You know, sometimes one athlete can change everything for a country and this time, it is Laura Akram doing it for Pakistan.
Recently Laura who holds both British and Pakistani nationality has done something no one else has done before. She secured Pakistan’s very first world-level medal in elite women’s boxing.
At the World Boxing Challenge during the Grand Prix Ústí nad Labem, Laura stepped into the ring for her quarterfinal fight. She was up against Palestine’s Noura Salman. The judges scored it 5-0 which meant all five judges thought she clearly outperformed her opponent.
In a historic moment for Pakistan’s women’s boxing, Laura Akram has secured the country’s first-ever world-level medal in elite women’s boxing.
— Startup Pakistan (@PakStartup) June 13, 2025
Disclaimer: Image is Ai-generated and is just for reference. #LauraAkram #WomensBoxing #BoxingHistory pic.twitter.com/CUMr61DcOY
She automatically guaranteed herself at least a bronze medal by winning this match. So now she will still be on the podium even if she loses in the semifinals.
Before Laura, no Pakistani woman ever achieved this level in world boxing. For women’s sports in Pakistan especially in a tough sport like boxing, this is a major breakthrough.
Her next fight will be against Michidmaa Erdenedalai from Mongolia in the semifinals. If Laura wins that fight then she will move on to the finals and fight for either gold or silver.
Interestingly, Laura is not new to winning. She is already the national boxing champion of Pakistan having won the national title in Karachi recently.
The last time Pakistan won any medal in a world boxing event was way back in 2003 when Noman Karim won a bronze.
Laura is not stopping here. After the World Boxing Challenge, she is scheduled to compete at the World Boxing Cup in Astana, Kazakhstan (World Boxing Cup) which will take place from June 30 to July 6.
And that’s not all , she’ll also head to Liverpool for the 2025 World Championships after that.
Also read: Arshad Nadeem Wins Gold for Pakistan at Asian Athletics Championship
