MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Michael Dasmariñas targets a world title while Eumir Marcial aims for an Olympic gold as the two elite boxers train together to reach their lofty goals
Michael Dasmariñas and Eumir Marcial are embarking on separate missions with Los Angeles as a common jump-off point.
A first-timer in the United States, Dasmariñas, who arrived Sunday, is gunning for the world titles of Japanese star Naoya Inoue in Las Vegas on Saturday, June 19 (Sunday, June 20, Manila time)
Returning to the City of Angels on Tuesday, Marcial is heading to Colorado Springs to ramp up his preparations for the Tokyo Olympics.
They’re living together in a house provided by MP (Manny Pacquiao) Promotions president Sean Gibbons, who took time out from his busy schedule to fetch Team Dasmariñas and Marcial at the Tom Bradley International Airport.
Dasmariñas, accompanied by trainer Tacy Macalos and manager Vilma Acosta, will train at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood before motoring to Las Vegas a week before he challenges Inoue for the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation crowns at Virgin Hotels.
Given minimal chances by bettors, Dasmariñas hopes to produce a major shocker by dethroning the Japanese “Monster,” who is among the world’s top pound-for-pound fighters.
Following a disappointing bronze-medal finish in the Asian Elite Men’s and Women’s Boxing Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Marcial mended fences with the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
Sensing the urgency of Marcial’s situation, ABAP president Ricky Vargas and secretary-general Ed Picson have arranged for Marcial to wrap up his preparations at the USA Boxing’s facility at Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The other Tokyo-bound fighters – Nesthy Petecio, Irish Magno, Carlo Paalam – however, are still in a Thailand training camp waiting for the approval of the ABAP request and their US visas.
Also recommended for inclusion to the multi-national training camp at an abandoned department store in Colorado are ABAP coaches who will oversee the boxers’ training for the Tokyo Games from July 23 to August 8.
After their morning training on Tuesday, Dasmariñas and Marcial, accompanied by trainer Ting Arriosa visited Pacquiao’s house at the Hancock Park neighborhood.
If they succeed in their missions, maybe they’ll also have the chance to own one in the US. – Rappler.com
