19 June,2019 07:38 AM IST | | Hemal Ashar
British boxer Amir Khan and Neeraj Goyat during a press conference at The Landmark Hotel in London earlier this month. PIC/Getty Images
The run-up to the boxing bout of the year, to be held at King Abdulla Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, just got added bite. British boxer of Pakistani origin, Amir Khan, has upped the ante, promising to beat his Indian opponent Neeraj Goyat to avenge Pakistan's decimation by India in the Cricket World Cup at Manchester.
Amir is of Pakistani origin. The controversial Amir has put a twist to what was touted as a âpeace fight' by the spin doctors. The face-off, also called âhistoric' by some, and designed to bring India and Pakistan closer together now has an edge after Amir posted on his Twitter handle that Pakistan lost to India at the World Cup but come July 12, he will avenge the loss and knock out Goyat in the upcoming fight in Saudi Arabia.
Goyat has a succinct answer to that Twitter aggro: "Keep dreaming Amir, sapne dekhne toh achcha hota hai [it is good to dream]," said the Indian professional boxer from Yamuna Nagar, Haryana, where he is currently based and is training.
Said Goyat, "I still call this a peace bout. Amir has said this in the spirit of sport and that is how I take it, in the sporting spirit. Yet, as an Indian I felt I must answer and I have done that with my retort of: dream on Amir."
When asked whether Amir's talk was typical of the pre-bout gab that boxers spout, Goyat said, "Maybe, but it is evident that Amir was smarting after the Pak humiliation and the 'Pakistani' in him emerged. It is not just the routine trash talk by boxers. Hearing him say that he will avenge the defeat, the 'Indian' in me emerged. I understand why the defeat has hurt so much, the match in which we beat them was so much fun to watch," said the former Mixed Martial Artist (MMA) Goyat with a chuckle.
Goyat, 27, said that he is training in Haryana, currently, "sparring with very young, very quick boxers, a bit in the mould of Amir, with his left, left, jab combination. I also train at the Army Institute in Pune, but, currently it is a busy time there and so am training in Haryana, which incidentally, is also where I live."
Goyat, who squeezes in time chilling with friends, when not practising, says his opponent's reputation is 'huge' but the world champion label and Olympic medallist achievement does not faze him.
Also Read: World Cup 2019: Amir Khan watches India vs Pakistan with wife Faryal Makhdoom
The Indian pro boxer said, "I respect Amir's achievements, but I am not intimidated by them. I have been getting a lot of messages on my social media supporting me and I will admit there are some anti-Goyat, pro-Amir Khan messages too. I take everything in a positive light. This is a huge fight, it is historic, it can put Indian pro boxing on the world map. I want the prayers of all Indians I carry the hopes of 1.2 billion on my shoulders, that does not weigh me down, but actually lift me up," finished Goyat with his own verbal jab at Amir.
Also Read: Amir Khan refrains from getting intimate with wife before every bout
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