Boxer Neeraj Goyat has broken into the World Boxing Council rankings for the first time, following his win at the Asia-Pacific Championship last month. The 24-year-old had defended his welterweight title, defeating Australian Ben Kite 120-110 119-109 115-113 over 12 rounds. Goyat now ranks 35th in the list.

With the victory, the Indian boxer took his record to an impressive eight wins in 12 fights. “It’s a huge achievement for me to break into the top 35 of the WBC rankings, which has had world champions like Floyd Mayweather, among others. I am the first Indian boxer to break into these rankings, and I am very happy about it,” Goyat told PTI, adding that his next target is to win a WBC international title, which can push him up to the top 15 of the rankings.

If he makes it to the top 15 of the WBC rankings, Goyat will be eligible to compete for a world title, which he said was his “ultimate goal”. Englishman Amir Khan tops the WBC welterweight ranking currently.