PTI
MANCHESTER
It seems workout and sparring sessions are not enough to beat star Indian boxer Vijender Singh as his next opponent Alexander Horvath has resorted to dining on snake's blood to attain "supernatural powers" for the March 12 professional bout in Liverpool.
The 20-year-old Hungarian is preparing for his clash with Vijender, who is unbeaten so far -- all his three pro wins coming via knockout.
"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."
Surprisingly, the Hungarian is not the only person in the world with this unusual dietary choice. US 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.
There are several snakes indigenous to Hungary but Horvath has acquired a taste for the deadliest of them all -- the viper. Horvath, who has the edge in experience over Vijender Singh with 31 rounds under his belt, holds a record of 5-1-1 and plans on spoiling the party when he makes his first appearance in England. He has no fear fighting abroad having fought in Slovakia and France and promises to give Vijender the toughest night of his career.
"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."
