ABAP urges Marcial to make tough choice
Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Eumir Marcial (left) faces a difficult decision pertaining to his professional career and his promise to the national team.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF VIVA PROMOTIONS
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The Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) wants Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Eumir Marcial to make a choice once and for all.
“I really believe that he has to decide whether he will pursue his Olympic gold medal dream or fulfill his dream of winning a world title (in the professional ranks),” ABAP president Marcus Manalo told DAILY TRIBUNE on Thursday.
“He has to decide because you can’t do both at the same time. It will be hard to switch from Olympic-style boxing to pro boxing in a short span of time,” he said.
Manalo said Marcial, who has fought professionally seven times, is scheduled to fly to the United States on Friday for a pro bout scheduled 19 September. He will be accompanied by trainer Joven Jimenez.
Based on a schedule of fights in the US, Marcial should be seeing action on a show that will be headlined by Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California.
Manalo said the southpaw Marcial informed him of his plan to resume his pro career last Sunday.
The ABAP included Marcial on the roster of athletes seeing action for the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya from 19 September until 4 October.
Manalo said he has advised the Zamboanga-born puncher to let them knight the soonest if he will change his mind and revert to Olympic-style boxing.
Marcial, 30, signed a promotional contract with Sean Gibbons of Viva Promotions in 2000.
Manalo believes that by fighting as a pro and amateur at the same time, Marcial is unable to achieve full potential.
“I always felt that you can’t do both at the same time,” said Manalo, noting that Marcial no longer has to prove anything having represented the country many times in the Olympics, the Asian Games, Southeast Asian Games and other major tournaments overseas.
Even Gibbons has told Marcial to leave behind his national team career so he could fully concentrate on their plan to get a world title shot.
“He’s two or three fights away from a (world) title shot,” said Gibbons, noting that Marcial is at a disadvantage in Olympic-style boxing because his ideal weight has been scrapped.
Marcial fights at middleweight (70 kilograms) but this weight class has been excluded in the Asian Games and even in the Olympics.
Marcial’s last pro match took place last year during the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Thrilla in Manila at the Smart Araneta Coliseum where he barely outpointed the durable Venezuelan Eddy Colmenares.
Manalo said Marcial has to inform the ABA of his final decision immediately so he could join the training camp of the Philippine team in Thailand starting 25 August.
From Thailand, the national squad will proceed to Japan.
Still, local sports officials see Marcial as one of the country’s brightest prospects for a gold medal in the Asian Games.
