With pro fight nixed, Olympic berth-seeking Eumir Marcial to focus on Asian Games

MANILA, Philippines – When Eumir Marcial missed out on achieving his Olympic dream and settled for a bronze medal in the Tokyo Games two years ago, he vowed to do everything in pursuit of this quest.

And he is not about to renege on it now.

With his fifth professional fight initially set late this month cancelled, Marcial can now solely focus on his Olympic journey starting with next month’s Hangzhou Asian Games where he hopes to book a ticket to next year’s Paris Games.

“Eumir (Marcial) will be coming home from the US as soon as possible and to join the national boxing team and work on his Australian visa,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino Friday.

The Tagaytay City Mayor was, of course, referring to the national team training camp unfurling September 1 in Canberra where he will join Tokyo silver winners Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam.

Also part of the 11-strong squad are Tokyo Olympian Irish Magno, Aira Villegas, Ian Clark Bautista, Rogen Ladon, Ronald Chavez, Jr., Mark Ashley Fajardo and John Marvin.

Marcial’s fight was actually rescheduled to next month, which would have run smack at the Hangzhou tilt slated September 23 to October 8.

Good thing Tolentino intervened and brokered Marcial’s participation with the latter’s handler MP Promotions, whose president Sean Gibbons gave his nod by writing off the Zamboanga City-native pug’s training costs.

“Sean [Gibbons] readily agreed that Marcial focuses on Hangzhou and go after his Olympic dream,” said Tolentino.

But striking gold in the Mt. Olympus of boxing competitions is easier said than done.

It was made tougher that Marcial will compete in the light heavyweight category after his natural middleweight class was snuffed out of the Paris calendar.

He would also need to make the finals, instead of the traditional semifinals, to make the cut.

Marcial, however, is unfazed.

“It’s now or never,” he said.