Professional pugilist Vijender Singh’s knock-out victories in past three encounters have resorted his next competitor to drink snake’s blood.
Alexander Horvath, a 20-year-old Hungarian, is gearing up for his encounter against Vijender, who is yet to be defeated in his professional career. The Indian is a former amateur boxer and is widely known for his bronze medal feat in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, thus becoming the first Indian boxer to win a medal in the Olympics.
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On 29 June 2015, Vijender Singh bid adieu to his amateur career by turning professional as he signed a multi-year agreement with Queensberry Promotions through IOS Sports and Entertainment. The star boxer also represented India at the 2012 Olympics in London but fell one step short of a medal as he lost his quarter-final bout against Abbos Atoev of Uzbekistan 13-17.
Vijender took to social media to post about his preparations compared to that of Horvath’s.
Bhai hum to desi ghee se kaam chala la ha 🏽
Posted by Vijender Singh on Monday, March 7, 2016
Drinking snake blood to train harder: Horvath
Vijender’s fourth professional opponent Horvath has admitted to dining on snake’s blood for the 12 March fight.
"There is a long and proud tradition of drinking fresh snake blood in my family that goes back many centuries. Like my forefathers before me I am a true warrior and will stop at nothing to get my victory. Hungarian soldiers drank snake blood to defeat the Turks all those years ago and now I'm drinking it to beat Singh!" said Horvath.
"The blood of these sacred animals makes me powerful beyond words. With snake blood coursing through my veins there in no way that Singh will defeat me. Since I've added snake blood to my diet I have been able to train harder than ever before without tiring and I'm punching harder than ever."
Notably, the Hungarian is not the only person with this unconventional dietary approach. U.S. Marines, regarded as some of the toughest soldiers in the world, have been known to drink cobra blood as part of their gruelling jungle survival training.
Incidentally, Horvath holds an edge over Vijender in terms of experience having fought in 31 rounds, he goes into this battle with a record of 5-1-1 and plans on coming out on top when he steps in the ring in Liverpool.
He promises to give Vijender his toughest night in his professional and amateur career. Horvath concluded by saying
“I know there is a lot of hype around him and he's a bit of a celebrity back in India but none of that will help him once he steps in the ring with me. I'm heading over to England to teach him a lesson in boxing and there's only going to be one winner. On the night I will be too strong and too quick for him."
