Paris Olympics-bound Eumir Marcial has kicked off the crucial sparring phase of his buildup for his 16 March fight in Manila.
Days after doing strength training and non-sparring routines, Marcial finally began banging bodies at the DLX Gym after arriving in the United States last week from the Philippines.
His fight in the Philippines — his fifth time as a professional — will be staged at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Marcial’s dancing partner has yet to be named by Sean Gibbons, whose MP Promotions is joining hands with the Philippine Sports Commission in helping the Filipino southpaw ramp up his bid for the Paris Games in July-August.
Marcial is the only boxer so far who has qualified for the Olympics as members of the national team are still in the process of qualifying.
The boxers — who just capped a two-week camp in Australia — are now in Spain for another training stint as they rev up for the first Olympic qualifying tournament in Italy. The second and last qualifier takes place in Thailand in June.
As for Marcial, who won bronze in the Tokyo Olympics, his fifth pro match in March should somehow help him gauge his readiness for Paris.
There will be 18 bets in the light-heavyweight category and among those who have qualified is Cuban super champion Arlen Lopez, Olympic gold medalist in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, and a pro like Marcial.
Lopez’s two pro outings took place in Mexico where he won both by knockout.
Also joining Marcial and Lopez in Paris are Oleksandr Khyzhniak of Ukraine, who beat Marcial in the semis in Tokyo, and Chinese Tanglatihan Touhetaerbieke, his conqueror in the Hangzhou Asian Games last year.
Based on the timeline of MP Promotions, Marcial will head back to America after his assignment to finalize the blueprint of his Paris gold medal quest.
Handling Marcial’s training in Las Vegas is US Olympic coach Kay Koroma, who assumed the coaching duties last year.
Among those aspiring to join the heavy-handed Marcial in Paris are Tokyo silver medalists Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio, who are also part of the team that is bracing for the two Olympic qualifiers.
So far, the Philippines has three other Paris qualifiers: Italy-based pole vaulter EJ Obiena and gymnasts Carlos Yulo and Aleah Finnegan.
