In a just world, a 20-year-old talented boxer who has won accolades for the country would not be working as a labourer just to make ends meet. But that is exactly what Qudrat does. He juggles regular training and keeping fit with working as a line cook at a local restaurant kitchen, where he makes parathas. He needs to work at least two jobs to make ends meet, take care of his family and stay fit as a professional athlete.

“At 16, I was working at a hotel as a labourer, when my coach and ustaad [mentor and teacher] Moulvi Ishaq Muhammad noticed me and he invited me to box,” explains Qudrat. “That was the luckiest day for me, as boxing chose me. The sport gave me a greater........

© Dawn (Magazines)