No SEA Games for Eumir

Tokyo Olympics middleweight boxing bronze medalist Eumir Marcial yesterday confirmed he won’t join the Philippine team competing in the coming Cambodia SEA Games and plans to return to Las Vegas next month to continue his climb up the pro ladder. Marcial is in town with wife Princess for a brief break after scoring a second-round TKO over Argentine veteran Ricardo Villalba in San Antonio, Texas, last Feb. 11.

Marcial, 27, said he’s now totally focused on his pro career. The timetable is for Marcial to progress to fighting in 10-rounders before the year ends. His next bout will be an eight-rounder in June or July. Marcial made his eight-round debut against Villalba but the bout ended early, depriving the four-time SEA Games gold medalist a chance to test his stamina over a longer duration.

Marcial disclosed that three weeks ago, he underwent a medical procedure in Los Angeles to remove a growth in between the knuckles in his right hand. He’s now in a cast. Marcial said the same hand specialist who worked on Manny Pacquiao and Vasiliy Lomachenko performed the surgery. “Tiniis ko ng limang taon,” he said. “Bawa’t suntok sa kanan kamay, masakit kaya sa wakas, tanggal na ang problema.” When his right hand is fully healed, Marcial said he’ll be at full strength to unleash his power in the ring.

Marcial’s sights are on a world championship. He said it’s a tough journey to the top but there’s no easy road to the throne. So far, Marcial has racked up a 4-0 pro record with two KOs. He turned pro in 2020, battled twice in 2022 and notched his most impressive win over Villalba.

Another Olympic quest isn’t on Marcial’s mind at the moment but if he decides to go for Paris in 2024, the first step is to qualify through the Asian Games in September. The International Boxing Association (IBA) recently issued a statement that the World Championships for men in Tashkent in May will be the first Olympic qualifying leg. But the IOC, which has taken over control from IBA for Olympic-related competitions due to failure to institute reforms, has a different opinion, said ABAP secretary-general Marcus Manalo. “IOC runs the Olympics so we treat its qualification system as the actual,” said Manalo. “According to the IOC, the Asian Games will be the first qualifier for Asia.” Marcial has time to change his mind until then.