Bottles were thrown and chairs were lifted after a demand for a handshake was denied following a boxing encounter in Dubai. It was India’s Neeraj Goyat and the USA’s Anthony Taylor who needed to be separated by security officials after things got heated. The video of the backstage outburst has gone viral on the internet, with visuals showing Taylor being dragged out of the zone to avoid a physical confrontation with Goyat, who kept charging at him.
Ahead of the duo’s bout at the Misfits Boxing event in Dubai, things had got heated between the two, with Goyat reportedly warning Taylor not to say anything about “his country”. While it was unclear what exactly the American said that infuriated Goyat, the pre-bout flare-up ended with Goyat advancing at his rival, reportedly saying, “India tera baap hai (India is your father).” He was taken away from the area where Taylor ewas making his statements before the microphone.
Later, inside the ring, the Indian pro boxer recorded a comfortable win as the judges unanimously ruled in his favour ((59-55, 58-56, 60-54).
Post-match, Taylor approached the Indian star backstage as he was undergoing a medical, demanding a handshake. Goyat refused, which prompted Taylor to get physical with the man who had defeated him fair and square moments earlier. While it was not evident how Taylor opened the conversation, the Indian camp was heard saying “The f*** are you talkin’, man? You do not even know about boxing, man.” Goyat was visibly in no mood for a friendly conversation to bury hatchet as Taylor hoped. This triggered him and resulted in hurling a bottle at Goyat saying, “Shut up, b****.”
An infuriated Goyat and his aide tried to charge at Taylor, who is a rapper and martial artist. The viral video showed the Indian crew hurling Hindi abuses at the American, whose recurring shouts from outside the door made them even madder. “Relax, relax, you won,” one of the individuals who witnessed the violent scene was heard telling Neeraj.
