Eumir Marcial’s dream of winning an Olympic gold medal is alive.
Following the cancellation of his fifth professional fight in the United States, Marcial can now devote his time and energy to the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou scheduled 23 September to 8 October, the Philippine Olympic Committee said yesterday.
POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist is due to arrive anytime soon.
“Eumir will be coming home from the US as soon as possible to join the national boxing team and work on his Australian visa,” Tolentino said.
The Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines is in the process of sending the national boxers to Australia for a training camp tentatively set 1 September.
Tolentino brokered Marcial’s availability for the Asian Games — a Paris Olympics qualifier — with his promotion MP Promotions, whose president, Sean Gibbons, agreed to write off the heavy-handed lefty’s training expenses for his supposed fifth pro fight in the US.
Professional boxers are charged training expenses which are almost always deducted from their guaranteed fight purse.
“Sean (Gibbons) readily agreed that Marcial focuses on Hangzhou and go after his Olympic dream,” Tolentino said.
It will, however, be a tough campaign for Marcial in Hangzhou.
First, he’ll be fighting at 81 kgs (light heavyweight) because the 71-kg class (middleweight) where he clinched bronze in Tokyo was scratched from the Hangzhou program.
And second, he needs to reach the final after it was decreed that only the boxing finalists in Hangzhou will qualify for Paris unlike before when entering the semifinal round was enough for an Olympic berth.
Marcial is aware of the challenge and vowed to go all out for his Olympic dream.
“It’s now or never,” said the 27-year-old boxer from Zamboanga City, who’s unbeaten in four pro fights.
Marcial turned pro in December 2020 in Los Angeles.
In his last fight in February, Marcial stopped Ricardo Villalba of Argentina in San Antonio, Texas.
Marcial would sit out the next few months owing to a hand injury that had to be operated on.
It was only last May when Marcial returned to his Las Vegas training headquarters.
