COUNTDOWN BEGINS: Boxing coach pins Olympic hopes on Marcial

MILAN, Italy — Philippine boxing team head coach Ronald Chavez admitted that light-heavyweight Eumir Marcial faces a daunting task in the Paris Olympics given the tough opposition he will be up against.

But Chavez, who represented the country in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, believes Marcial can go all the way to the top of the 80-kilogram division.

“Mabigat talaga (The competition will be very tough),” Chavez said on Thursday after presiding over the training session of the team in Metz, France.

Four of the five Filipino boxers — Tokyo Olympics silver medalists Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio, Aira Villegas and Hergie Bacyadan — arrived in France together with members of the Philippine delegation over the weekend.

Marcial didn’t join the trip from Manila as he was still doing camp in Las Vegas with Kay Koroma.

But Chavez stressed that Marcial will be joining them in Saarbrücken in Germany for a four-week training camp.

Boxers from the United States, Australia and all across Europe are also setting up camp there before proceeding to Paris.

The boxers and the other Filipino athletes are entering the Olympic Village on 24 July, two days before the opening ceremonies.

“Mag-place si Eumir (Eumir’s going to make a podium finish),” Chavez told DAILY TRIBUNE.

Marcial, a heavy-handed lefty, won bronze in the middleweight class in Tokyo and is looking forward to an upgrade in Paris.

But the road to Olympic glory is going to be rocky as he will be punching alongside Cuban super champion Arlen Lopez, Ukrainian Okeksandr Khyzhniak, Kazakh Nurbek Uralbay and Tuohaterbieke Tanglatihan of China.

Khyhzhniak beat Marcial in the semis in Tokyo while Tanglatihan defeated him as well for the Asian Games gold in Hangzhou last year.

Since arriving in Metz, the boxers have been doing training behind closed doors.

“Malamig sa labas (It’s cold outside),” he said, noting that the last four weeks will be devoted to strength training and recovery.

“Pag pasok namin ng village dapat perfect condition na (By the time we check in at the village, I would like them to be in perfect condition),” Chavez added.