Eumir Marcial is making a last-ditch effort to make the 19th Asian Games, the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippine said yesterday.
ABAP secretary general Marcus Manalo told Daily Tribune that the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist will confer with American promoter Sean Gibbons if he can do his fifth professional fight before the Hangzhou Asian Games scheduled 23 September to 8 October.
“Eumir told me he will speak to Gibbons tomorrow about the date of his fight,” Manalo said.
A few days ago, Gibbons said that it doesn’t look as if Marcial can still do both as Premier Boxing Champions is lining the Filipino southpaw for a fight sometime in September, a date that is closer to the opening of the Asian Games.
PBC, operated and owned by Al Haymon, has Marcial under contract.
The Asian Games is extra important for the Philippine boxing team as it will serve as a qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Presently, the boxers are holding their training camp at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala, India.
Manalo said Filipino-British banger John Marvin has given way to Marcial at 80 kg and will now campaign at 92 kg.
“If ever he decides to compete in the pros, our men’s 80 kg will be vacant,” Manalo said.
“John Marvin already moved up to 92 kg to make way for him,” he added.
In the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, Marcial wound up with a bronze medal but rebounded strongly when he placed second in the 2019 world championships in Russia and finished third in Tokyo.
Marcial, 27, has been training in Las Vegas since May with new cornerman Kay Koroma.
