FIVE years on, Eumir Marcial still doesn't know where his priorities lie.
The 30-year-old Marcial is set to resume his pro career less than a month from now as he’s scheduled to take on Omar Ulises Huerta on Sept. 19 at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California.
Yet at the same time, he intends to join the Philippine boxing team at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan once his US fight is over.
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Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) president Marcus Jarwin Manalo said that while Marcial is listed as part of the seven-man squad to the Asiad, it’s not ideal for him to jump from one bout to another.
It’s a classic case of Marcial wanting to have his cake and eat it, too.
“He will miss the Asian Games, unfortunately,” said Manalo.
The Zamboanga native is entered in the men’s 80kg class (light-heavyweight), the same division where he won a silver medal in the 2022 Hangzhou Asiad to clinch a berth in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Boxing competitions in Nagoya will start on Sept. 21, with the light-heavyweight division kicking off on the 23rd.
“Actually, he (Marcial) wants to leave the window open. He said if he has an easy fight on Sept. 19, he can still fly to Nagoya right after his pro fight,” said Manalo of his conversation with the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist.
“The first competition day for his weight class is Sept. 23, so it is possible,” added the ABAP chief. “However, it’s not optimal, and of course, a professional fight is so unpredictable especially in terms of cuts and injuries.”
Marcial arrived in Las Vegas less than two weeks ago and currently trains at the Knuckleheads gym for the fight against the 30-year-old Huerta, who sports a 15-1-1 record with 13 KOs.
That meant already missing the crucial phase of the national team’s training camp heading to the Asiad.
“Mukhang maganda din ang record ng kalaban niya. So unlikely to be an easy fight for him,” said Manalo.
Marcial carries an undefeated 7-0 record with 4 KOs and last fought in the 50-year anniversary undercard of the Thrilla in Manila where he eked out a majority decision win over Venezuelan Eddy Colmenares at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
As things stand, the boxing team will rely on Olympic medalists Carlo Paalam, Nesthy Petecio, and Aira Villegas to carry the fight for the country in the quadrennial showcase.
Paalam, silver medalist in Tokyo four years ago, is entered in the men’s 55kg class along with Junmilardo Ogayre (60kg), and Norlan Petecio (70kg).
Villegas, the bronze medal winner in the Paris Games, will fight in the women’s 51kg class, while Petecio, a silver and bronze medalists in the Olympics, is in the 60kg division, while Riza Pasuit campaigns at 54 kg.
ABAP is now planning to have pro fighter Weljon Mindoro to replace Marcial in the light-heavyweight class.
Mindoro bagged a bronze in his first stint with the national team during last year’s Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
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