PM Imran to attend my fight against Indian boxer, claims Amir Khan

LONDON: British Pakistani boxer Amir Khan has claimed that Prime Minister Imran Khan has assured him that he will be attending his fight against Indian boxer Neeraj Goyat on July 12.

The boxer told this correspondent here that he will aim to beat the Indian World Boxing Council Asian champion in Jeddah – looked on by Pakistani prime minister.

Khan, whose last lost last fight to welterweight star Terence Crawford at Madison Square Garden, told Geo News that Imran Khan’s office has confirmed participation in the match. The boxer agreed that he will be under pressure to beat the Indian national as any upset could spell doom for his career.

When asked about recent reports that he has not spoken to his parents in more than six months, Amir Khan said that he was speaking to his family and brushed aside reports of differences with his father as well as the old management team. Amir Khan said that he has to change his management team for his own professional reasons. “I needed to change the team for my own sake. There is nothing else. I have done it for myself, for Amir Khan.”

The boxer said: “In view of the on-going hostilities between India and Pakistan and especially what’s going on at the border, it will be interesting. Of course, there is lots of pressure. We are professional sportsmen and its nice that India and Pakistan should fight in the fields of cricket, boxing and other sports. Pakistan and India will be trying to beat each other in sports and more of that needs to happen.”

Khan said it will be the first time a British Pakistani will fight an Indian boxer, which eventually will bring the two nations together. He said Goyat was a phenomenon in his home country and over a billion people will be supporting him.

Neeraj Goyat told Geo News that he’s excited to take on Amir Khan. He desired that Indian Prime Minister Narendra should also come to Saudi Arabia to watch his bout against Amir Khan. “It will be India fighting Pakistan but in a healthy way. I come from a very humble background but the love of boxing has taken me to places. I used to clean shoes for $2 a pair. This fight in in Saudi Arabia but I would like our future fights to be in India and Pakistan.”

Amir Khan’s father has said it on record that Khan has not spoken to his parents in many months and blamed his son’s wife Faryal Makhdoom and her month for being behind the differences.

The fight has been officially endorsed by the Saudi General Sports Authority to fit into the country’s Vision 2030 Strategy, which was launched in April 2016 to bring about modernisation.