Neeraj Goyat is gearing up for boxing’s biggest test to take on the former UFC champion in India
Indian boxer Neeraj Goyat is set for a high-profile bout against former UFC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis on January 23, 2027. The two will clash in a six-round 154-pound super welterweight contest, with IPBL Boxing promoting the event and the Indian Boxing Council overseeing its sanctioning. Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Chennai are being considered as potential locations, with the final location expected to be confirmed in November.
The 34-year-old Goyat, who hails from Haryana, has spent over a decade building India’s presence in professional boxing on the international stage. He became the first Indian boxer to appear in the World Boxing Council rankings and also held the WBC Asia title.
His career reached another milestone in 2024 when he became the first international fighter to join Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), an American combat sports promotion founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian. Later that year, Goyat defeated Brazilian internet personality and boxer Whindersson Nunes on the undercard of Jake Paul’s fight against Mike Tyson, an event that attracted a live audience 108 million viewers on Netflix.
With Pettis now standing on the other side of the ring, Goyat is preparing for what could be the defining bout of his professional career, with the prospect of competing on home soil adding further significance to the occasion.
“I’ve fought in China, Thailand, America and the UK and every time I’ve been Indian on someone else’s card. This time the card is ours. I want to thank MVP and Nakise Bidarian for believing in me and helping bring this moment to India. Anthony is a true champion and I respect everything he’s done, but I’ve been waiting my whole career to fight with my name like this.” fight.
Hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Pettis enjoyed a distinguished career in mixed martial arts, winning the WEC lightweight crown in 2010 before becoming the UFC lightweight champion in 2013. He defeated Benson Henderson on both occasions to win the title.
After making his professional debut in January 2007, Pettis will enter the ring nearly 20 years after his career began. The match in January 2027 will also take place just days before his 40th birthday.
Apart from competition, Pettis has taken an active role in the Indian combat sports scene. It acts as a co-promoter for the Indian Fight League (IFL), local MMA leagues and the Indian Pro Boxing League (IPBL), contributing to efforts to expand the reach of the sport over the past two years.
The upcoming trip also has a personal dimension for the American. His younger brother Sergio Pettis, a former Bellator World Bantamweight Champion, competed in Hyderabad at Road to IPBL 2 in March 2025. Sergio suffered a unanimous decision defeat against India’s Sabari Jaishankar, giving Anthony another reason to return to the country and seek redemption for his family.
“I’ve seen what Indian fighters can do and Neeraj is the best of them. That’s what I want. I’ve been thinking a lot about Sergio’s loss. This is for him and I’m going to win,” Pettis said.
The Goyat-Pettis fight is expected to headline what is billed as the biggest event in Indian boxing history and bring an international spectacle to the country. The card will also feature several top Indian professional boxers, including Rohtak’s Akshay Chahala, Kolkata’s Faizan Anwar, Hyderabad’s Pavan Kalyan, Dehradun’s Ritesh Singh and Mizoram’s Laldinsanga Ramlawt, along with other prominent names from the domestic boxing circuit.
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