Accused Of Disrespecting India, Boxer Anthony Taylor Breaks Silence On Pre-Fight Remarks
American boxer Anthony Taylor was accused of disrespecting India, insulting Indian food and people after his defeat against Neeraj Goyat.
- Neeraj Goyat won a unanimous decision over Anthony Taylor at Misfits Boxing
- Taylor was accused of insulting India, the country's food and people before the fight
- The American boxer denied making offensive comments about India, saying he only criticised its boxing
A heated backstage confrontation broke out between Neeraj Goyat and American opponent Anthony Taylor after the Indian boxer clinched a unanimous decision victory at Misfits Boxing 23 on December 20. The video of the ugly backstage incident surfaced on social media, leaving fans stunned. Expletives were hurled, with Taylor being accused of insulting India, leaving Goyat fuming. What fuelled the backstage confrontation was the chatter around the American boxer's comments on India, which he had made ahead of the fight.Â
The brawl occurred in the medical room minutes after Goyat's dominant win over Taylor. What began as an apparent handshake attempt quickly escalated, with Taylor throwing a water bottle at Goyat, forcing security personnel to intervene.
The post-match scenes intensified the chatter surrounding Taylor's pre-fight comments on India, with many suggesting that he had insulted the country, its food, and its people. But the 36-year-old has claimed that he only said that India doesn't produce world-class boxers.
"Just to clear the air, I never said anything about Indian street food, or that they don't wear deodorant. Nor have I said anything about how they smell, or they are stupid, or all they do is scam, and they are horrible people... None of those words have come out of my mouth on social media posts or in interviews," Taylor said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Just to clear the air I never said anything about India 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 came out my mouth on social media post or in…
— Anthony PrettyBoy Taylor (@anthony_foreal) December 21, 2025
"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," he further said.
Goyat was comfortably the better boxer in the bout, controlling the six-round contest with superior footwork and combination punching, earning scores of 59-55, 58-56, and 60-54 from the judges. According to eyewitness accounts, when Goyat declined Taylor's handshake and made dismissive comments, the American responded with profanity before throwing the bottle at him.