Weight no issue for Eumir in homecoming bout

AS FAR as weight is concerned, Paris Olympics-bound Eumir Felix Marcial has no problem when he fights in front of the crowd on Saturday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

At 172 lbs., it will be a little lighter than Marcial’s weight class in the Asian Games and Olympics, but it won’t matter when he squares off with Thoedsak Sinam on Saturday in their eight-round non-title light heavyweight bout, according to MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons.

“The weight has no effect on this fight at all,” Gibbons told Businessmirror on Thursday prior to the weigh-in on Friday morning at the same venue. “The weight at 170 to 172 pounds, we made it little bigger than Eumir’s normal [weight] because he’s fighting in the Olympics at 176 pounds.”

“So it exactly lighter than what he’s fighting in the Olympics, but a little heavier than what he’s fought in other few fights like in 165 pounds. It just makes sense he’s fighting in the Olympics at 80 kilos or 176 that we got a guy a little bigger to fight this fight leading up to that.”

Marcial, 28, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist almost three years ago in Tokyo, will be fighting in Manila for the first time since winning a gold medal in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games men’s middleweight boxing competition at the PICC tent.

“The fight is like an infomercial, Eumir is here to come out to showcase and to look good in front of his friends, the people of the Philippines, relatives and fans. That’s the fight is all about and not a tough fight before he returns to US and resume his Olympic training,” he added.

Marcial has won his four professional fights, all in the US, and his team is thankful that former Senator Manny Pacquiao is hosting the Olympian’s home fight.

“The real reason we did this fight is the senator who spoke to Eumir, and he said he hasn’t fought here for almost five years, so we figured it out and he’s very thankful to the senator,” Gibbons said. “It’s a beautiful send off for his training for the Paris Olympics.”

But the 28-year-old Thai is no joke despite his 13 losses in 36 fights as he also compiled 19 knockouts.