Paris Olympics qualifier Eumir Marcial often wondered what it felt like to be at ringside for a Manny Pacquiao fight.
“I had always dreamed about watching him live,” Marcial, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist, told a pack of reporters on the eve of his eight-round super-middleweight clash with Thailand’s Thoedsak Sinam which takes place Saturday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Realizing that he might not even get his wish, Marcial swears the closest thing to that dream is for the eight-division legend to see him fight live instead.
“If it doesn’t happen, I would still be happy seeing him at ringside watching me fight,” Marcial, who competes in the light-heavyweight class in Paris.
But on fight night, they would be on the same building with Marcial fighting and Pacquiao watching.
Pacquiao, whose MP Promotions represents the Zamboanga southpaw, will be in attendance alongside World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman.
“His (Pacquiao) presence will boost my confidence,” Marcial said.
The duel with Sinam, who arrived from Bangkok last Thursday, will serve as Marcial’s final fight before his bold Olympic campaign.
Next month, Marcial will reunite with members of the Philippine team for a training camp in Colorado Springs. In May, he would also be with the national team getting ready for the second and last Olympic qualifying in Thailand.
So far, Marcial is the only male boxer who has earned a Paris berth aside from female punchers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas.
Those who didn’t make the Olympic grade during the first Olympic qualifying in Italy will be attempting to join Marcial, Petecio and Villegas, when they see action in Thailand.
But Marcial isn’t looking too far ahead at the moment.
He has to take care of business first before easing into Olympics-mode.
“The one I am fighting has a lot of experience and it is not wise to take anybody lightly. And Thai fighters come to fight. My wish is for me to win and win without suffering any injuries.”
American Sean Gibbons, who is staging the slugfest in coordination with the Philippine Sports Commission, is rallying behind Marcial’s every move towards the realization of his Olympic dreams.
“This is one way of getting him ready for Paris. I know what he feels and I know how badly he wants to win that Olympic gold medal,” Gibbons said, upbeat that the hometown crowd should further fuel Marcial’s Olympic quest.
“Let us all give Eumir a great sendoff by watching him fight live,” Gibbons added.
The event is free to the public and personages from the world of politics, business, entertainment and sports are going to be there as well.
More importantly, Marcial gets to check an entry off his bucket list.
