American boxing man Sean Gibbons is using his strong Japanese connections so Filipino middleweight Eumir Marcial could set up camp in Tokyo in the run-up to the Olympic penciled 23 July to 9 August.
Marcial is one of just a few legitimate Olympic gold medal prospects and Gibbons wants to maximize the southpaw’s medal chances by sending him there early.
Gibbons didn’t say how exactly Marcial will find a home in Japan but given his solid reputation in the Japanese boxing community, it could be done.
Marcial is back in the country after a seven-month stay in the United States but Gibbons insists that if nothing substantial can be achieved in the next four weeks or so, it will be time to “head somewhere.”
That “somewhere” could either be back at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood where there is an abundance of big and bad sparring partners or in Japan where Gibbons has solid ties.
Right now, Marcial is keenly waiting if the Asian championships supposed to be hosted by New Delhi in India from 21 to 31 May will be relocated to Dubai or some other locale because of the surge of Covid-19 cases in the subcontinent.
If not, Gibbons feels it would be beneficial for Marcial, the 2019 world championships silver medalist, to reunite with Roach or go somewhere else.
Presently, Marcial’s national teammates are training under a bubble setup in Bangkok and will likely stay there until they leave for Tokyo owing to Thailand’s small number of Covid-19 cases compared with the Philippines.
As soon as Marcial completes a 14-day quarantine, he will fly to Zamboanga to visit his ailing father.
Marcial punched a ticket to Tokyo when he topped the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Amman, Jordan, in March last year.
Unable to train properly in the country during the pandemic, Marcial, 25, decided to leave for the US in October 2020 to pursue a professional career under Roach’s coaching and Gibbons’ management.
During his stay in the US, Marcial had his pro fight in December in downtown Los Angeles, winning a four-round decision over Andrew Whitfield.
“Our mission is to win in Tokyo,” Gibbons said.
Marcial is probably the most taken care of Filipino Olympic aspirant at the moment, having been the only one who has received his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine in Las Vegas.
In contrast, Filipino sports officials are still in the process of procuring vaccines for athletes and coaches.
