Gibbons plots Marcial’s pro return

After his heartbreaking Paris Olympics stint, Eumir Marcial will resume his professional career in October with his American chief handler vowing to award him with a world title fight after six more fights.

Like the legion of Filipino fans who woke up just before dawn of Wednesday to watch him battle Uzbekistan’s Turabek Khabibullaev in his light-heavyweight debut, Gibbons was sad and lonely over the outcome.

“Well, you know guys at this division, they are tall and rangy,” Gibbons said, noting the size difference between legitimate heavyweights and those moving up from the middleweight ranks.

Winner of the bronze medal in Tokyo, Marcial had no choice but to bulk up in a bid to fulfill his dream of winning an Olympic gold.

Marcial had been fighting as a professional when he decided to give the Olympics another try.

“At first, I wanted him to focus on his pro career but when he told me about his wish to fight and win an Olympic gold, I told myself that I don’t want to be the one to stop him from pursuing that dream,” Gibbons said.

“He gave his all by competing in the (Hangzhou) Asian Games last year and he did his best. It’s just that guys at light-heavyweight are built differently. The size difference between them and those moving up (like Marcial) is obvious.”

Just like in the Asian Games championship match against Tanglatihan Tuohetarbieke of China, long-armed and much taller than Marcial, the Uzbek piled up points in quick succession as he displayed Soviet-style fighting in repulsing his heavy-handed foe.

The recent loss to Khabibullaev brought back memories of another stinging defeat by Marcial to another puncher from Uzbekistan: Saidjamshid Jafarov.

Jafarov, obviously schooled the old-fashion way, beat Marcial handily on points in the 2021 Asian championships in Dubai.

Now that his amateur days are finally over, Gibbons is looking forward to seeing him drop down to middleweight.

“Let’s win that world title and make yourself some money,” said Gibbons, insisting that Marcial’s built is well suited in the 160-lb backyard and whose power is devastating in the weight class.

Marcial said he was given comforting words by former world champion Gennady Golovkin, who is now the national Olympic committee president of Kazakhstan.

“I admire you on top of the boxing room, but I admire you more off the ring when you reached out to me to cheer me up and give advice,” Marcial said in a post with his photo with the 2004 Athens Olympics silver medalist.

“And I’ll keep your words telling me that I am a much better professional boxer. Much respect champ GGG (Golovkin).”