Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Eumir Marcial needs to straighten things out with the new leadership of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP).
Marcial, who is trying to balance his amateur and professional careers, is setting up camp in the United States for a proposed bout — his second time in the punch-for-pay league — in March.
He made his pro debut in December 2020 in Los Angeles and later reported back to ABAP control to get ready for the Olympic Games where he placed third in the star-studded middleweight class.
Under contract with MP Promotions, the country’s most influential promotional outfit, Marcial has also decided to compete as an amateur and pro in his quest to win the gold medal in Paris in 2024 and likewise bag a world crown.
The Zamboanga City southpaw feels he can manage his time preparing for events like the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, Asian Games and the Olympics even as he competes as a pro in America.
In fact, Marcial, 26, said a few weeks ago that he is in the process of building his own training team that is also geared towards his Olympic goal.
But it doesn’t look as though he and the ABAP, now headed by Ed Picson, are on the same page.
“The last couple of times we talked, we made it clear to him that if he wants to remain in the national team, he would have to train with ABAP,” Picson told Daily Tribune yesterday.
Picson swears Marcial has to toe the line.
“If he is not in our training center, then that means he is absent and will eventually (be) dropped from the rolls. If he wants to compete in the SEA Games or any amateur tournament as a pro, then he will need to go through the process,” Picson added.
Marcial intends to use his planned US training and fight as a buildup for the 31st SEA Games that Hanoi is hosting in May.
Then if everything falls into place, Marcial will get back into training mode, probably fight for the third time as a pro before going for gold in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in September.
Last week, renowned strength and conditioning coach Memo Heredia confirmed that Marcial is arriving in the US soon to begin working with him.
Heredia is best remembered for his role in the preparations of Juan Manuel Marquez and Yordenis Ugas for Manny Pacquiao.
Heredia’s handiwork was all over when Marquez knocked out Pacquiao with one punch in December 2012.
He was also credited for toughening up Ugas against Pacquiao last August.
