Bangladeshi trio of Dulal, Siddikur, Sajib dominate round one of BTI Open

Md Dulal Hossain

Dhaka, March 30, 2016: The Bangladeshi trio of Md Dulal Hossain, Md Siddikur Rahman and Md Sajib Ali dominated round one of the inaugural BTI Open as they occupied the top three places on the leaderboard at their home course, the Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka.

While Md Dulal Hossain seized the lead with a sparkling seven-under-65, Md Siddikur Rahman and Md Sajib Ali were a shot behind in tied second at the INR 35 lakh event.

Bengaluru’s Udayan Mane and Delhi’s Pratap Atwal led the Indian charge on day one with promising scores of five-under-67 that placed them tied fourth.

Dulal mixed nine birdies with two bogeys on Wednesday. Dulal came up with four straight birdies from the fifth through the eighth to set the tone for the day.

Dulal said, “I got off to a good start with a birdie today and that put me in a good frame of mind. I just took all my opportunities thereafter. The four consecutive birdies gave me a lot of confidence that translated into a solid back-nine. There’s a long way to go with three rounds remaining and a lot of good players are up there in the top-10. It’ll be all about capitalizing on the good start from here on.”

Two-time Asian Tour winner Siddikur Rahman, who has been struggling for form on the Asian Tour this year, produced his best score of the season so far, a six-under-66,  to live up to his reputation of being one of the pre-tournament favourites. Rahman put up an outstanding display of ball-striking coupled with some consistent putting to make three birdies each on either side of the turn.

His longest putt of the day was the 20-feet birdie conversion on the 13th while the highlight of his round was the birdie chip-in on the 14th.

“It’s great to start the week with a bogey-free round. I’m delighted to have shot such a low score after a long time. I’ve not been playing too well of late but would love to turn it around with a good performance this week,” said the 31-year-old Siddikur.

He added, “I won’t put too much pressure on myself this week and will just treat every round like practice. My driving was the best part of my game today. It set up the early birdies for me. The chip-in on 14 was my best birdie today and gave me the momentum going into the second round.”

Md Sajib Ali joined Siddikur in tied second thanks to a round punctuated by nine birdies and three bogeys.

Udayan Mane, the 2015 PGTI Emerging Player of the Year, armed with a hot putter, strung together six birdies and a lone bogey during his opening round of 67. Mane’s round featured four straight birdies from the 14th to 17th. The 25-year-old sank four putts from a range of 15 to 25 feet on Wednesday.

“I made some changes in my swing at the start of the season and I feel those changes might just begin to produce the desired results soon. I feel I was expecting a bit too much from myself at the start of this season after a fabulous rookie season last year. But I’ve now decided to just enjoy myself on the course and not think too much about the results,” said Mane, a two-time winner on the PGTI in 2015.

Pratap Atwal posted seven birdies and two bogeys to join Mane in tied fourth position.

Md Zamal Hossain Mollah, another local favourite, shared sixth place with Indians Harendra Gupta, Deepinder Singh Kullar and C Muniyappa at four-under-68.

Press release

PGTI returns to Bangladesh with BTI Open

Dhaka, March 29, 2016: The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), the official sanctioning body of professional golf in India, returns to Bangladesh after a four-year gap with the launch of the BTI Open which will be held at the picturesque Kurmitola Golf Club (KGC) in Dhaka from March 30 – April 2, 2016, and will carry a prize purse of INR 35 lakhs.

The tournament, PGTI’s highest prize money event in Bangladesh till date, will feature some of the top names of the Indian sub-continent. The Indian challenge will be led by the likes of Feroz Ali Mollah, Shamim Khan, Udayan Mane and Ajeetesh Sandhu, to name a few. The Bangladesh duo of two-time Asian Tour winner Md Siddikur Rahman and Md Zamal Hossain Mollah will lead the charge for the host nation while Sri Lanka will also be well-represented by the trio of N Thangaraja, Anura Rohana and K Prabagaran.

   

This is a 72-hole stroke-play tournament featuring a field of 126 players where the cut will be applied after the first 36 holes. The top 50 players and ties will make the halfway cut and continue to play for another 36 holes.

 Mr. Arshi Haider, Chairman, BTI Holdings Ltd and President BPGA, said that he is pleased with the progress of golf in Bangladesh. “We have come a long way in the last few years. This season Bangladesh is hosting two international golfing events. The Bashundhara Open was a phenomenal success and now we are also hoping to have another very successful tournament with PGTI. BTI has been actively promoting golf in Bangladesh for many years. We not only sponsor professional golf but also support the Bangladesh national golf team.”

  

Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, Director, PGTI, said, “We are delighted to return to Bangladesh with a PGTI event after four years. Bangladesh has emerged as an important centre for golf in recent years which is reflected in the rise of Md Siddikur Rahman as one of Asia’s leading players. The beginning of our new partnership with BTI provides us a great opportunity to give further impetus to professional golf in Bangladesh. We expect to witness an enthralling week of golf in Dhaka as the professionals look forward to teeing it up at the world-class Kurmitola Golf Club.”

 The venue for the tournament, the Kurmitola Golf Club (KGC) was established in the mid-1950s and moved to its present site a decade later. The KGC is Bangladesh’s premier championship course and has staged many international events. The course known for its tree-lined fairways and plenty of intimidating water hazards is likely to pose a serious challenge to the professionals.

Picture caption: (L - R) Brig Gen Mohd Obaidul Haque (CEO, KGC),  Brig Gen Abidur Reza Khan (Secy General, BPGA),  Mr Arshi Haider (President, BPGA), Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy (Director, PGTI), & Lt Col Md Abdul Bari (GM, Golf Operations)

IOC overcome ONGC to emerge champions

Mumbai, March 27: IOC (Indian Oil Corporation) emerged champions of the 34th PSPB Inter Unit Hockey Tournament 2016. Indian Oil produced two quick goals in the final 10 minutes of the tense and absorbing final to snatch a thrilling 3-1 win against hosts ONGC (Oil & Natural Gas Corporation) at the MHAL-Mahindra Stadium on Sunday morning.

For the victors, Gurjinder Singh scored two goals; converting a penalty stroke in the 9th minute and later a penalty corner in the 69th minute of the match, while Indeerjit Singh Chadha scored the second a little earlier in the 60th minute to wrap up the issue in IOC’s favour. Diwakar Ram successfully scored from a penalty corner to enable ONGC find the equalizing goal in the 24th minute.

In the title deciding encounter, both the teams waged a grim battle for supremacy and it was even Stevens at 1-all at the end of the opening session. In the second half the teams continued to create chance but, while ONGC failed to convert from the opportunities that came their way they were punished for those misses as IOC capitalized on two openings to wrest the advantage and secure a deserving triumph.

Earlier in the match for the third place, CPCL (Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited) got the better of EIL (Engineers India Limited) by a close 1-0 margin. R. Sekar netted the lone goal of the match in the second half.

Chief Guests of the final were Shri Rahul Singh, Olympian and Shri Shivendra Singh, a Film and TV Star.

Results –finals: Indian Oil Corporation 3 (Gurjinder Singh 2, Indeerjit Singh Chadha) beat ONGC 1 (Diwakar Ram).

Third place: CPCL 1 (R. Sekar) beat EIL 0.

Other awards - Best Goal Keeper: Devesh Chauhan (IOC); Best Defender:  Baljinder Singh (ONGC); Best Forword: Prabhjot Singh (IOC);Player of the tournament: Tyron Pereira (ONGC).

Photo caption: The champions, Indian Oil players are seen with Chief Guests of the final, Shri Rahul Singh, Olympian and Shri Shivendra Singh, a Film and TV Star at the MHAL-Mahindra Stadium.

Press release

Vijender Singh meets Sachin Tendulkar, invites him for his Asia Title Fight on June 11

New Delhi, March 26, 2016: India’s boxing sensation VIjender Singh today met cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar in Gurgaon. Vijender who is a huge fan of Sachin Tendulkar invited him for his WBO Asia title fight scheduled to be held in Delhi on 11 June. During half an hour meeting Vijender also briefed Sachin about the structure and future of professional boxing.

On meeting Sachin Tendulkar, Vijender Singh said “Meeting the legend Sachin Tendulkar is always an inspiration for any of the sportsperson. I would like to thank Sachin Sir for giving me time out of his busy schedule and I have invited him for my WBO Asia title fight scheduled to be held on 11 June in Delhi. I am happy that Sachin follows boxing and he asked me about my training regime of pro boxing. He was happy the way my professional career is progressing, he asked me about the structure of professional boxing in other countries. Meeting him was really a big motivation for me and he assured me of full support for my all future bouts”.

Press release

Shubhankar Sharma emerges triumphant in dramatic finale

Kolkata, March 25, 2016: Gurgaon’s Shubhankar Sharma emerged triumphant on a dramatic final day of the inaugural Kolkata Classic to capture his second title of the season. Shubhankar, who posted a four-under-68 on Friday, ended the week with a winning total of nine-under-279 at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC). Sharma now leads the Rolex Ranking.

There was heartbreak for Bengaluru’s Khalin Joshi (71), who finished tied second, despite leading till the final hole of the Rs 30 lakh event. Kolkata’s Shankar Das brought cheer to the home crowd as he delivered the day’s best score of 67 to join Joshi in tied second at eight-under-280.

It was a keen tussle between two of India’s bright young prospects, Shubhankar Sharma (68-72-71-68) and Khalin Joshi (71-69-69-71), on the final day of the Kolkata Classic.

Shubhankar, who began the day in tied fourth, two off the lead, produced some excellent iron-play to accumulate four birdies till the 14th. He finally caught up with the overnight leader Khalin after a good recovery from the bunker that led to his fifth birdie of the day on the 16th.

The 19-year-old Sharma, who recorded a win and a runner-up finish on the PGTI last month, then seemed to have slipped out of contention as he overshot the ninth green to drop a bogey. However, there was a final twist to the tale.

Joshi, who was one ahead with three birdies for the day till he stepped on the 18thtee, landed his drive to the right and also missed a chip-putt on the last hole to concede a disastrous double-bogey that handed the title to Shubhankar.

Shubhankar thus garnered his third professional title and took home the cheque worth Rs 4,50,000 to move up from second to first position in the Rolex Ranking. His season’s earnings read Rs 13,00,000.

Shubhankar said, “I did well with the irons today even though I think I wasn’t at my best. It was tense out there towards the end. I thought Khalin will easily win at the end but I got lucky when he double-bogeyed the last.

“A key moment during my round was when I was looking for a chip-in from the back edge of the 18th green but my caddie advised me to go for a chip-putt instead as he informed me that Khalin had just missed the fairway and was in trouble on the 18th. I immediately changed my strategy thanks to the timely advice of my caddie.

“It’s been a fantastic season for me so far and I’ll now be playing some events on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in the next few weeks in order to get more exposure as well as world ranking points,” added Shubhankar, an Asian Tour rookie.

For Khalin Joshi it was another near miss at the RCGC. He had earlier come close to winning at the same venue during the Tour Championship last December.

Joshi said, “I’ve been struggling as far as closing matches is concerned and that was once again the case today. Nonetheless, it’s been a good week. I’ll now head to play some events on the ADT to tune my game further.”

Shankar Das (75-68-70-67), lying overnight tied eighth, jumped into the fray on the final day much to the delight of the local crowd thanks to five birdies against two bogeys on the first 13 holes. He became a serious contender with two more birdies on 15 and 17, making a chip-in on the latter, before falling short by just one stroke at the end.

“I knew I was in with a chance from the 15th onwards when I trailed the leader by just two shots. I then tried to attack the pins for birdies. I feel I’m getting back into my groove now. I’m pleased that I could give everyone here at RCGC something to cheer on the final day,” said Shankar.

Noida’s Amardip Sinh Malik and Bengaluru’s C Muniyappa finished fourth and fifth at seven-under-281 and six-under-282 respectively.

Kolkata’s Feroz Ali Mollah, the leader in the first two rounds, claimed tied sixth place at five-under-283 along with Delhi’ Shamim Khan, Ajeetesh Sandhu of Chandigarh and Sri Lankan L Prabagaran.

Sri Lankan N Thangaraja, the third round joint leader, ended the tournament in 10th place at four-under-284 after a final round of 75.

SSP Chawrasia’s special gesture

Kolkata’s SSP Chawrasia, who finished tied 29th at five-over-293, may not have made a lasting impression on the course during the Kolkata Classic, but he won many a heart among golf fans across the country by turning out at his home course this week despite feeling the effects of a draining Indian Open last week, a title he finally won after a long wait.

Chawrasia said, “The Indian Open win took a lot out of me mentally and physically. But I didn't want to take a break after the win as I was committed to playing the Kolkata Classic this week as I wanted to extend my full support to this new event which is a step in the right direction to revive professional golf in Kolkata.

“The Kolkata Classic is a great initiative by the PGTI and will help the tour grow further. The PGTI provided me the launching pad for my international career so I’m pleased that I could play my part in promoting the event and the tour.

“I also owe a lot to the RCGC having played here all my life. I want to support all events at the RCGC. I’d like to see more talent emerge from the club which has now produced three Indian Open champions including Feroz Ali Mollah, Arjun Atwal and myself.”

Prize Presentation Picture Caption:

Shubhankar Sharma receives the trophy and cheque from Mr. Aditya Khaitan, Captain, RCGC. Also seen at the prize presentation ceremony are Mr. Brandon de Souza, MD, Tiger Sports (extreme left), Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, Director, PGTI (2nd from left) and Ms. Sneha Ramesh representing Manyavar.

Press release

N Thangaraja and Khalin Joshi shine on day three, surge ahead by one

 N Thangaraja

Khalin Joshi 

Kolkata, March 24, 2016: Sri Lankan N Thangaraja was rewarded for producing the day’s best effort of five-under-67 as he grabbed a share of the third round lead at the Kolkata Classic on Thursday. Thangaraja was joined by Bengaluru golfer Khalin Joshi, who struck a three-under-69 in round three, in tied first place at seven-under-209 at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC).

Ajeetesh Sandhu of Chandigarh matched Thangaraja’s day’s best of 67 to jump into contention in third place just one shot behind the joint leaders at the Rs. 30 lakh event.

Eighteen-year-old Feroz Singh Garewal, another Chandigarh-based professional, achieved the rare distinction of making consecutive eagles during round three.

N Thangaraja (71-71-67), who began the day in tied eighth, threw his hat in the ring with an error-free 67 at one of his favoured venues. The Colombo resident, fresh from a tied sixth finish at last week’s Indian Open, hit his short-irons and wedges with pin-point precision on Thursday to leave himself four birdie putts within four feet.

“I came to Kolkata with a lot of self-belief having finished inside the top-10 at the Indian Open. What added to my confidence was the fact that I had also done well at the RCGC in the past having posted low scores at the Tour Championship here in 2013 and 2015. I struggled to read the green speed on the first two days but today I read it well and thus put up a low number,” said Thangaraja, a winner of two titles on the PGTI.

The ever-smiling Thangaraja had worked as a tailor in one of the many factories that are a part of Sri Lanka’s thriving garment industry before he took to golf. Thanga, plying his trade on the PGTI for the last four years, has now established himself as a force to reckon with on the circuit. He joins a long line of Sri Lankans such as Anura Rohana, Mithun Perera & K Prabagaran who have not only tasted success in India but also been the driving force for growth of golf in Sri Lanka.

“I aspired to play on the PGTI after seeing my countrymen Anura & Mithun perform well in India and make a good living out of it. Over the last four seasons, I have grown as a player playing on the PGTI. I now believe that I’m ready for the Asian stage after a top performance in the tough field at the Indian Open. I will look to make further improvements in my game this year before once again trying to qualify for the Asian Tour,” added Thanga, who missed out on qualifying for the Asian Tour earlier this year.

Khalin Joshi (71-69-69), also a winner of two titles on the PGTI, made a move from overnight tied fourth to joint first thanks to a timely 69. Joshi landed his wedges within a couple of feet for two birdie tap-ins on the front-nine. He also recovered well from the bunker wall to birdie the 15th after a 20-feet conversion.

Joshi, who had led midway through the final round of last year’s Tour Championship at RCGC before finishing runner-up, said, “I haven’t been closing tournaments well over the last six months. I need to do that on Friday. I’ll need to keep my swing in tempo and just focus on my own game rather than looking at the leaderboard.”

Ajeetesh Sandhu (71-72-67), the winner of PGTI’s last event in Hyderabad, will also be a contender on the final day. He made an outstanding eight birdies during his third round, a record for the week so far, to rise from tied 10th to third at six-under-210.

Ajeetesh said, “I was inside the top-25 at the Indian Open last week despite a four-over start in round one. It was heartening to come back strongly and end the week at six-under. I’m in a good space at the moment, especially after the win in Hyderabad, and would like to make an impact at the Kolkata Classic as well.”

Round two leader Feroz Ali Mollah of Kolkata dropped to tied fourth after his third round of 75. Bengaluru’s C Muniyappa and Gurgaon’s Shubhankar Sharma shared fourth place with Feroz at five-under-211.

Reigning Indian Open champion and local lad SSP Chowrasia scored a 74 to end the day in tied 35th at four-over-220.

Teenager Feroz Singh Garewal produced one the highlights of the day when he achieved one of the rarest feats in golf. He sank back-to-back eagles on the eighth and ninth. What made his achievement even more special was the fact that both his eagles were eagle-twos that came on par-4s.

Garewal had just dropped a triple bogey on the sixth but he came back strong when he holed out from 135 yards on the eighth. He then came up with another unbelievable second shot from 165 yards on the closing ninth that once again found the hole.

Garewal said, “It was unbelievable. I just wanted to keep playing after the second eagle even though I knew my round was over.”

He ended the day with a 73 to be placed tied 39th at five-over-221.

Press release

Feroz Ali Mollah makes merry on home turf, moves into three-stroke lead on day two

Feroz Ali Mollah 

Kolkata, March 23, 2016: Kolkata’s Feroz Ali Mollah capitalized on the familiar conditions at his home course, the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC), to steer three shots clear of the field at the halfway stage of the inaugural Kolkata Classic. Rolex Ranking leader Feroz fired a second straight four-under-68 at the Rs. 30 lakh event to take his total to eight-under-136.

Sri Lankan K Prabagaran produced a three-under-69 on Wednesday to be next best on the leaderboard at five-under-139 along with Gurgaon’s Manu Gandas (70).

The cut was set at four-over-148. Fifty players made it to the money rounds.

Feroz Ali Mollah (68-68), who began the day as the joint leader, wasn’t deterred by his opening hole bogey on the 10th as he followed it up with some outstanding wedge-play to knock off four birdies on the back-nine. The only blip was another bogey on 17.

The 46-year-old Mollah, striving for his second title of the season, kept up the intensity on the front-nine by accumulating two more strokes on the second and seventh.

A confident Feroz, said, “I performed well with the wedges today and was consistent with the putter despite the two three-putts that led to bogeys. The bogey on the opening hole didn’t really bother me, as I knew with my current form birdies were just around the corner. Most importantly, I enjoyed myself out there.

“For me the highlight of the round was the approach on the ninth. After landing my tee shot in a tough spot of the left side, I hit an excellent hook around the trees that shaped from right to left and found the green thereby resulting in an unexpected par-save on the ninth.”

K Prabagaran (70-69) mixed five birdies with two bogeys to move up from overnight tied eighth to tied second. He made good use of his short-irons to set up a couple of tap-in birdies.

“I’ve not had a good result so far this season, so look forward to turning it around with a top finish this week. I was really thrilled to make a birdie on the third as I rate it as one of the tougher holes. I’ll look to target a score of two-under in round three in order to get myself in a good position ahead of the final round,” said Prabagaran.

Twenty-year-old Manu Gandas (69-70) scored three birdies and a lone bogey in round two to climb from overnight tied fifth to tied second.

Gandas said, “I made two long-range birdie conversions today and looked to stay in touch with the lead. The top-10 finish in Hyderabad last month, my best on the PGTI so far, raised my confidence levels and I’ve only been improving since then.”

Shamim Khan’s bogey-free 67 was the day’s best round. It lifted the Delhi golfer from overnight tied 30th to tied fourth at four-under-140.

Bengaluru’s Khalin Joshi (69) and overnight joint leader Shubhankar Sharma (72) of Gurgaon, joined Shamim in a three-way tie for fourth place.

Noida’s Amardip Sinh Malik, also the joint first round leader, slipped to seventh after his second round of 73.

Shankar Das shot a 68 to be the second Kolkata player in the top-10. He was tied 10th at one-under-143 along with six others including overnight joint leader Abhishek Jha (75) of Bengaluru, Chandigarh’s Ajeetesh Sandhu (72), the winner of PGTI’s last event in Hyderabad.

SSP Chawrasia (75-71), who began the tournament with a disappointing 75 in round one, immediately after the high of his Indian Open win, put together a much-improved 71 on Wednesday. He thus gained 26 spots in the second round, moving up from overnight tied 56th to tied 30th at two-over-146.

Press release

Vijender Singh meets PM Modi

New Delhi, March 23, 2016: Boxer Vijender Singh today met Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi at his office in South Block. During this meeting he invited Mr Modi for his WBO Asia Title fight scheduled on June 11 in New Delhi and also discussed about present scenario of Boxing in the country. During this meeting Vijender presented boxing gloves to Mr Modi.


Vijender Singh said: “It was pleasure meeting Prime Minister. I am happy that Modiji is following my pro bouts very closely and he discussed a lot with me about my previous bouts. I have invited him for my Asia Title bout scheduled in Delhi on 11 June and he assured me that he will attend it. He also discussed me about the present scenario of Indian boxing and asked me to send my inputs for the betterment of the sport in the country. He wished me Good luck for my next two bouts in UK before coming back to India for title fight”.

Press release

Vijender Singh next fight to be held at Copper Box Arena

London, March 21, 2016: Undefeated Indian star Vijender Singh will fight next on the undercard of the big World Championship card at the Copper Box Arena, London, on April 30 (Saturday).

It had been announced that Vijender Singh would feature on the Saturday 2nd April show at the Harrow Leisure Centre in London, but following a reschedule he has been moved, instead, onto the undercard of Billy Joe Saunders’ WBO World Middleweight title defence against Max Bursak.

Vijender Singh, who took his record to 4-0 in Liverpool earlier this month with a blistering fourth round stoppage of Alexander Horvath, will fight in a four-round contest against an opponent to be announced.

In the summer he is scheduled to make his highly-anticipated homecoming in India where he will fight for the first time as a professional in his homeland in front of thousands of his adoring fans.

An excited Vijender Singh said, “I’m thrilled to be fighting on the same card as the WBO World Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders on Saturday 30th April at the Copper Box Arena.  Saunders is in the position that I want to be in one day, the middleweight champion of the world. So it’s a busy few months ahead and then of course I will be making my big homecoming in India which will be absolutely amazing and I can’t wait.”

Press release

Vijender Singh trains 10 hours a day ahead of his next bout against Hungarian Alexander Horvath

Manchester, March 8, 2016: India’s boxing sensation Vijender Singh is confident of his fourth knockout win on 12 March, when he takes on Hungarian Alexander Horvath during his fourth pro bout at Echo Arena, Liverpool.

Vijender’s boxing workout and training routine is as intense as ever. The undefeated Indian boxer who is all set to take on slightly experienced Horvath later this week, is doing hard training for 10 hours a day to give tough time to his opponent.  His opponent Horvath 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 for this year.

In his daily routine, Bhiwani boxer is following one of toughest training regimes which top professional boxers like Mayweather and Pacquiao have been following during the peak of their pro career. The training includes shadow boxing, practicing footwork, practicing punching, movement, stance, speed and technique.

Shadow Boxing – Shadow boxing in front of a mirror helps to perfect technique and practice both offensive and defensive exercises.

Spars between 12 rounds – Working on all facets of boxing skills and techniques

Works the heavy bag for 20-30 minutes – To maximize powerful punches and strikes

Floor Work – Builds up strength, specifically in the core. A strong core is essential in becoming a top boxer and athlete

Pad Work- Increases speed, coordination and timing

Bodysuit work- Body shots can throw the opponent off balance and knock the wind out of them

Speed Bag- Jab speed is one of the most effective ways to throw off the rhythm of an opponent.

Neck work with weights – A strong nexk is key for durability and injury prevention from repeated strikes to the head

200 sit-ups, pull- ups, dips, jump rope, double-end bag – A circuit routine like this helps boost muscular endurance and strength endurance throughout entire body

5-8 mile run- A long distance run works on those slow-twitch muscle fibers that are needed for proper endurance in the ring to go the distance.

Commenting on his preparation ahead of next bout Vijender Singh said “The young Hungarian 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”.

“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. 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.

Press release 

Asian Volleyball Confederation throws its weight behind Avadhesh Chaudhary

New Delhi, March 7, 2016: The Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC), the apex body of Volleyball activities in Asia, today issued the letter in support of Chaudhary Avadhesh Kumar, President VFI.

The letter issued by Mr. Shanrit Wongprasert, AVC Secretary General to Avadhesh Kumar and Ramavtar Jakhar, confirmed AVC’s stand on the ongoing dispute between the President and suspended Secretary General. AVC has legally recognized Avadhesh as President and as a sole authority to call an Emergent Executive Committee Meeting. AVC also said that all the decisions of executive committee duly authorized by the President should take effect.

Commenting on the letter from AVC, Avadhesh said, “I am honoured to have received the support of AVC. It’s a big boost for us. Its like the truth has won. Ramavtar has broken all rules and gone on record in front of media against the constitution of VFI. He has claimed support of 22 state units, which was a total false statement. I am glad that AVC has approved of my decisions to disrobe the tainted members of their powers and positions.”

Avadhesh added that the committee put in place during the Nagpur Emergent meeting will govern the VFI in more effective manner and all procedures would be transparent.

  

Newly elected Interim Secretary General K Nandkumar, also congratulated the AVC to make a sensible opinion and sharing it with VFI.  He said, “as per the constitution of the Federation, Secretary General has to work according to the guidance given by the president and non vice-versa. Jakhar has overstepped this time and again and there was no need to call his own meeting in Chennai when the President had called for a meeting in Nagpur. If Jakhar had the majority of members with him he should have come to Nagpur with them. Also, he wrote a letter to Central Asian Zone to call off a prestigious Central Asian Zone Championship in Nagpur. This was unethical, as he had no approval from the VFI or the President to do so. He needs to answer all the points; he cannot run away from the moves, which brought such a huge disrepute to the Federation.”

To regularise the decisions taken in the Emergent Executive Meeting at Nagpur the president has called the General House meeting at Hotel Inderlok, Dehradun on 15th of April, he termed the meeting called by Jakhar on 11th March in Chennai as absolutely illegal.

The Interim Treasurer Mr. Prandeep Singh Gill said, “apart from trying to drag Federation into such a controversy, the custodian of the accounts need to give the reply on the every penny withdrawn from the account with proper justification. The Federation is not going to pay any money for the unauthorized travel to any championship and we will not pay for any unauthorised meetings called by Jakhar or Murugan.”

Mohd Akram Khan, Secretary, Chattisgarh Volleyball Association who is responsible to conduct the AVC Cup in September 2016 in Raipur said, “It’s a great news that AVC has issued a letter in support of the President. It will allow all of us to work smoothly without getting worried about people who tried to bring disrespect to the federation.”

Press release

Alexander Horvath feasts on snakes’ blood ahead of Vijender Singh clash

Alexander Horvath 

Manchester, March 7, 2016: Hungarian warrior Alexander Horvath has been dining on the blood of snakes ahead of his huge showdown with Indian superstar Vijender Singh. The fierce Super-Middleweight bruiser takes on Vijender Singh at the Liverpool Echo Arena on Saturday 12thMarch and believes drinking the blood from freshly killed vipers gives him supernatural powers over his opponents.

20 year-old Horvath is preparing for his clash with Singh in his homeland and has added fresh snake blood to his strict diet in the hope it will make him strong and powerful. Fresh snake blood is still popular in some parts of Hungary with many locals drinking it to harbour its supposed magical power.

“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.

He added: “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. 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.

The Maasai people of Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania also enjoy to the odd glass of raw blood. Their traditional diet is almost entirely made up of blood and milk from their livestock which is rich in iron, protein and calcium; the perfect combination for a boxer!

There are several snakes indigenous to Hungary but Horvath has acquired a taste for the deadliest of them all; the viper! The Hungarian puncher will be looking to pounce early when he takes on Indian hero Singh over six rounds.

Horvath, who has the edge in experience over Vijender Singh with 31 rounds under his belt, holds a record of 5-1-1 (1) and plans on spoiling the party when he makes his first appearance in England. The Hungarian has no fear fighting abroad having fought in Slovakia and France and promises to give Singh the toughest night of his career.

He said: “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.”

Press release