Indian star boxer Vijender Singh goes into possibly his most challenging fight as a pro, Saturday, at the Echo Arena in Liverpool. Vijender, who has made a stunning statement in his last three pro boxing fights, now takes on Alexander Horvath of Hungary.
For those who are not aware who Horvath is, well, he is 10 years younger to Vijender and has five wins from his seven pro boxing fights in his career so far. That is not all, the 20-year-old pugilist from Hungary revealed that he has been feasting on snake blood to prepare for the fight.
Horvath had earlier said that drinking fresh snake blood has been a long family tradition.
For Vijender however, who has been on a "desi-ghee" diet ahead of the fight, it's all about displaying his acumen inside the ring on the fight night. "I will hit him [Horvath] so much that all the snake blood will come out," the Indian pugilist told The Times of India.
"Yes, I am hearing that he is taking snake-blood diet. Probably it's his way to prepare and think that he can beat me, but I feel my normal diet containing 'desi ghee' is enough to generate power in my punches and beat him badly," Vijender told IBN Live.
The Hungarian, meanwhile, is also not showing any signs of fear and has reiterated that he will knock Vijender out within the first two rounds of the six-round bout. "I don't think Vijender is a strong opponent. I am confident I will knock him out in the first or second round," Horvath was quoted by TOI. "I have seen videos of his previous fights. I will be his toughest opponent till now,"
It will only be decided on Saturday which of the two decorated pro boxers will "Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee" -- great words made famous by the legendary Muhammad Ali.
For the record, Vijender weighed in at 11 stone 13 while Horvath weighed in at 11 stone 11 during the official weigh-in. Vijender also has a significant height and reach advantage over his Hungarian opponent.
Where to watch live
The fight is expected to start at 6 p.m. GMT (11:30 p.m. IST) and is an undercard fight in the WBO World Lightweight title bout featuring the champion Terry Flanagan and Derry Mathews at the Echo Arena, Liverpool.
Indian audience can catch the mouthwatering action between Vijender and Horvath on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD. Online streaming of the pro boxing bout is available on starsports.com and Hotstar.
BoxNation (Sky 437/HD 490, Virgin 546 and Talk Talk 415) will make the pro boxing bouts available in the UK and Ireland. Online streaming is made available on Watch BoxNation. Also, the fights can be watched on the official android and iOS app of BoxNation.
