# Johorean wins his second WBC Asian title
# Farkhan stops UAE’s Sheikh Kaseba on TKO for light heavyweight crown
By Rizal Abdullah
Malaysia’s only professional boxer Muhammad Farkhan Haron created boxing history on Saturday night when he defeated Sheikh Kaseba of the United Arab Emirates on TKO to win the World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight Asia title.
He achieved the historic win at the Persada International Convention Centre in Johor Bahru – two minutes into the fourth round when competing in the Johor International Boxing Championships.
The 28-year-old Farkhan won his maiden WBC Silver (cruiserweight) Asia title in Singapore in July last year.
In winning the light heavyweight title Farkhan, a former SEA Games gold medal winner in 2009 (Laos), makes him the first Malaysian to win two WBC Asian titles. His late father was also a national boxer.
Farkhan received his light heavyweight belt from his No 1 fan – Johor Crown Prince HRH Brig Gen Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, who is also the Royal Patron of the Johor Boxing Association.
“This is a new milestone for my boxing career,” said a jubilant Farkhan after his win in front of his more than 3,000 home supporters.
Hailed as a potential world champion, Farkhan, is currently working on getting a visa to train in Mexico to realize his potential as a top notch boxer. His earlier plans to train in the United States ran into visa snags.
“This win is for the people of Malaysia, especially Bangsa Johor,” added Farkhan who trained in Uzbekistan for the match against Sheikh Kaseba.
It is certainly a giant step towards Farkhan’s dream to be a world champion and the two WBC Asian titles under his belt speak volume of his potential as a professional boxer.
The Johor International Boxing Championships will also see boxers from Singapore, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines competing.
The international Johor described as a “sporting extravaganza” is recognized and sanctioned by the World Boxing Council (WBC) was organized by FH Promotions.
The Johor meet also saw undercard bouts for ranking points involving boxers from Uzbekistan, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore.
