Indian boxer Neeraj to defend WBC Asia title in Oct

TIL Desk Sports/ Indian boxer Neeraj Goyat will defend his WBC Asian welterweight title against Australia’s Ben Kite on October 15 here at the Talkatora Stadium. The 24-year-old Neeraj, who is a former Youth Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist, had won the title last year in November by defeating Filipino Nelson Gulpe via a unanimous decision.

Most recently, the Indian made the semifinals of the July Olympic Qualifiers for professional boxers in Venezuela but could not secure a ticket to Rio. Neeraj has been unbeaten in the professional circuit since November 2013. He has fought a total of 11 bouts, winning 7 of them, including 2 knockouts.

Kite, a 25-year-old from Brisbane, has fought a total of 9 bouts in his nascent career, winning 5 of his contests. He is the reigning state welterweight title holder in Australia. “I don’t know much about this guy, his name has been decided by WBC. I am currently training in Pune’s Army Sports Institute to prepare for this bout,” Neeraj, who is promoted by the Professional Boxing Organisation of India (PBOI), told.