Neeraj Goyat during the weigh-in.
Neeraj Goyat during the weigh-in.

In the highly anticipated clash between the great Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, India’s Neeraj Goyat represented the country proudly on the international stage. While the boxing bout between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson has made international headlines, India has one of its own to cheer for at the event. The main event between Paul – Tyson had been preceded by three undercard fights. In one of their ears, 33-year-old Indian boxer Neeraj Goyat faced and upset Brazilian YouTuber / comedian Whindersson Martins in a six-round super middleweight fight.

Goyat defeated Nunes by a majority decision (59-55, 60-54 X2) in a six-round bout a little beyond the middleweight limit. However, Goyat, who is from Haryana, has a great boxing lineage and has achieved numerous firsts as an Indian boxer.

Goyat, who was born in Begumpur, Haryana, began boxing at the age of 15 in 2006, while he was in tenth grade. Goyat developed an interest in the sport after idolizing previous world heavyweight king Mike Tyson.

Goyat was the first Indian amateur boxer to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics qualifier in Venezuela, although he narrowly missed out. He also won a bronze medal at the 2008 Youth Commonwealth Games. However, as a professional boxer, Goyat is the first Indian to be ranked by the World Boxing Council (WBC). He also won the WBC Asian championship three years in a row, from 2015 to 2017.

Goyat has a professional boxer record of 18 wins, 4 defeats, and 2 draws from 24 fights. Goyat was scheduled to meet double WBC champion Amir Khan in a boxing match but had to withdraw due to injuries to his head, face, and left arm sustained in a vehicle accident.

Calling out Jake Paul, and KSI

In late 2023, Goyat constantly chastised Jake Paul for not fighting more well-known fighters and a bout between the two was also rumored. Goyat signed a contract with Most Beneficial Promotions, the same boxing promotion firm as Paul, although a fight between the two is supposedly only possible after Paul’s battle with Tyson.