Marcial skips Asian Games after triumphant US pro fight

MANILA, Philippines — No Eumir Marcial for this year’s Asian Games.

Fresh off a knockout win, Marcial will be skipping the Aichi-Nagoya Games, Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) President Marcus Manalo confirmed Sunday. 

Marcial pulled off a rousing third-round knockout win over Omar Huerta earlier in the day at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California in the United States. 

“I spoke to Eumir right after winning his professional fight earlier. After carefully considering the situation, Eumir and I agreed that it would be better to skip the Asian Games,” Manalo said. 

“It would be very hard for him to immediately transition from a professional fight in the US, into long-distance travel to Nagoya with a 16-hour time difference, and then into another high-level boxing competition with such a short recovery period,” he added. 

The Olympic bronze medalist was listed as the Philippines’ bet for the 80 kilogram category of the Asiad after compatriot Weljon Mindoro was disqualified medically due to a knockout defeat last month. 

“Boxing is a physically demanding and inherently risky sport, and adequate time to rest and recover is extremely important, and we do not want to compromise Eumir’s health and safety because of the tight timeline,” Manalo said. 

“Eumir himself was very much looking forward to the opportunity to represent the flag once again. This is therefore a difficult decision for everyone involved.  However, representing the Philippines is not only about stepping into the ring. It is also about making responsible decisions that protect our athletes and allow them to have long, healthy careers,” he continued.

“We sincerely hope for understanding that this decision was made with Eumir’s best interests in mind. His commitment to Philippine boxing and to representing the country has never been in question.” 

Marcial, however, is still expected to represent the Philippines in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in December.