Neeraj Goyat Interview: Indian Pugilist opens up on Career, Ram Charan in RRR and Future Aspirations

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Neeraj Goyat returned to professional boxing recently as he took on Mexican pugilist Jose Zepeda in Mexico. The Indian fighter has always been a fiery character on and off the ring.

From winning the title of 'India's most promising Boxer' in 2008 to his current status, the Karnal-born boxer has come a long way. He won the WBC Asia 'Honorary Boxer of the Year' in 2017, and also won the Bronze medal in the 2016 Olympic qualifiers in Venezuela.

MyKhel recently got the opportunity to interact with him. Here is an extract of the Interview with Neeraj Goyat-

His Boxing Journey and the First Steps

"I had no such reason to start boxing. I just had the sportsman mentality and started boxing just for that. I used to watch my seniors in the 'Akhada' and used to think that I want to be like them. I had massive family support and never had to face any monetary constraints."

About the WBC Asian Titles

Neeraj won the WBC Asian Title for three consecutive years. He won it in 2015, 2016 and 2017 - becoming the only Indian to hold the title.

"Yes, I have been the WBC Asia champion thrice in a row. In WBC, I made the hattrick of the Asia title and I always wanted to do something unique, something no one has ever done in professional wrestling. So, it got me going."

Toughest Fight Till Date

"I think my most recent fight with Mexico's Jose Zepeda was the toughest of my career. I have also gone to Japan and beat my opponent Kenzo there. I enjoyed it more as the crowd was cheering for their local star. He was also a WBC Silver World Title holder and I went on to beat him."

The Progression of Boxing in India

"You can see how Boxing has progressed in India. In the women's division, 4 Gold medal in the World Championships is huge and the likes of Nikhat Zareen and Saweety Bora have done exceedingly well. India's stature in boxing is growing and that is a proud moment for the Boxing fraternity of India."

Experience working in Film RRR

Neeraj has also worked in the Oscar-winning movie RRR and he opened up about the relationship he had with Ram Charan-

"I worked with Ram Charan in RRR movie. He is a down-to-earth person. He used to bring food from home for me and is a really humble person. I loved working with him. We used to talk and I have a lot of fond memories with him."

On Career Aspirations

"My goal is to fight against some big names in big countries. I want to make India proud. In the most recent fight with Zepeda, the whole South and North America came to know about India's professional boxing status.

Government's Role in Boxing

"I think there are many professional sports like MMA, Jujutsu which are popular in the world but they are not played in the Olympics. The Government needs to take care of those players and inspire them.

They are not playing the Olympics but they still represent India and proudly hoists the flag. Hence some assistance in that regard will be helpful."