"I rode with the narrative"- Anthony Taylor clears the air on comments about India after Neeraj Goyat clash

Anthony Taylor believes the conversation around his loss to Neeraj Goyat has drifted far from what he actually said. Following their bout at Misfits Boxing 23 in Dubai, the American boxer addressed the backlash around his pre-fight remarks about India. He claims that his words were taken out of context.

Taylor maintained that he never made personal or cultural insults toward India or its people. He explained that his comments were strictly about boxing standards and the lack of Indian fighters competing consistently at the world-class level.

He took to X and wrote:

"Just to clear the air, I never said anything about Indian street food, or they don’t wear deodorant. Nor have I said anything about how they smell, or they stupid, or all they do is scam, and they are horrible people… None of them words have come out my mouth on social media post or in interviews."

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He added:

"I only said India doesn’t produce world-class boxers, and that’s how I rode with the narrative. If I made personal attacks on India as a whole country about politics, I would have suffered consequences from @MisfitsBoxing. So please stop with the nonsense. I lost fair and square, now move on. I can accept my losses on the chin like I do [with] all my losses."

Check out Anthony Taylor's X post below:

The tension between the two fighters surfaced days before the bout when Goyat confronted Taylor during a media interaction for his comments. On fight night, Goyat settled matters in the ring.

He outboxed Taylor across six rounds, landing cleaner combinations and controlling the pace throughout. All three judges scored the contest unanimously in Goyat’s favor.

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Neeraj Goyat and Anthony Taylor clashed backstage after Misfits boxing match

Neeraj Goyat and Anthony Taylor’s rivalry spilt beyond the ring after their bout at Misfits Boxing 23 in Dubai.

Taylor approached Goyat in the medical room after the fight, where the exchange quickly turned hostile. The situation escalated when Taylor reacted angrily to Goyat's refusal to engage. This prompted the security to step in and separate both camps.

Inside the ring, Goyat had already settled the contest, outboxing Taylor over six rounds with sharper movement and cleaner combinations.

Edited by Abhishek Nambiar