Photos: Amir Khan & Goyat meet in Delhi

Boxing247.com

Two-Time World Champion Amir Khan and opponent Neeraj Goyat came face-to-face for the first time today in Delhi, India, to formerly announce their big-fight “Nations Connect” on Friday 12th July at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

“King” Khan from Bolton, England, of Pakistani heritage, faces India’s national boxing hero Goyat from Chandigarh, with the specially commissioned World Boxing Council Pearl Welterweight Championship, that will be fought for over twelve rounds, is on the line.

Similar to the WBC “Money Belt” that was created for the super-fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor in 2017, the winner of Khan v Goyat will walk away with the one-off belt individually made to honour the history-making boxing event taking place in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The WBC Pearl Championship belt will be officially unveiled and on display on the final stop of the media tour in Jeddah on 24th June.

Khan said, “It feels great to be back in India today, it’s my fourth time here. We are sportsmen and boxers and just want get in the ring and have a great fight. Neeraj is a great champion and for me he is a fighter that I will have train to my best for.

“I would like to thank the Saudi government and General Sports Authority for giving us this opportunity. It will be the first time a British Pakistani will fight an Indian boxer and can bring the two nations together through sport and boxing. We just want to get in there and get the fight on,”

“Thank you to WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman for recognising this historic fight in Saudi Arabia by commissioning a special Pearl Championship belt to be made that will be fiercely fought for between me and Goyat.”

Goyat said, “I believe both our countries can come together and watch this historic moment. I’m not interested in the borders between our countries. This fight is to bring the countries together. In fact, it would be great to have more boxing fights between us in the ring. I can’t wait to fight Amir and the best man will win in Saudi Arabia.”

Bill Dosanjh, founder and promoter of Super Boxing League, said “No other sport can generate a fascination with the public like boxing and this is a fight that everybody will want to see. For a country like India, I believe it is one of the biggest fights ever as it is the battle between the two nations for the sake of building peace. Amir Khan is the one who believes in taking the risk so I can say it will be a tough fight. Lastly, I would like to thanks the Saudi government and sports authorities for making this happen.

WBC President President Mauricio Sulaiman said, “I’m truly honoured that the WBC will provide this historic fight in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a beautifully crafted championship title belt that will reflect on the enormous magnitude of the occasion. The finest craftsmen will spend many hours and days to produce a stunning and invaluable one-off belt that the winner of the fight will have truly deserved.”

The press tour will continue tomorrow in Karachi, Pakistan, before heading to London, England next Thursday (6 June) and then Jeddah, KSA (24 June).