‘Hope Bigg Boss Brings Me Fame That Boxing Didn’t’


‘My
only
aim
would
be
to
entertain
my
audience
and
show
them
that
boxers
are
lovely
people.’


Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Neeraj
Goyat/Instagram

Professional
boxer

Neeraj
Goyat

has
traded
his
boxing
gloves
for
a
new
kind
of
challenge

as
a
contestant
on

Bigg
Boss
OTT
3

on
JioCinema.

As
Neeraj
jumps
from
the
boxing
ring
to
the
reality
show
arena,
he
tells


Rediff.com

Contributor

Mohnish
Singh
,
“I
have
no
idea
how
the
audience
is
going
to
take
me
as
a
contestant.”


Tell
us
about
yourself.

I
was
born
in
a
village
(Begumpur,
Haryana
)
and
then
my
family
moved
to
a
small
town
(Karnal,
Haryana
).

I
was
14
years
old
when
I
was
selected
for
Pune’s
Army
Sports
Institute.

It
has
been
16-17
years
since
I
have
been
doing
professional
boxing.

I
decided
to
do

Bigg
Boss
OTT

because
I
want
people
to
know
about
my
journey
and
that
of
my
seniors,
and
what
they
have
done
for
this
sport.

I
want
our
youth
to
know
more
about
boxing.


What
are
you
hoping
to
achieve
by
being
on
the
show?

I
want
to
earn
an
audience,
and
convert
that
audience
into
boxing
enthusiasts.

I
want
to
develop
their
interest
in
boxing.

Additionally,
I
hope

Bigg
Boss
OTT

brings
me
the
kind
of
fame
that
boxing
didn’t.


Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Neeraj
Goyat/Instagram


What
are
some
of
your
strengths
and
weaknesses?

Mentally,
I
am
very
strong.

I
don’t
think
I
have
any
weaknesses.


Have
you
watched
previous
seasons
of

Bigg
Boss
?

To
be
honest,
I
don’t
think
I
have
seen
any
season
from
start
to
finish.

So
I
never
saw
anybody’s
complete
journey,
their
strategies,
how
they
performed,
and
what
they
did
differently
to
help
them
win
the
trophy.

I
am
sure
all
the
winners
must
have
worked
really
hard.


Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Neeraj
Goyat/Instagram



Bigg
Boss

often
involves
controversial
moments.
How
do
you
plan
to
deal
with
negative
publicity
or
backlash
from
the
audience?

I
have
no
idea
how
the
audience
is
going
to
take
me
as
a
contestant.

Having
said
that,
I
think
I
have
all
things
very
positive
about
me.

I
do
not
have
any
set
strategy.

I
have
not
done
any
preparation.

Controversies
or
confrontations
happen
between
two
or
more
people.
How
can
you
prepare
for
such
things
in
advance?

My
only
aim
would
be
to
entertain
my
audience
and
show
them
that
boxers
are
lovely
people.


Are
you
prepared
to
deal
with
the
scrutiny
of
the
cameras
24/7?

I
am
entering

Bigg
Boss

just
for
that

the
cameras
24/7

so
that
the
audience
comes
to
know
about
my
routine.


Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Neeraj
Goyat/Instagram


Anil
Kapoor
will
host
this
season.
How
do
you
feel
about
this?

He
is
very
senior,
and
very
different
(from
Salman
Khan
).

I
am
sure
every
single
person
from
the
’90s
have
seen
and
loved
his
films.

He
was
popular
back
then
and
he
is
popular
even
today.

Gen
Z
also
loves
him.

I
am
sure
everybody
is
going
to
have
a
gala
time
watching
him
as
the
new
host.


If
you
could
choose
any
national
or
international
celebrity
to
be
a
surprise
guest
in
the

Bigg
Boss

house,
who
would
it
be?

I
would
choose
Sylvester
Stallone
because
it
was
after
watching
his
film

Rocky

that
I
got
really
inclined
towards
boxing.


What’s
your
biggest
fear
about
being
on

Bigg
Boss
OTT
?

I
have
absolutely
no
fear.