No pressure
ABAP to Marcial: Focus on pro fight
EUMIR Marcial (seen here towering over American foe Bernard Joseph in July 2025 in Las Vegas) will have his hands full this week when he fights for the eighth time as a pro.
ABAP to Marcial: Focus on pro fight
EUMIR Marcial (seen here towering over American foe Bernard Joseph in July 2025 in Las Vegas) will have his hands full this week when he fights for the eighth time as a pro.
The Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) leadership made it clear on Thursday that Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Eumir Marcial is not mandated to fight for the Philippine team in the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.
“It (Asian Games participation) depends on how Eumir feels after his pro fight,” ABAP president Marcus Manalo told DAILY TRIBUNE.
Marcial is scheduled to fight for the eighth time as a pro this Saturday night (Sunday in Manila) at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California.
The Filipino southpaw faces fellow knockout artist Ulises Huerta of the United States in a middleweight eight-rounder.
Manalo said that his instruction was straight and simple.
“I told him to focus on his professional fight. We don’t need to force the Asian Games participation. It will be just a bonus (a big bonus of course) if he’s able to join us,” Manalo added.
The ABAP entered Marcial’s name in the 80-kilogram class (light-heavyweight) in the 19 September to 4 October quadrennial sportsfest.
Marcial’s plan to fight in Nagoya has the blessings of his American promoter Sean Gibbons, who will give the Zamboanga southpaw the go-signal “if he beats Huerta easy.”
“He’s on vacation (after his pro fight) anyway,” said Gibbons, who is planning to send Marcial back in action before 2026 comes to a close.
Although he has been a pro since December 2000, Marcial’s career has been stagnant owing to his choice to represent the Philippines internationally.
Since becoming a pro, Marcial has fought in two Olympic Games, Asian Games and in several Southeast Asian Games.
The ABAP could not withdraw Marcial from the event because of his sterling credentials.
Aside from the Tokyo bronze, Marcial also boasts of a silver medal from the 2019 world championships and another silver in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. He also got the bronze in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
Marcial would have been left alone if only his replacement — fellow Zamboanga native Weljon Mindoro — won his pro match late last month.
But Mindoro suffered a devastating knockout loss to Carlos Ocampo in Los Angeles, forcing the ABAP to bring Marcial, whose last pro bout took place almost a year ago at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, back in the Asiad mix.
