MANILA, Philippines — Fil-British fighter John Marvin has locked up a slot in the 80kg division on the Philippine boxing team competing in the SEA Games in Cambodia on May 5-17 and flew in from London yesterday to report to training camp. ABAP secretary-general Marcus Manalo confirmed Marvin’s participation which will be his third in the event after clinching a gold in 2017 and failing to land a podium finish in 2019.
Marvin, 30, turned pro last year and picked up two wins, both by first round knockout in Portslade, England. He stopped Hari Simran Singh in 45 seconds and Nishant Sharma in 72 seconds. His last stint with the national team was in the 2019 SEA Games where he lost to Vietnam’s Dinh Hoang Truong on a split decision.
“My focus is on the SEA Games,” said Marvin. “As for my two pro fights, it was just business. I believe returning to the (Philippine) team will be more beneficial and will improve my ability even more. The pro journey was OK but I’m happy to be back. After the SEA Games, I’ll fight in the Asian Games to qualify for the Olympics.”