It’s going to be boom or bust for Eumir Marcial when he fights for the third time as a pro in July or August.
After spending some time picking himself up from the deck against Isiah Hart in Las Vegas over the weekend, Marcial will be brought back to prove that he is the real deal and not some overrated guy who is destined to fail.
“We’ll be making big changes,” hollered MP Promotions chief Sean Gibbons, who was among those who fell off his seat when Hart sent Marcial, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medals, down thrice.
Marcial did rebound and went on to stop Hart in the fourth round after hitting the floor once in the first and twice in the second.
“He just didn’t have that punch resistance that everytime he got clicked he went down,” Gibbons said.
Indeed, Hart made Marcial look like some guy who was plucked from the crowd when in reality, Hart was that fellow who Marcial was supposed to beat up.
Gibbons insists there were a few issues that may have contributed to his so-so showing.
But with the modifications that’s bound to take place in preparation for his third pro outing, GIbbons is upbeat that Marcial will finally show everyone the stuff he’s made of.
But the Filipino middleweight should not expect a gimme for his third bout.
“We will be bringing in a rock-solid guy.”
With the changes that’s bound to take place, Gibbons feels Marcial will finally live up to his lofty billing as a future world champion.
“If it happens again, then we have a big problem.”
Gibbons is sure to end up crying like a baby if Marcial fails to perform credibly.
But life goes on.
Besides, Marcial is not the only fighter taking up Gibbon’s precious time.
Meanwhile, Marcial is bound for home ealy next week, according to Gibbons.
“He’ll be leaving Tuesday (19 April).”
But according to the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP), Marcial is going to rejoin his national team buddies in Thailand to rev up for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi.
“We obviously want him to be there as soon as possible but he expressed to us that he will be flying to Thailand on the 18th,” ABAP secretary general Marcus Manalo said.
The Hanoi SEA Games will take the spotlight from 12 to 23 May.
After Hanoi, Marcial sheds off his amateur status anew to get ready for his third pro fight.
By then, Marcial can no longer afford to revisit the Hart fight because next time he gets dropped, he might not even get up.
