Neeraj Goyat vs Anthony Pettis could be India’s biggest boxing fight since Muhammad Ali fought in Chennai

Neeraj Goyat goes into the fight against Anthony Pettis with a record of 21-4-2 and will have to be at his best to overcome the former UFC Champion. | Photo Credit: Neeraj Goyat/Instagram

The boxing match between India’s Neeraj Goyat and former UFC champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis is set to take place on 23 January 2027. The first press conference between the two took place in Hyderabad on Friday; the fight will be promoted by the Indian Pro Boxing League (IPBL) and sanctioned by the Indian Boxing Council (IBC).

“Last time the world watched me from Texas. This time my people watch me at home. I respect Anthony, he is a legend of the cage — but this is a boxing ring, and in a boxing ring in India, nobody beats me,” said Neeraj

I’m not here as a visitor — I’m an owner in this league. India has the fans and the fighters; it hasn’t had the platform. Neeraj has earned this, but I’ve fought world champions for fifteen years. On 23 January, he finds out what that means,” retorted former UFC Champion Pettis.

The fight is currently scheduled to take place between Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, and Chennai. Jake Paul, who is the co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and manages Neeraj Goyat, made a special appearance via video message at the press conference to hype up the match and made it clear that he would like the bout to take place in Chennai.

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“We at MVP are always chasing historic opportunities, and bringing this to Chennai is something I’m keen on. We’ve done our research: around this date, 47 years ago, Muhammad Ali fought in that same venue. This would be the biggest comeback for Indian boxing in 47 years,” said Paul.

This fight could become the first world-class professional boxing match held in Chennai since the time when Muhammad Ali fought here. IPBL has confirmed that the host city, venue, ticket and broadcasting details will be announced in the coming days.

Both the fighters will attend two more press events in the buildup to the fight, one at the Indian Fight League on Friday and at the Professional Fighters League in Dubai on November 14.