Who is Neeraj Goyat? Meet the Indian boxer fighting for Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Undercard

While the boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson grabs international headlines, India will also have one of their own to cheer for at the event. The main card bout between Paul and Tyson will be preceded by three undercard bouts. In one of them, the 33-year-old Indian boxer Neeraj Goyat will appear, who will face the Brazilian YouTuber and comedian Whindersson Nunes in a six-round super middleweight fight. However, Goyat – who hails from Haryana – has a prestigious boxing pedigree and has achieved many firsts as an Indian boxer.

Born in Begumpur in Haryana, Goyat took up boxing relatively late, at the age of 15 in 2006 while in 10th standard. Goyat trained former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and grew into the sport.

An amateur boxer, Goyat became the first Indian to attempt the 2016 Summer Olympics qualifiers in Venezuela and narrowly missed out in the end. He also won bronze in the 2008 Youth Commonwealth Games.

But as a professional boxer, Goyat has become the first ever Indian to be ranked by the WBC (World Boxing Council). He also became the WBC Asian champion for three consecutive years, from 2015 to 2017.

Goyat boasts a professional boxing record of 18 wins, 4 losses and 2 draws in 24 fights.

Goyat was due to face two-time WBC champion Amir Khan in a boxing match, but had to pull out after sustaining injuries to his head, face and left arm following a car accident.

Calling Jake Paul and KSI

In late 2023, Goyat repeatedly called out Jake Paul for not fighting more well-known boxers, and a fight between the two has also been rumored as a possibility. Goyat signed a contract with Most Valuable Promotions, the same boxing promotion company as Paul’s, but a fight between them reportedly cannot happen until after Paul’s fight with Tyson.

Meanwhile, Goyat also challenged British YouTuber KSI to a boxing match.

Ahead of the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight, Goyat bet his house more than USD 1 million (INR 8.4 crore) on Tyson beating Paul.

The undercard events start at 6:30 am IST on Saturday 16th November.