Vijender Singh increases training hours ahead of next bout

Manchester: Gearing up to face his most experienced opponent so far, Indian boxing star Vijender Singh is training 10 hours a day in a bid to clinch a fourth successive knockout win when he takes on Hungarian Alexander Horvath on March 12 in Liverpool.

The undefeated middleweight boxer is facing a rival who has a decent record of winning 5 out of 7 fights.

Vijender, who had his last fight in December 2015, will be making his first appearance in the ring this year.

The former Olympic and World Championship bronze- medallist's training includes shadow boxing, practising footwork, punching, movement, stance, speed and technique.

Commenting on his preparation ahead of next bout Vijender said, "Alexander Horvath has an impressive record in his pro boxing career but I will leave no stone unturned.

"My target is to continue my winning streak in the fourth game and that's the reason I am going through the toughest training sessions of my career. My trainers Lee Beard and Hroon Headly are working really hard with me during each of the sessions and I am enjoying it," he added.

The 30-year-old said getting a long break after his previous fight has helped him steel himself and he is hardly intimidated by his rival's antics of drinking snake blood before the bout.

"Due to the postponement of my fight for almost a month, I got enough time to better prepare myself and watch videos of my opponent. My strategy to knock him out is already in place and I am looking forward to see him on 12 March in the ring," he said.

"I read in media reports that Horvath has made snake blood part of his diet but I don't care at all being about my opponents as Desi Ghee is part of my diet from the beginning of my career" added Vijender.