# Neeraj Goyat

Neeraj Goyat (born 11 November 1991) is an Indian boxer and mixed martial artist. He is the first Indian boxer to have made it to WBC world rankings. Goyat won the award of WBC Asia 'Honorary Boxer of the Year' in 2017. He became the first person to defeat Chinese boxer Xu Can in China in 2014, who was a former Regular World Boxing Association world champion. Neeraj was in a car accident in 2019, but has recovered and competed since.
In June 2024, Goyat appeared on the reality TV show, Bigg Boss OTT Season 3. However, he was eliminated from the show after just 5 days. On November 15, 2024, he defeated Whindersson Nunes on the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul undercard.

## Early life

Goyat was born in Begumpur village in Karnal, Haryana. Neeraj Goyat did his schooling till 9th standard from the Parth Public School in Haryana. He started boxing in 2006 in the Army Sports Institute and studied for 10th standard there. In the first senior national tournament held in 2017, he won the platinum medal. In the year 2014, Neeraj Goyat won the gold medal in the Youth National Tournament.
Neeraj got interested in boxing because the physique and the personality of sportsmen really appealed to him. He started with gymnastics, but then when he saw boxers training around him he was really impressed with their level of fitness and longevity and that's how he shifted to boxing he got selected in the Army sports institute in the year 2001, and he got very good training from the coaches there, learning a lot from the senior cyclists in the institute.
He aims at becoming the WBC World Champion and wants to follow the footsteps of his favorite boxer Mike Tyson who is also a former WBC World Champion.

## Professional career

Neeraj Goyat was the first Indian professional boxer who went to Venezuela for the Olympic qualifiers before the 2016 Summer Olympics and won a bronze medal. He won the award of WBC Asia ‘Honorary Boxer of the Year’ 2017.

### Performance in pro boxing

* 3x WBC Asian title holder
* WBC Asian Champion 2015
* WBC Asian Champion 2016
* WBC Asian Champion 2017

### Performance in amateur boxing
#### International level achievements

* Olympic Qualifiers Tournament 2016 Venezuela – Bronze Medal
* Youth Commonwealth Games 2008 – Bronze Medal
* Youth World Championship 2008 Mexico – Participation
* President Cup Indonesia 2011 – Participation
* World Military Games 2011 Brazil – Participation

#### National level achievements

* Junior National 2007 – Bronze
* Youth National 2008 – Gold
* All India Super Cup 2010 – Silver
* All India AK Mishra 2010 – Gold
* National Games 2011 – Silver
* Senior National 2012 – Silver

### Signing with Most Valuable Promotions

   Neeraj has made some noise. His callout video got 25 million views. He’s India’s biggest and best boxer. So, it is interesting to me, it could be fun to go over to India, and knock him out in his home country. Maybe one day, but we’ll see.
Goyat called out YouTuber-turned-professional boxer Jake Paul to fight "a real boxer" on Instagram after Paul's victory over André August. The callout video received 25 million views, and Paul responded to the callout by replying, "Any time, any place." Paul was announced to fight on March 2, 2024, against an unannounced opponent, where fans speculated it might be Goyat. Ryan Bourland was announced as the unannounced opponent, and Goyat continued to call out Paul on social media, to which Paul responded by asking Goyat to come to Puerto Rico. During the build-up between Paul and Bourland, Goyat travelled his way to Puerto Rico, where he got into a physical altercation with Paul before being separated away. Goyat later signed a contract with Paul's boxing promotion, Most Valuable Promotions, becoming the first international fighter to sign to the promotion. After signing with Most Valuable Promotions, Goyat revealed that before signing the contract, Paul and MVP (Most Valuable Promotions) promised that Paul versus Goyat would happen in India, but after Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fought first.

#### Goyat vs. Nunes

On May 21, 2024, it was announced that Goyat would face YouTuber and comedian Whindersson Nunes on the undercard of the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson event at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States, which is globally hosted on Netflix for July 20, 2024. However, due to personal health issues with Mike Tyson, the event was postponed and rescheduled for November 15, 2024. The fight was later announced to be in the super middleweight division and a six-round bout. During the press conference, Goyat predicted Mike Tyson would defeat Jake Paul, which led Paul to set up bets with Goyat and Bruce Carrington for $1 million each and Katie Taylor for her full fight purse. At the weigh-ins, Nunes weighed in at 164 lbs (74 kg), and Goyat weighed in at 162 lbs (73 kg). Nunes and Goyat showed respect during their face-off. Goyat defeated Nunes via unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the bout 59–55, 60–54 (x2) in favour of Goyat. After the bout, fans expressed their disgust with Goyat online for his unsportsmanship by dry-humping Nunes in the corner during the fight.

## Professional boxing record

| 25 fights | 19 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 8 | 0 |
| By decision | 11 | 4 |
| Draws | 2 | 2 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 25 | Win | 19–4–2 | Whindersson Nunes | UD | 6 | Nov 15, 2024 | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas, US | |
| 24 | Win | 18–4–2 | Phakorn Aiemyod | TKO | 2 (8), 1:44 | May 17, 2023 | Sasakul Gym, Lam Luk Ka, Thailand | |
| 23 | Loss | 17–4–2 | Jose Zepeda | UD | 10 | Mar 25, 2023 | El Domo del Code Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico | |
| 22 | Win | 17–3–2 | Channarong Injampa | TKO | 2 (6), 2:19 | Jul 2, 2022 | Spaceplus Bangkok RCA, Bangkok, Thailand | |
| 21 | Win | 16–3–2 | Chayanon Phothijun | TKO | 3 (6), 1:35 | May 28, 2022 | Singmanassask Muay Thai School, Pathum Thai, Thailand | |
| 20 | Win | 15–3–2 | Parinwirat Kankrai | TKO | 2 (6), 0:55 | May 14, 2022 | Singmanassask Muay Thai School, Pathum Thai, Thailand | |
| 19 | Win | 14–3–2 | Suresh Pasham | UD | 6 | Apr 10, 2022 | Manipal, India | |
| 18 | Win | 13–3–2 | Bebe Rico Tshibangu | TKO | 3 (4) | Oct 16, 2021 | La Perle, Dubai, UAE | |
| 17 | Win | 12–3–2 | Sandeep Kumar | KO | 4 (4), 0:34 | Mar 19, 2021 | Majestic Pride Ship, Panjim, India | |
| 16 | Win | 11–3–2 | Carlos Lopez Marmolejo | UD | 6 | Apr 20, 2019 | Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, Canada | |
| 15 | Win | 10–3–2 | Ernesto Cardona Sanchez | UD | 4 | Sep 7, 2018 | Shaw Conference Centre, Edmonton, Canada | |
| 14 | Loss | 9–3–2 | Sergio Daniel Moreno Martinez | UD | 6 | Jun 30, 2018 | Arena San Juan de Pantitlan, Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico | |
| 13 | Win | 9–2–2 | Allan Tanada | UD | 12 | Aug 5, 2017 | NSCI Stadium, Worli, Mumbai, India | Defended WBC Asian welterweight title |
| 12 | Win | 8–2–2 | Ben Kite | UD | 12 | Oct 15, 2016 | Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi, India | Defended WBC Asian welterweight title |
| 11 | Win | 7–2–2 | Moda | KO | 5 (6) | Jan 5, 2016 | Hydro Gym & Boxing Club, Gurgaon, India | |
| 10 | Win | 6–2–2 | Dong Jun You | KO | 2 (4) | Dec 12, 2015 | Team RSC Gym, Seoul, South Korea | |
| 9 | Win | 5–2–2 | Anand | UD | 4 | Oct 31, 2015 | New Delhi, India | |
| 8 | Win | 4–2–2 | Ronnel Esparas | UD | 6 | Oct 4, 2015 | Sunhak Gymnasium, Incheon, South Korea | |
| 7 | Win | 3–2–2 | Nelson Gulpe | UD | 12 | May 30, 2015 | Select Citywalk Saket, New Delhi, India | Won vacant WBC Asian welterweight title |
| 6 | Win | 2–2–2 | Can Xu | SD | 4 | Jun 7, 2014 | Expo Garden Hall, Kunming, China | |
| 5 | Win | 1–2–2 | Xian Qian Wei | UD | 6 | Nov 30, 2013 | Maguan, China | |
| 4 | Loss | 0–2–2 | Chatri Charoensin | UD | 6 | Sep 27, 2013 | Chom Thong District Office, Bangkok, Thailand | |
| 3 | Draw | 0–1–2 | Xian Qian Wei | SD | 6 | Jun 8, 2013 | Expo Garden Hotel, Kunming, China | |
| 2 | Draw | 0–1–1 | Phum Kunmat | PTS | 4 | Sep 5, 2012 | Bangkapi School, Bangkapi, Bangkok, Thailand | |
| 1 | Loss | 0–1 | Gou Wen Dong | SD | 4 | Nov 19, 2011 | Expo Garden Hotel, Kunming, China | |

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 2 matches | 2 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Win | 2–0 | Mohammed Farhad | Decision (unanimous) | Super Fight League 30-31 | October 12, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Mumbai, India | |
| Win | 1–0 | Rahul Sonkamble | TKO (punches) | SFL Contenders 13 | August 5, 2013 | 1 | 0:51 | Nashik, India | Bantamweight debut. |

## Filmography
### Television shows on boxing

* SFL Challengers - telecasted in August 2012 on Zoom (TV channel).
* 2013 in SFL numbered events.
* Captain of the team Haryana Warriors in Super Boxing League Season 1 - telecasted on Sony ESPN from 7 July to 12 August 2017.

### Reality television

* 2024 - Bigg Boss OTT 3 as a contestant - evicted on Day 5, finishing in 17th place.

### Films

* Neeraj Goyat made his Bollywood debut with Anurag Kashyap’s film Mukkabaaz.
* Ultimate Beastmaster - telecasted in December 2017 Via Netflix.
* Toofaan as a boxer
* Telugu movie RRR (film)
* Telugu movie Ghani (2022 film)