Magnificent 7 boxers gird for Asiad

MANILA, Philippines —  Four Olympic medalists lead the Magnificent Seven cast of boxers representing the country at the Nagoya Asian Games on Sept. 19-Oct. 4 with English coach Kevin Smith back at the helm as ABAP elite program director.

ABAP president Marcus Manalo said the seven-strong boxing team is composed of Carlo Paalam (55kg), Paul Julyfer Bascon (60kg), Marjon Pianar (70kg) and Eumir Marcial (80kg) for men and Aira Villegas (51kg), Riza Pasuit (54kg) and Nesthy Petecio (60kg) for women.  There will be no ABAP entries for 90kg and +90kg for men and 65kg and 75kg for women.

Paalam, 28, was a flyweight silver medalist and Marcial, 30, a middleweight bronze medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.  Petecio, 34, took the featherweight silver medal at the 2020 Games and featherweight bronze in 2024.  Villegas, 30, was a lightflyweight bronze medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

To prepare for the Asiad, ABAP sent boxers to compete at the Belgrade Winner Elite Tournament last March, the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands last May and the Grand Prix Usti nad Labem in the Czech Republic last month.  Pasuit, 33, claimed the 57kg gold and Bascon, 28, the 60kg bronze in Belgrade while Paalam bagged the 50kg gold in the Eindhoven Box Cup.  Paalam brought down Paris Olympic silver medalist Billal Bennama of France, Justin Sahin of Germany and Abdul Burton of England to top his division.

The boxing team will participate in two pre-Asian Games camps arranged by Asian Boxing in Bangkok and Nishio City.  The Asian Games fights will be held at the Nishio City General Gymnasium in the Aichi Prefecture.

Marcial arrived from training in Tokyo the other day and is considering a pro fight offer in the US next month.  A plan to fight in Australia on the Tim Tszyu-Errol Spence undercard tomorrow was scuttled.  “If Eumir’s fight in August pushes through, he’ll just catch the team in Japan,” said Manalo.  “I told him to choose what to focus on.  If he wants to be an Olympic gold medalist, he needs to focus on Olympic-style boxing until LA 2028.”