Boxing icon, Amir 'The King' Khan all set to take on India’s Neeraj Goyat in a showdown on 12th July
Former two-time world champion Amir Khan's eyes are on victory against WBC Asian Champion, Neeraj Goyat from India, in a historic welterweight fight on July 12th at King Abdullah Sports City Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
British boxer of Pakistani origin, Amir Khan seems ready to fight against an Indian counterpart, Neeraj Goyat in a historic welterweight fight with the aim to play a role in bringing the two nations together.
There will be a total of 12 fighters who will be seen action along with Amir Khan and Neeraj Goyat in the competitions on the same day in which the rival nations' fight will be contested in the end. The fight, officially endorsed by the Saudi General Sports Authority, fits into the country’s Vision 2030 Strategy, which was launched in April 2016 to bring about modernization.
Early last year, Saudi Arabia held its first international Motorsport event, the two-day Race of Champions. It then staged its first International Boxing event, when the World Boxing Super Series Super-Middleweight final took place in Jeddah in September last year when Callum Smith defeated George Groves to become the World’s No. 1 SuperMiddleWeight.
Boxing icon, Amir Khan holds an incredible record of 33 wins among his total 38 fights contested, with 20 of them won by KO. Khan is a former unified light-welterweight world champion, having held the WBA (later Super) title from 2009 to 2012, and the IBF title in 2011. At regional level, he held the Commonwealth lightweight title from 2007 to 2008. He also held the WBC Silver welterweight title from 2014 to 2016, and once challenged for a middleweight world title in 2016.
32-year old boxer, Amir Khan's last fight was a stoppage defeat against world welterweight star Terence Crawford at Madison Square Garden, said:
“This is an exciting challenge that I have ahead of me. It will be the first time a British Pakistani will fight an Indian boxer, which eventually will bring the two nations together. I am in good shape and am ready for the fight,” he said in a news conference held in the same regard.
This was the first time in Amir’s professional boxing history that he held a news conference ahead of his professional fight in Karachi, Pakistan.
Where as, his counterpart from India, Neeraj Goyat holds the World Boxing Council (WBC) Asian belt and was declared the boxer of Asia in 2017. Goyat is a phenomenon in his home country. Hailing from Chandigarh, he is a pioneer in helping to establish professional boxing there.
“This opportunity is as big as it gets for me. Everything that I have achieved to date won’t matter when I enter the ring on 12th July to take on a seasoned, established superstar, Amir Khan. I will be carrying the hopes of 1.2??billion people on my shoulders who will expect me to bring back the title.” the Indian boxer said.
The 27-year old Begampur-born Neeraj has played 16 bouts in his pro career, winning 11 with 2 knock-outs, losing 3 while 2 ended in a draw. His best shot of the amateur career is the bronze medal which he grabbed in the qualifying round for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The winner of Amir-Neeraj fight in Jeddah will be presented with the specially commissioned WBC one-off ‘Pearl Belt’.
