Philippines, 19 Feb 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Second Overtime: Eumir Marcial leans on the Navarro family


PhilBoxing.com





CHICAGO -- While preparing for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, Eumir Marcial is equally busy these days squealing about what he feels is the lack of support for his preparations.

With the fury of a thousand punches, he has been throwing sharp verbal jabs at the PSC and the ABAP. And the the latest installment arrived yesterday.

The middleweight boxer acknowledged receiving P43,000 a month in allowances from the PSC but he insists it's not enough.

"Kung ganyan ang supporta at mentality niyo, wag kayong maghangad ng gold sa Olympics," said Marcial who explained that the coast of team coaches, supplements, plane tickets, accommodations, etc, all amount to a small fortune.

A few days after Marcial arrived from Los Angeles last week to set up camp in his hometown of Zamboanga, he spoke to me on the phone and mentioned his pleas for help.

I walked away from that conversation with a crushed soul. I had hoped that the circumstances would change in the ensuing days.

It did. For the worse.

Look, I think highly of the PSC and the ABAP. Those organizations have done a lot of great work for our national athletes over the years.

But when it comes to conflicts such as this, I tend to err on the side of the athletes because the athlete often do not have the motive to lie while organizations are forever beholden to internal politics and vested interests.

I may be wrong here but I think the PSC and ABAP need to do much better on this case.

EVEN IF EUMIR IS ACTING LIKE A DIVA, HE HAS EARNED THAT STATUS.

He is a superstar who deserves extra special treatment. That's just how things work in sports. And lest we forget, he is our country's best hope to win an Olympic gold in this cycle of the Summer Games.

Excellence costs money, we need to pay for it. It's called an investment.

The Philippines infamously splurged P55 million for a damn cauldron during the 2019 SEA Games that we hosted. What's a few million bucks to provide Eumir with whatever he needs to pursue the highest individual achievement we as a nation have waited several lifetimes to capture?

While the tension is definitely a distraction for Eumir, I trust that he can put all this behind once he heads to Dubai for the Asian Championships beginning on May 24.

But I am comforted by the knowledge that the Navarro family has taken great care of Eumir since he landed in Zamboanga from the Wild Card gym.

"Pasalamat jud ko ni sir Junnie. Siya man akong gitawagan nga mouli ko para mag training diri. Mitando dayon siya." (I'm grateful for sir Junnie. I called him from L.A. to ask permission to use his gym and he said yes right away.)

What's in it for the Navarros?

Nothing. No hidden agenda.

"Gusto lang jud nila maka gold ko," (They just want me to win a gold medal), Marcial said, prepared to swear on a stack of bibles.


The family portrait of the Navarro family, who owns the Valientes basketball team.

Pillars of the community, the Navarros have long been supporting teams and athletes locally and nationally. The patriarch, the late Rolando Sr., was a huge backer of softball back in the day before sponsoring was fashionable.

Madame Cory, the family matriarch, has since carried the torch.

Sean Gibbons, the president of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, told PhilBoxing.com he isn't worried with Eumir training away from the United States.

"He has a great set-up there and the gym the Navarros have is world-class."

The hope here is that the pit stop in his hometown will allow Eumir to recharge mentally and emotionally before he goes about with his mission in Japan.

A nations prays. May the force be with him.


The Navarro Gym in Zamboanga.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Homer D. Sayson.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Brothers on warpath
    By Joaquin Henson, , Wed, 19 Feb 2025
  • All Star Boxing Kicks off March 7th in Managua
    , Wed, 19 Feb 2025
  • World Boxing’s Executive Board approves six new applications from Kosovo, Syria, Hungary, Malawi, Estonia and Switzerland to take its membership to 78 countries
    , Wed, 19 Feb 2025
  • USA Boxing Announces 2025 Women’s Elite High Performance Team Roster
    , Wed, 19 Feb 2025
  • Avious Griffin For WBC Title Headlines Club Boxings return to NYC Thursday Night in Times Square.
    , Tue, 18 Feb 2025
  • Canelo vs. Crawford: A Deep Dive into the Tactics, Strengths, and Potential Outcomes of the Mega-Fight
    By T. Chin-Te, , Tue, 18 Feb 2025
  • Diosdado Posadas: Call me Speedy
    By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, , Tue, 18 Feb 2025
  • Sadam Ali/World Kid Promotions’ “The Return” Postponed
    , Tue, 18 Feb 2025
  • FAELDONIA CHESS TEAM DOMINATES SIBUYAN OPEN TOURNAMENT
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 18 Feb 2025
  • Dutch Boxing Federation accepted as IBA provisional member
    , Tue, 18 Feb 2025
  • Trifon Petrov unveils the signing of undefeated prospect VeShawn Champion
    , Tue, 18 Feb 2025
  • VIC MANUEL, MIKE TOLOMIA LEAD VALIENTES PAST BENILDE IN SIBUGAY INVITATIONAL
    , Tue, 18 Feb 2025
  • IM Chito Danilo Garma rules 5th AQ Prime Standard Open chess tournament
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Mon, 17 Feb 2025
  • Ryan Clark defeats Ross Rodriguez in Old-fashioned barnburner fight
    , Mon, 17 Feb 2025
  • Vince Paras Secures Impressive TKO Victory in Johor Bahru, Malaysia
    , Sun, 16 Feb 2025
  • Concio unbeaten for IIEE Quezon to advance to Finals of PTC-WED
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 16 Feb 2025
  • OSCAR "LA MIGRAÑA" DUARTE HANDS MIGUEL "EXPLOSIVO" MADUEÑO HIS FIRST CAREER KNOCKOUT LOSS TO CLAIM WBA CONTINENTAL AMERICAS SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE
    , Sun, 16 Feb 2025
  • US Olympics Silver Medalist Nabs Pro "Gold"; Keyshawn Davis Wins WBO Crown by Knockout
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Sun, 16 Feb 2025
  • Roy Jones Jnr and Israil Madrimov Break Down Canelo-Crawford Fight
    , Sun, 16 Feb 2025
  • April 5: Heavyweight Titans Richard Torrez Jr. & Guido Vianello to Collide at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas LIVE on ESPN+
    , Sun, 16 Feb 2025
  • Cleveland, OKC Keep Lead But Old Vets Dominate All Stars Squads
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Sun, 16 Feb 2025
  • IM Garma notches third win in 5th AQ Prime Standard Open Chess Tournament
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 16 Feb 2025
  • Business Handled: Keyshawn Davis Crushes Denys Berinchyk in Four to Capture Lightweight Crown
    , Sat, 15 Feb 2025
  • Secret is never retire
    By Joaquin Henson, , Sat, 15 Feb 2025
  • DUARTE VS. MADUEÑO WEIGH-IN RESULTS
    , Sat, 15 Feb 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.